Instructions for identifying the Cups suit in the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Understanding the Cups Set

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot includes 78 cards, divided into 22 major Arcana, 16 Court cards and 40 numbered cards (divided into 4 suits). Each suit represents a different element and area of ​​life.

The Cups suit belongs to the Water element — symbol of emotions, love, relationships and inner life.

Properties of Water

Water has the ability to: - Nurturing: Providing care and love - Dynamic: Flexible, adaptable to circumstances - Permeation: Penetrates everywhere, connects deeply - Peace: Symbolizes tranquility and peace

Water represents love and human relationships. While the Sword (Air element) manages communication and wisdom, the Cups takes care of the emotional depth of long-term relationships. In practice, begin with the position's job, then let the card image sharpen the answer.

10 Cups cards

Ace of Cups - Ace of Cups

Image: Water continuously falls into the pond of the soul.

Official position (Straight): - The beginning of a relationship - Spiritual satisfaction - The beginning of a strong emotion - Emotional energy, joy from the heart - New love

Inversion (Up): - Feeling of emotional and mental emptiness - Emotions are broken - Loss of connection with your heart - Emotions are twisted and distorted - Jealousy

Two of Cups - Cups Two

Image: Two glasses are raised to the same height.

Official position (Straight): - Spiritual harmony - Equality and balance - Go beyond constraints - Stable connection - Harmonious communication - Friendly, polite, reserved - A close friend, someone who understands me

Inversion (Up): - Falling into a power struggle - One side tries to control the other - Divide, break up - Lack of trust - Unification and then separation - Doubt, indignation

Three of Cups - Cups Three

Image: Three people happily gathered together.

Official position (Straight): - Meet and gather - Celebrate, rejoice - Harvest, success - Many options - Presence of third parties - Share, completely satisfied - Have fun, friendship is stronger than love

Inversion (Up): - Failure - Short gathering - A fleeting relationship - The opportunity quickly disappeared - Obstructing, arguing - Disappointed, unhappy - Jealousy, tension

Four of Cups - Cups Four

Image: The person refuses to open his eyes, indifferent to opportunities.

Official position (Straight): - Pay attention to current opportunities - Not satisfied - Avoiding, being proactive - Unwillingness to accept new opportunities - Boredom, wandering thoughts - Indifferent, cold

Inversion (Up): - Actively seek opportunities - Leave behind tranquility and take action

Five of Cups - Cups Five

Image: People separated by the river from what they seek.

Official position (Straight): - Loss, grief - Separate, separate - Can't let go - Cannot be liberated - Pay attention to what's missing, ignore what's there - Sadness, suffering

Inversion (Up): - Let go of the past - Overcome, liberate - Forgive, forget - Get support - Commitment, promise - Recovering from sadness - Discovering the remaining beautiful things

Six of Cups - Cups Six

Image: The boy offers flowers to the girl.

Official position (Straight): - Childhood, old memories - Old people, old lovers - Simple, pure love - Meeting my old lover again - Be cared for and loved - Good emotional foundation but limited development - Caring and considerate - Bright, beautiful - Too protective, unable to control oneself

Inversion (Up): - Immersed in the past - Don't want to try new things - Painful memories - Not cared for, ignored - Difficult and painful - Looking towards the future

Seven of Cups - Seven Cups

Image: Faced with too many choices, both greed and fear.

Official position (Straight): - Feel good about yourself - Illusions, lies - Reflect on what is missing - Dreaming, fantasizing - Not realistic

Inversion (Up): - Real desire - Strong will - Determination - Almost reaching the goal - Make choices and take action

Eight of Cups - Eight of Cups

Image: The person in red decided to leave to search for what was lost.

Official position (Straight): - Give up, leave behind - Pursue, search - Inner strength - Leave, leave - Quit your job - It's time to leave and move forward - Doubtful - Love gradually grows cold

Inversion (Up): - Refuse to leave - Satisfied with the status quo - Leave quickly, without thinking - Loss of value and meaning - Lack of confidence - Encourage

Nine of Cups - Cups Nine

Image: Rich man sitting up straight, complacent, happy.

Official position (Straight): - Dreams come true - Satisfied, happy - Satisfied and satisfied with life - Celebrate, party

Inversion (Up): - Emotions are missing - Forming obsessive behavior, including: - Binge eating - Alcoholism - Stimulant abuse - To temporarily escape - Find deeper joy

Ten of Cups - Cups Ten

Image: The whole family of four is harmonious and happy.

Official position (Straight): - Groups capable of providing emotional exchange and support (family, Wands, close friends...) - Give to each other and receive benefits - Reconcile conflicts - Feeling of belonging - Stable, sure - Mature love - Suggestions about marriage

Inversion (Up): - Emotional discord - Compete with each other - Divided, broken - Lack of love or harmony - Ignoring care for others - Happiness is affected by external factors - Neglect happiness

Tips for studying the Cups Series

The Cups Series invites you to explore your own emotional depths. When getting acquainted with these cards:

1. Listen to your emotions: Pay attention to messages about feelings, relationships, and your heart's needs. 2. Don't judge: Each card, whether "positive" or "negative", carries valuable teachings. 3. Relate to life: Find connections between the teachings' meaning and your own emotional experiences. 4. Continuous practice: Drawing your cards daily and taking notes on what you notice will help you build insight.

Reference source: zhihu.com — Guide to identifying the Cups Set in Tarot

Reading note: Check these meanings against the cards beside them before settling on one keyword. When several cards repeat a theme, treat the pattern as emphasis rather than certainty.