Six of Cups

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Card Name:
Six of Cups
Arcana:
Minor Arcana
Suit:
Cups
Key Meaning:
past, nostalgia, memories, joy
Reversed:
unrealized hopes, extravagance, dissatisfaction, dependency
The Six of Cups – a minor arcana card that captures nostalgia, home comfort, and childlike innocence.

Archetype

The Six of Cups is one of the most romantic and "light" cards in the Tarot deck. This card embodies pleasant memories, enduring friendships, and cherished shared histories.

The main archetype of the Six of Cups is "small happiness." It won't bring great wealth or phenomenal luck, but it carries no risk or negativity. It's a wonderful sign for homebodies, though enterprising adventurers might see it as stagnation.
The Six of Cups represents the small joys of life
The Six of Cups represents the small joys of life
The card reveals an emotional refuge – family, friends, or a kindred spirit. The Six of Cups brings peace and comfort. Home is where we feel safe, where we can be ourselves and express our natural feelings: kindness, tenderness, love. This card reminds us there's no need to hold back kind impulses. Let your loved ones know they are dear to you.

The Six of Cups archetype symbolizes satisfaction and well-being in all relationships – familial, friendly, or professional. It shows us that joy lives in our connections with others and highlights how vital close bonds truly are.

Key words associated with the Six of Cups: joy, well-being, pleasure, harmony, satisfaction, sensuality, emotions, intuition, imagination, love, friendship, communication, and social connections.

Card Symbolism

The card shows a boy offering a girl a cup filled with white flowers. Behind them stretches a colorful village landscape, complete with a thatched house and castle walls.

Four cups with blooming flowers fill the foreground. Another cup stands on a podium decorated with a heraldic cross. The flowers represent growth and prosperity, showing us that happiness lives in life's small joys. The scene unfolds within protective castle walls, showing the children are safe.

The Six of Cups radiates special aesthetic charm. Its symmetrical, balanced composition creates a sense of calm and equilibrium. The card's white and blue color scheme highlights its emotional, serene nature. The card radiates warmth and invites us to savor the moment.

This card's imagery symbolizes shared experiences, kindness, and generosity. The children's joyful demeanor reflects the card's overall positive energy.

Key Meaning

The card's main meaning shines through its imagery more eloquently than words ever could. It evokes pleasant childhood memories, days at the family home, vivid dreams, and happy moments that live in the past yet warm our present.
Six of Cups – a very bright, kind card
Six of Cups – a very bright, kind card
The Six of Cups is a card of emotional upliftment and sweet nostalgia. The Six of Cups carries extremely favorable meaning upright and fairly positive meaning when reversed. It is definitely an optimistic card that never gives a definitively negative answer.

General Meaning of the Card in the Upright Position

The Six of Cups is a positive card. It represents harmony rooted in the past, reaching back to early childhood. Childhood moments now come to fruition. Happy memories, childhood friends, and past loves continue to hold special meaning in the querent's life. These past experiences create a foundation for reaching goals, with the wisdom gained enabling meaningful life improvements.

The Six of Cups can also suggest changes in career or living situation.

Upright, the Six of Cups represents sincere, innocent, and spontaneous emotions—much like childhood itself: the gift of living in the moment and forming genuine friendships.
The Arcana advises turning to the 'inner child' for emotions
The Arcana advises turning to the 'inner child' for emotions
"You deserve genuine friendship, love, and a happy family," the Six of Cups declares. These form the cornerstone of your life, building confidence for what's ahead.

Depending on the spread, this arcana can signal positive developments stemming from your past. This might mean reconnecting with an old friend or receiving payment for past work. Overall, according to zoomboola.com, the Six of Cups promises positive changes, stability, and prosperity—all deeply connected to family values.

When the Six of Cups appears as the final card, it signals the fulfillment of a long-forgotten dream.

This card also points to upcoming celebrations, holidays, anniversaries, and potential reunions with old friends.

Sometimes, the Six of Cups reveals that your current life situation stems from past circumstances.

General Meaning of the Reversed Card

The key difference between the reversed Six of Cups and its upright position is its focus on the future rather than the past. It primarily represents the desire to release traumatic memories and move forward.

The reversed Six of Cups points to upcoming events. These might include fresh goals and aspirations, along with life's most meaningful moments. It shows the querent expanding their horizons, growing personally, gaining fresh knowledge, and forming new connections. The reversed Six of Cups signals new friendships, knowledge, environments, shifts in life perspective, and important developments on the horizon.
The Reversed Six of Cups Focuses on the Future
The Reversed Six of Cups Focuses on the Future
Some readers suggest this position isn't entirely benign—it warns that you need to immediately adjust your life's direction. This arcana advises against clinging to the past: those memories have served their purpose and now only block new experiences and progress.

The reversed Six of Cups can also indicate that your routine might be disrupted by unnecessary drama and restlessness.

Another interpretation involves receiving an inheritance—modest in size but more substantial than anticipated.

The Meaning of the Six of Cups in Love Upright

In the context of love and romantic relationships, the Six of Cups can have several meanings. The card likely wants to remind you of those sweet shared moments that strengthen your current relationship and open up future possibilities.

It could point to someone you've been dating for a while and have shared many meaningful experiences together. It might also hint at an ex who's dreaming of getting back together. Or maybe it's an old friend who's just realized they have deeper feelings for you.

Another meaning is pure romance—especially if the card shows up early in a relationship. The card may symbolize first dates, shared dreams, and flirting.
Usually in the layouts for love, the Six of Cups is a great sign
Usually in the layouts for love, the Six of Cups is a great sign
If the Six of Cups appears in a love and relationship spread, it often signifies the warmth and kindness characteristic of true love. This card can capture the dreamy, sometimes even overly sentimental side of relationships.

Either way, the card makes it clear that you can easily get what you want—not only without hurting your relationships but actually making them stronger.

Meaning of the Card in Love in the Reversed Position

When reversed, this card shows you're ready to leave something in the past, forget unpleasant events, or even completely end painful relationships. In any case, this will have a positive impact on your future.

On the flip side, the reversed Six of Cups can also predict reconciliation between partners, regardless of common sense or past experiences. It points to a more complex and problematic situation than it looks from the outside.
The Inverted Six of Cups Advises to Leave the Past Behind
The Inverted Six of Cups Advises to Leave the Past Behind
If the reading is about new relationships, the card predicts their hopelessness.

The Six of Cups can also show that you're still living in the past. Maybe the trauma from past relationships is still keeping you from opening up to new love. Or you believe you'll never meet someone as perfect as your past love.

Six of Cups as the Card of the Day

If you don't have a specific question and just want to know how your day will unfold, you can draw a "card of the day." If you get the Six of Cups, it might mean the following:
  • Upright Position: The Six of Cups predicts a joyful day. Your mood will be good and even playful. There's a good chance you'll run into old friends or people you lost touch with ages ago.
  • Reversed Position: The day will be unpleasant, filled with boredom and exhaustion. You'll feel like you're desperately lacking energy for new beginnings. It's a perfect day for indulging in nostalgia and reminiscing about the good old days.

What the Six of Cups Warns About

The Six of Cups card can warn and offer advice depending on the context of the question it serves as an answer to.

The Six of Cups suggests tapping into your creativity and remembering what it felt like to be a child. This can help restore a zest for life and bring enthusiasm to your work.

The card also reminds us that happiness and joy come from within—we should look for them inside ourselves, not in external circumstances. The advice might be to tap into your inner resources and trust that all good things come from within.