Love.
It's the best feeling in the world to some, and to others, it's dramatic and chaotic and painful. To your average tarot reader, it's the perfect excuse for why people keep coming back for readings.
Jokes aside, I would say a good 70% of my readings with newer clients are usually focused on love matters and rocky relationship problems, so I've gotten very comfortable with the idea that love may be complicated, but when it comes to tarot, it usually comes down to one of two truths: either it is worth pursuing and you must grow as an individual to be worthy of it, or that connection in question does not serve you and you must grow as individual to find what is worthy of you. Either way, you must learn that to stay in healthy love, it requires growth and maturity on your end- either to pursue and maintain a relationship, or to walk away and demand what is meant for you.
For those interested in cracking the code and getting familiar with what a traditional tarot deck has to say about love, I recommend focusing on the suit for Cups. In the traditional Rider Waithe deck, cups represented emotions and our connections to those we love and cherish. Depending on the picture depicted on the cards, each card within this suit tells a different story and ultimately reveals a lesson in how we should navigate personal relationships, overwhelming emotions and our mental/emotional health during times of heartbreak, loss and disappointment.
Check out below to see what each minor card can teach us about love:
Ace of Cups: When upright, Ace of Cups is a promise that new love and blossoming relationships are right around the corner. It's kind of like a pick me up from spirit, and a reminder that love can find us any and everywhere, especially when we least expect it. I also like to think of this as a reminder that as great as love from the outside is, it is also important to give love to ourselves. Whenever I come across this card in reverse, I take it as a sign that some massive self-care and self-love is necessary at the moment, and that your mental and emotional health can no longer be put to the side. It is essentially time to focus on yourself and your wellbeing. Ultimately, the real lesson here is make sure to pour into your own cup as much as you pour onto others- and as long as you love yourself, have faith that others will love you too.
Two of Cups: If you want a good card during a relationship reading, this is the one you should aim for! Two of Cups represents amazing unions; friendships coming together, relationships forming and business partnerships thriving, this card shows all the amazing things that can come out of mutual love, respect and admiration. Two heads are better than one, and in this case, two hearts are much happier than one- when the feelings are mutual.
Three of Cups: This card really can be either amazing or...not that great. Upright, it represents that celebrations and a good time with close loved ones. It's a sign that you need more fun and socializing in your life- go enjoy the connections you have with others! If reversed, Three of Cups symbolizes the idea of three's a crowd. It could be that there is an outside person else involved in a relationship that is complicating things (cheating, talking in someone's ears, etc.), or that outside factors are impacting a connection. So, the two main takeaways here are celebrate the presence of your loved ones when you can- and that you should be careful about outside factors and too much involvement from outsiders in your relationships.
Four of Cups: If you take a look at what a traditional Four of Cups looks like, it's usually someone sitting near three cups while either thinking of a fourth one that isn't present, or unaware of the potential fourth cup. The message behind this one is simple; sometimes we may not love our available options, but we should never despair and get desperate. What we may not realize is that our perspective at the moment and how we choose to react to our current situations may be blocking the ability to realize what blessings might be either in front of us or right around the corner. Basically, don't get so desperate that you forget what is actually in front of you because you're too busy lusting after what you don't have- and that if you show gratitude for the love already in your life, it will be much easier for the new love you're seeking to manifest.
Five of Cups: It's hard not to feel horrible after a rejection or breakup. A lot of people tend to want to rush their healing process because they don't want to feel the heavy emotions that come with grieving a failed relationship, but the truth is, sometimes you have to sit through that hurt for a bit. It's not permanent, and if you were to look at the bigger picture, you truly didn't lose someone's love; what you lost was someone that wasn't willing to love you properly. And you may not realize it now while hurting, but that's a win all on its own! Main thing here is allow yourself to feel the feels; in time, you will be able to look at your situation from fresh eyes and a heart that's a little less hurt.
Six of Cups: Nostalgia. Sometimes it is warm and fuzzy, and sometimes it is just straight up a bitch and a liar. The one thing I always say about nostalgia is that you have to take it with a grain of salt; remembering the past and taking a trip down Memory Lane can be fun and comforting, but you also have to recognize why this was left in the past and why it should stay in the past. More importantly, what have you learned from the past?
If we really want to take it to a deeper level, how did your experiences as a child or young teen shape how you navigate things like love and relationships? How do those childhood factors play a role in current relationships? And most importantly, deep down, what do you need now that you never properly received when you were younger? This can be a surprisingly brutal card, as Six of Cups asks us to really dig in deep and look at our inner child, recognize what they went through and how we still carry that trauma with us. It's time to unpack that.
