Ace of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

UPRIGHT

“your cup runneth over”, good health, love, joy, beauty, purity

REVERSED

deceit, selfishness, instability

Visual Description of the Ace of Cups:

The Ace of Cups shows a single cup filled with so much that it is running over. There is an abundance of sensory stimulation at this point as the cup represents the subconscious, while the five streams flowing from it represents the five senses. As a result emotions and intuition are plentiful to the hand holding the cup. This hand sprouts from clouds and is deeply connected with the ethereal realm of the Spiritual. The lotus flowers on the sea below the cup and the white dove descending towards the cup are indications that the person holding the cup is undergoing a Spiritual awakening and they are starting to see the Divine love coming through them at this time.

Divinatory Meaning of the Ace of Cups:

Upright Meaning of the Ace of Cups Tarot Card:

The querent is at the start of a new Spiritual awakening. Their senses are on high alert as their subconscious is transforming into conscious awareness. This leaves them with a lot of potential to see the cup as half full, in fact they will be feeling an abundance of happiness and awe at the new experiences they are having.

“You feel as though you’re waking up to a brand new world. Your senses are overflowing with awe and wonder. This is due to your subconscious waking up. As a result your emotions are being stirred in a new way, creating a new sense of appreciation for things you used to take for granted.

You’re seeing the world through the eyes of a child, and as a result there is a certain purity to your actions and reactions. Your emotional world is overflowing with this stimulation. You’re happy and healthy and in love with being alive. This energy exudes from you and affects those around you in a positive and inspirational way, opening doors to new opportunities for Spiritual and emotional growth.”

The querent’s exuberance at this time will cause a ripple effect in the world around them, especially on an emotional level. This could inspire a new love relationship or deepen the bonds of an already existing one. They are opening the door to Universal Love and will feel the blissful effects of this awakening.

Reversed Meaning of the Ace of Cups Tarot Card:

The reversed meaning of the Ace of Cups is not as happy as the upright meaning. Instead of opening up to Universal Love the querent is willfully shutting these emotions and experiences out of their conscious awareness. They may be doing this on purpose or as a subconscious defence mechanism due to past trauma.

“You’re not feeling the love. In fact you’re avoiding it at all costs. This is making you deceitful and selfish, causing your relationships to become shaky. But the question is why are you doing this? Did someone hurt you in the past? Are you even aware that you’re pushing people away by your actions? Maybe you’re wondering why things are all doom and gloom in your life…

In order to get back to a life filled with joy, love and gratitude you need to do a bit of soul searching. You need to determine why you’re shutting things out and release this negative energy. You’ll only be able to find true and lasting happiness once you let go of the past and let Universal Love back into your life.”

The querent may be sceptical about the role they are playing in the misery of their own life. It is not that the state of things is their fault, rather a past event triggered a negative response in them which is now causing the instability in their life. They need to determine what the event was and release any negative emotions surrounding it through forgiveness of themselves and others.