Six of Cups -
Tarot Card Meaning
Part of a full-series guide of all 78 Tarot Cards. See the full guide here.
Written by Made Musings
SIX OF CUPS
At a glance:
The Six of Cups often signals a period of reflection of childhood, where joyous recollections can help rekindle a sense of wonder.
Upright Keywords:
Childhood memories, nostalgia, inner child, rekindling imagination
Reversed Keywords:
living in the past, too serious
Numerology:
6 - harmony, balance, and symmetry
Six of Cups: Upright Meaning
The Six of Cups represents nostalgia and innocence. It portrays a young boy handing a cup of white flowers to a little girl, surrounded by five more cups also brimming with flowers. This scene, set in a peaceful village with a protective figure in the background, evokes a sense of safety and warmth. The imagery suggests a return to simpler times, revisiting happy memories, and connecting with one’s inner child. When the Six of Cups appears in a reading, it often signals a period of reflection on the past, where joyous recollections can help rekindle a sense of wonder.
Numerology and Suit Meaning:
In numerology, the number 6 symbolizes harmony, balance, and symmetry. The number 6 often relates to domesticity and the home, emphasizing the importance of mutuality in a harmonious environment.
The suit of Cups is associated with intuition, emotions, relationships, and love. Oftentimes, it also deals with spirituality and the subconscious.
Elementally, cups are connected to water. An easy way to remember is that cups hold water. Like emotions, water can be calm when it’s flowing in a gentle brook. However, it can also be destructive when it becomes a raging tidal wave.
Love/Relationships
The Six of Cups love meaning indicates a time of reconnecting with the past. You and your partner may find yourselves reminiscing about earlier, happier times, which can strengthen your bond and bring you closer together. This card suggests that introducing your partner to your family or revisiting significant places from your past can enhance your relationship’s depth and understanding.
Since this card carries an energy of joyful memories from your youth, this could also mean that someone from your past is bound to make an appearance. Perhaps you will rekindle a lost connection from years ago.
If you are a parent, sometimes this card represents your relationship with your own kids. This may reflect your desire to create a safe, playful, and loving household.
Money/Career
An appearance from the Six of Cups suggests that reflecting on past projects and achievements can foster a sense of camaraderie and cooperation in the workplace. Bonding over shared experiences can create a harmonious environment, making it easier to work on collective tasks. Consider organizing a team-building activity to help your coworkers feel more like a “family.” This can reignite a sense of community and motivate everyone to work together more effectively.
Additionally, this could be a call to connect with your Inner Child in order to grow professional. Understanding your inner child’s needs and emotions can increase your empathy and compassion for your boss and coworkers. It also yields benefits such as rekindling your imagination. This type of creative thinking can inspire fresh ideas, spark innovative thinking, and create breakthroughs in your projects.
Spiritual/Self
The Six of Cups encourages you to reconnect with your inner child and rediscover the simple joys and pleasures of life. Revisiting happy memories can bring a sense of peace and even reignite creative thinking. Explore the carefree feelings and contentment you experienced in your youth, and integrate those feelings into your current life. Spend time doing activities you enjoyed as a child, such as drawing with crayons, playing games, or collecting rocks. These simple pleasures can help you tap into a more carefree mindset and may be the key to unlocking barriers to growth. Your inner child is the source of creativity and imagination. Engaging with this part of yourself can inspire fresh ideas and innovative thinking. Additionally, understanding your inner child’s needs and emotions can increase your empathy and compassion for yourself and others.
“This card carries an energy of joyful memories from your youth. How can you integrate these happy feelings into your current situation?”
Astrology
The Suit of Cups is associated with the element of Water, which governs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. These Zodiac signs are the masters of emotions, intuition, creativity, and transformation. Known for their empathetic and nurturing behaviors, these water signs promote the free flow of feelings as a means to reaching our highest forms of evolution.
Note: It's important to recognize that not everyone incorporates astrology into their Tarot readings. The extent to which astrological references are used can vary greatly among readers. Each reader has a unique approach; some may draw heavily on astrological archetypes, while others might not use them at all. This information is meant to offer an additional perspective that could be helpful in your interpretations by highlighting parallels between Tarot and Astrology.
Although some argue that astrology wasn't originally part of Tarot, more modern interpretations like the Rider Waite Smith and Thoth decks may have integrated astrological concepts to align with their modern time mystical beliefs. Many contemporary decks made in this current decade also feature astrological references. Ultimately, every individual develops their own unique relationship with both Tarot and Astrology.
Reversed Meaning
In the reversed position, the Six of Cups is a warning that your nostalgia has become unhealthy. Fixating on “the good old days” can prevent you from moving forward or cause you to be out of touch. Ask yourself: how can you find balance between cherishing the past and accepting the present? Are you holding onto “what was” while refusing to accept the realities of today?
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CARD SUMMARY
Revisiting happy memories can bring a sense of peace and even reignite creative thinking.
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