(The above image is a copy of The Six of Cups card in a standard Rider-Waite Tarot deck. The 5 symbols pointed out above are explained below.)
Card Description
The Six of Cups is almost a reverse of the Five of Cups. Whereas that card warns you about the dangers of harping on the past, this card encourages you to remember the good memories. It also illustrates the two states of being: the giver and the receiver. Whichever one you are right now, seek out community with those around you in the spirit of childlike innocence.
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For more information about The Six of Cups card, check out A. E. Waite’s description here.
Point 1 – BOY
The boy in the Six of Cups illustrates the part of us who wants to help. He bends over and presents the girl with a cup full of flowers. Such display of love and affection is what the suit of cups represents
Point 2 – GIRL
The girl in the Six of Cups illustrates the part of us who accepts help. Helping others is a noble thing, but so is accepting help. Recognizing that you can’t doing everything by yourself is the first step to being able to help others yourself. Together, the boy and girl illustrate the community that was first depicted in the Three of Cups.
Point 3 – WATCHMAN WALKING AWAY
In the background towards the left of the card, there is a man walking away. This shows that the community of the two children is removed from the hustle of adult life. It encourages us to remember our childlike qualities as we grow up.
Point 4 – GIRL’S HEAD
The girl’s head contributes to the many paradoxes that litter the Tarot cards. The girl has a double face. Depending on how you look at it, you can see a face to the left of her head or to the right of her head.
Point 5 – BLOSSOMS IN CUPS
This is the only Tarot card with flowers in the cups. This reveals the blooming affection between the two children as well as the spiritual growth of the reader.
Tarot Reading
Upright
An Upright Six of Cups encourages you to remember the innocents of your childhood. While the Five of Cups warned against staying in the past, an Upright Six of Cups suggests that you can use the past to inform your presents. Remember who you were and see if you are now who you would like to be.
Reverse
Like the Five of Cups, A Reverse Six of Cups warns that you are overindulging in the past and missing out on the present. A Reverse Six of Cups asks you to let go of the negative memories that you are clinging to. Additionally, it may ask you to reconnect with your inner child without devolving into immaturity.
For more Tarot Card Meanings, check out our blog here.
Video
Jim Daley and his wife Natalie are the owners of Joker’s and Fools in Lake Wales, Florida, where they serve the Central Florida tarot community with a thoughtfully curated selection of Tarot and Oracle cards. Jim holds a B.A. in History from Tufts University and brings both academic insight and a deep appreciation for the symbolic tradition of the cards to his work.