Seven of Cups: Options, options, options. For some, it may be comforting to know they have options- multiple lovers, people to fall back on if their main picks don't come through for them, etc. For others, it may be stressful when trying to choose what you really want deep down. The tricky thing is sometimes, some of those options really aren't options- they look nice, but there's no real substance to them and you may have over exaggerated their value in your life. So, Seven of Cups asks us to take off the rose-colored lenses, take a deep look at what (or who) we are entertaining, and really decide if that is actually a legit option, or just a distraction that looks pretty and feels good at the moment. You deserve the options that are actual substance and of high quality, but that only comes with knowing to leave alone the snakes, the fakes and the phonies.
Eight of Cups: Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is to walk away. From hard and difficult relationships, or from partnerships that are stagnant, or from connections that just no longer serve you or bring you any type of joy...it's time to go! Eight of Cups is a reminder that the road less travelled by is lonely- there is no denying that. And it may not even be easy. But the end goal is to discover yourself at the end of it, and to leave behind what is no longer meant to be in your life because it is dragging you down. It's time to let go of old baggage and move forward.
Nine of Cups: It would be silly to talk about love and relationships and not eventually mention that the single most important relationship you'll ever have in your life is with yourself. The relationship you have with yourself and the level of respect and admiration you set for yourself sets the bar as well for how you will handle relationships with others. So, it's important to sometimes take a step back from giving so much to others and in turn, give yourself a little more. This card is always a sign to indulge in a little more TLC and treat yo' self behavior than usual, and it's because you deserve it. You deserve to spoil yourself and you deserve to feel loved and comforted and adored, by others and by yourself.
10 of Cups: This is total abundance, happiness and joy, at every level and in every way. I tend to look at this as a sign that some good news is coming in and will lead to celebrations, unions and overall good vibes. Ten of Cups just feels like when you're surrounded by all your loved ones in a small room- you can't help but feel so bubbly inside because everyone there is here to celebrate you, to enjoy this moment with you. If you pull this card, take it as a sign that an opportunity to show someone you love them is coming in close- and rather than wait for that opportunity, go ahead and show a little more love to everyone that matters to you. You'd be surprised at how much love will be returned to you.
Page of Cups: Inexperienced, immature and kind of wimpy, the Page of Cups just seems really unimpressive at first impressions. But in reality, the Page of Cups is simply someone who doesn't fully know how to properly handle their emotions, be vulnerable and communicate that to others- but they're trying and learning, and that's the best they can do and you know what? That is good enough. Maybe it isn't an ideal representation of what you want in a partner, but this is a sign that it is ok to open up and be vulnerable, even when you're scared or unprepared for how to properly do so. You owe it to yourself to honor your emotions and to use your voice.
Knight of Cups: If the Knight of Wands is the fuckboy of tarot, Knight of Cups is like the friend that's more mature and would be a better boyfriend, but they still got room for improvement. This is promising; it's like a little seed of love. Nurture this and you can get a really amazing connection from this person, but you may also be dealing with someone that is a slave to their emotions and may not always be the most logical when making decisions. There's a heavy need to not dip into the melodrama of it all when you pull the Knight of Cups; lose too much of yourself in the emotional side and you might not be making the smartest or most thought out decisions. It's all about balance! Sometimes you need to not lead with your heart, especially if you haven't been using your head lately.
Queen of Cups: Emotionally mature, caring and sensual; the Queen of Cups is a beautiful card to pull. It's a subtle reminder that when you see your own worth and value, so will everyone else. But also, moving about with pure intentions is the way to go, especially when it comes to love. The Queen of Cups doesn't have to play games to get what or who she wants. When others play checkers, she says fuck that, gets up from the chess game y'all expect her to play and sits her pretty ass somewhere else to focus on what she truly wants. She knows her value, and she knows she doesn't need to stoop to anyone's level to get what she wants, nor does she have to put up with less than what she deserves. She's honest and does care about the emotions of others and that's why she moves gracefully through all decisions she makes, always choosing to do what's best for her but not at the expense of others. It's a nice reminder that you can be a bad bitch, but you don't have to be a bad person in order to be a bad bitch.
King of Cups: King of Cups is basically the Queen's counterpart in the sense that he too, is mature and on top of his shit. He knows what he brings to the table, but he's willing to let his guard down and allow others in because he knows his strengths and happiness come from sharing life and having meaningful connections with others. He doesn't shy away from hard emotions or hard conversations because that's how you heal and grow, and that in turn strengthens his relationship with himself and with others. You can't tell this many anything because he knows himself best- but it doesn't mean he'll look down on others. King of Cups is proof that you can be a strong person but also be sensitive and in tune with your emotions; it's not a weakness, but in fact, our biggest strength, to be able to connect with others and develop such meaningful connections with others.