Sadness, treachery, deceit ill-will, detraction charity and kindness ill requited all kinds of anxieties and troubles from unsuspected and unexpected sources. These lotus stems ascend between the cups in the manner of a fountain, but no water flows therefrom neither is there water in any of the cups, which are somewhat of the shape of the magical instrument of the Zelator Adeptus Minor.Ībove and below are the symbols of Mars and Scorpio for the Decan.ĭeath, or end of pleasure: disappointment, sorrow and loss in those things from which pleasure is expected. From Book T – The Lord of Loss in PleasureĪ white radiating Angelic Hand, holding lotuses or water-lilies, of which the flowers are falling right and left. Thus, there is still hope on the horizon although we cannot feel it as we are lost in the putrefaction of dead Water. But if we situate the Five of Cups in the overall sequence, we know the next step in the path through the Tree of Life is Tiphareth, the harmonious Christ-center. In the Thoth, the Five of Cups does not have the notion of Silver lining as in the RWS version. The sky is red, representing the fiery winds of Geburah, which burn up the flowers and leave a trail of death in their wake. This leads to an overall sense of unease and imbalance. However, the cups being the suit of water, there is a natural sense of opposition between these contrasting elements. In Qabalah the Five represents Geburah, which is fiery in nature. Moreover, Crowley says, “The attribution is also to Mars in Scorpio, which is his own house and Mars is the manifestation on the lowest plane of Geburah, while Scorpio, in its worst aspect, suggests the putrefying power of Water.” The cups are arranged in the form of an upside-down pentagram, which Crowley describes as a symbol of “the triumph of matter over spirit.” They sit above a blackened and diseased sea, with dying and rotten vegetation. In the Thoth Five of Cups, we see five cups with no water flowing through them. In general, it tells us that dwelling on the past is a recipe for emotional disaster.įrom a Stoic perspective, since we cannot control the past, it is better to focus on the present and future, which we do have control over. Moreover, one cannot necessarily place a “time limit” on when grief is or is not appropriate, especially when it concerns the death of a loved one.īut we need not be so literal in our interpretation of grief. Grief is an important emotion and one shouldn’t repress your feelings. With that said, there is nothing wrong with grieving. It is a warning against perpetual pessimism.

In other words, the Five of Cups tells us to look for the silver lining.

The lesson is thus: do not cry over spilled milk, especially not when you can turn towards the emotional cups you do have available. This card is all about gratitude, or rather, what happens when you don’t have gratitude for the cups you have before you and sink into sorrow and disappointment.Ĭrucially, the man has lost three of his cups but two cups are still available. There is an overwhelming sense of grief and sadness, a sense of mourning a loss and being unable to move forward with one’s life.

In the RWS, we see a man in a black cloak, looking down at three spilled cups. Keywords : despair, longing, sadness, grief, desolation, Rider-Waite-Smith

Five of cups tarot meaning