Suit of Cups

The Suit of Cups corresponds to the element of Water and governs emotions, affective bonds, intuition, imagination and inner life. Its cards speak of love, friendship, family, celebration, grief and emotional healing. A cup is a vessel, so the suit describes how we receive and hold what we feel. The Ace of Cups represents a new emotional beginning or an opening of the heart; the Five of Cups shows loss and attention fixed on what is missing. When a spread is dominated by Cups, the question at hand depends above all on feelings and relationships rather than on facts or resources.