TarotCraft Lesson 203.06: The 6 of Cups

The 6 of Cups Tarot card from the Universal Waite Tarot deck.

​Friendship and loyalty are indicated in the 6 of Cups. Some people consider this a card of children and/or childhood. The protected courtyard and the guard symbolise safety and security, a sense of being looked after. In a relationship question, it can indicate that while you might have had good times in the past, they can’t be relied on to continue, or the good times may be fleeting.  

Image Description

Four gold cups hold white flowers and green leaves; behind them are two children. The taller child, wearing a red hood and leggings and a  blue cape, offers another gold cup full of flowers to the smaller figure. This figure wears an orange shawl over their head and shoulders, a yellow tunic with orange dots, a blue skirt, and oddly, one white mitten. The foot of the figure in the red cape is hidden behind one of the cups. We see only one foot of the second figure, wearing a red shoe. Behind the figure in red is a concrete plinth with the sixth cup standing upon it. In the background is a castle and a guard walks towards it. They wear white and carry a spear.

Yes/No upright: Yes
Yes/No reversed: No
 
Amplified by: The Knight of Cups
Amplifier for: The Knight of Cups
 
Zodiac/Element: Sun in Scorpio
Dates: 2 November to 12 November
 
Traditional Name: Pleasure
Traditional Meaning: A card of the past and of memories, looking back, as--for example--on childhood; happiness, enjoyment, but coming rather from the past; things that have vanished. Another reading reverses this, giving new relations, new knowledge, new environment, and then the children are disporting in an unfamiliar precinct. Reversed: The future, renewal, that which will come to pass presently.  
 
TarotCraft Upright Meaning

“Memory is a gift from the past to the future.” I can’t remember where I heard this, but I think this is apt for the 6 of Cups.
6 is the number of the heart, so this card recalls pleasant events and times from the past.  There may be a  sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. In the 5 of Cups, there is not quite enough. In the 7 of Cups, there is too much. 6 is the perfect balance, but nothing can remain static for long, so this is a temporary state of affairs. “This, too, shall pass.” is another perspective on this card.   

Friendship and loyalty are indicated here. Some people consider this a card of children and/or childhood. The protected courtyard and the guard symbolise safety and security, a sense of being looked after. 

​In a relationship question, it can indicate that while you might have had good times in the past, they can’t be relied on to continue, or the good times may be fleeting.  

When combined with other cards such as Death or Judgement, it can indicate a death that is a  
release from suffering.   
 
TarotCraft Reversed Meaning

Living in the past, clinging to nostalgia and sentimentality instead of facing the here and now is indicated by a reversal. Perhaps you have been holding on to a relationship for what it was in the past, not what it is now? 
 
TarotCraft Gift, Invitation, and Challenge
 
Gift  

The Gift of the 6 of Cups is the ability to view the situation at hand with the eyes of a child – with innocence and wonder.  Have an attitude of playfulness and hopefulness.  
 
Invitation  

The Invitation of the 6 of Cups is to live in the moment, without longing for the past or the future.  
 
Challenge  

The Challenges of the 6 of Cups are found in the influences of the past that still affect your present and your future.
 
Click here for the next lesson 203.07 The 7 of Cups

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