Rider Waite Tarot » Minor Arcana » Suit of cups » Five of Cups

Five of Cups in the Rider Waite Tarot

Five of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Table of contents

Table of contents

See another card

Five of Cups Rider Waite Smith : meaning and interpretation

Minor Arcana
Arcana
Minor
Element Water
Element
Water
Planet Mars
Planet Scorpio
Mars in Scorpio

The Five of Cups is a card of loss, sadness and regret, but also of awareness. It shows a person looking at three overturned cups, without seeing the two still-full cups behind them. This symbolises the risk of focusing solely on what has failed, on what is missing, forgetting what still remains to love, to build, to live. This card invites you to mourn what cannot be changed, to welcome your emotions fully, without drowning in them. The Card of Cups carries a discreet but real message of hope: you are not alone, all is not lost. What you’re going through will make you stronger, wiser and deeper. But to do that, you have to be willing to look back, to lift up your head and see what life still has to offer.

RWS Tarot : Arcana Five of Cups readings

Love / Sentimental reading
with the card Five of Cups

In the realm of love, the Five of Cups reflects sentimental grief, a painful separation, or an emotional wound that is struggling to heal. You may be in a phase of regret, nostalgia or guilt. It may be a past relationship that you are unable to move on from, or a recent disappointment in a current relationship. If you are in a relationship, this card may indicate emotional distance, a lack of communication, or a persistent misunderstanding. Love seems tarnished by pain or the memory of what was not. However, on the card, two cups are still standing: this means that there is still something to save, to rebuild, or to welcome back. The Five of Cups invites you to mourn the past, without closing the door on the future – because all is not lost.

Professional / Work reading
with the card Five of Cups

In the professional sphere, the Five of Cups evokes a work-related disappointment: a failed project, a missed opportunity, or a loss of confidence in your career path. You may feel a sense of failure, injustice or frustration, as if your efforts had not been recognised or you had made the wrong choice. This is a card that invites you to face up to what cannot be changed, but also to identify what remains: skills, contacts, a valuable lesson. The Card of Cups tells you: it’s normal to go through moments of doubt, but don’t let the pain overshadow what can still be enhanced or transformed. A new path can emerge as soon as you agree to turn around and look at what you still have in your hands.

Financial / Material / Money reading
with the card Five of Cups

Financially, the Five of Cups signals a loss, a regret, or a past mistake in the management of your resources. You may be affected by an unexpected expense, an investment that didn’t pay off, or an opportunity you missed. This can lead to discouragement and even guilt. However, this card urges you not to lock yourself up in sadness, as you still have levers for action or support that you have not yet exploited. It’s time to take an objective look at the situation, without judgement, and refocus on what’s still viable. The Card of Cups reminds you that loss can be a trigger for renewal, and that it teaches you to better value what’s essential. You’re capable of bouncing back, even if that means first coming to terms with it.

Family reading
with the card Five of Cups

In the family sphere, the Five of Cups may evoke an emotional bereavement, a major dispute or a difficult emotional distance. You may feel a lack, an absence, or a disconnection with someone close to you. This card invites you to welcome the sadness, not to minimise the pain of a separation or misunderstanding, but also to look at the links that still exist. Perhaps you tend to focus on the loss, without seeing that there are still relationships ready to mend, or family members who are there for you. The Card of Cups suggests that reconciliation or healing is possible, if you are prepared not to remain a prisoner of the past. Family healing often begins with a gesture, a word, or a forgiveness granted – to the other person or to yourself.

Spiritual reading
with the card Five of Cups

On a spiritual level, the Five of Cups is a card of inner transformation through the experience of loss. It marks a phase of profound questioning, an emotional journey that can make you doubt your faith, your path or your convictions. You may feel empty, estranged from the divine, or out of touch with your intuition. Yet this card is a call to acceptance, to letting go, and to inner rebirth. It tells you that it is often in tears, in silence, that true faith is revealed, more humble, more stripped down, but truer. The Card of Cups invites you to reconnect with what remains: your breath, your presence, your light. It’s an emotional initiation card that opens you up to a spirituality that’s more embodied, more compassionate and more deeply human.

See another card

5-Card spread
Five of Cups and its positions in a 5-card draw.

Five of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Want to better understand how to interpret the card Five of Cups according to its position in a cross drawing? What does it symbolise as a situation, obstacle, resource, piece of advice or way out? Explore its many facets and find a detailed reading of the card Five of Cups in every position of the 5-card cross spread Rider Waite.

Five of Cups 5-Card spread Rider Waite

In the same card series : Suit of cups

Ace of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Ace of Cups
Two of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Two of Cups
Three of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Three of Cups
Four of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Four of Cups
Six of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Six of Cups
Seven of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Seven of Cups
Eight of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Eight of Cups
Nine of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Nine of Cups
Ten of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Ten of Cups
Page of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Page of Cups
Knight of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Knight of Cups
Queen of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Queen of Cups
King of Cups - Rider Waite Smith Tarot
King of Cups