Five of Cups
Minor Arcana · Cups · number 5 · Cinque di Coppe
Upright
The Five of Cups is a figure in a black cloak staring at three overturned cups, not seeing the two still standing behind him. It is a card of loss, says Waite, but something remains. If these days you are mourning a disappointment, an inheritance smaller than expected, a love that is not the one you dreamed of, a broken promise, it is no accident and the pain is legitimate. For some interpreters, Waite recalls, it is also a card of marriage, but not without bitterness or frustration: a union that exists, but is not the one you had imagined. But it is not a sentence: two cups are full. The practical advice: give yourself time to grieve, then turn around. Count what you still have, the people, the means, your health, and start again from there.
Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
Reversed
Reversed, the Five of Cups turns around: news, alliances, affinity, blood ties, a return. Someone from the family, or from the past, reappears, and with them a chance to mend. If these days you get an unexpected call from a relative, an old friend, an ex, it is no accident: the card speaks of reunions. But Waite adds a warning: false projects. Beware of anyone who comes back with grand plans and few guarantees, especially where money is involved. The practical advice: welcome those who return with an open heart, but keep accounts and signatures separate until trust is rebuilt.