Three of Cups
Minor Arcana · Cups · number 3 · Tre di Coppe
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The Three of Cups is a toast: three women raising their cups in a garden full of fruit. The card speaks of a happy conclusion, of plenty, of perfection and fulfilment, of merriment, of victory, and also of solace and healing. If these days something has turned out well, an exam, a treatment, a family quarrel, it is no accident: it is time to celebrate with those who walked beside you. In love it promises shared joy; at work, a team result. The practical advice: do not put off the celebration. Call the people who matter, open a bottle, and say thank you out loud.
Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
Reversed
Reversed, the Three of Cups speeds up: expedition, dispatch, a result achieved quickly, an end. But Waite adds the side of excess: the pleasures of the senses getting out of hand, the party that never ends. If these days you notice you are overdoing it, with food, drink, spending, nights out, it is no accident: you are trying to stretch a joy that has already passed. Watch your health and your wallet. It is not a sentence, it is a call for measure. The practical advice: close the party gracefully, tidy up, and allow yourself a few sober days.