Five of Cups
Astrology: Mars in Scorpio | Element: Water | Time: 10/23–11/1
The happy times seem to be over. Wine is the best thing, but the person who used to drink with me seems to be gone. I like using different cups for different wines, and I also like drinking different wines with different people. But it seems that those differences are all the same to me now. Stories end, and people leave too…
Symbolism:
Three Overturned Wine Cups: The collapse of emotional experiences, where joy and warmth suddenly vanish, leaving grief focused on what has been lost.
An Unopened Letter: Awareness and resolve, an unopened possibility, and the choice to face what has not yet been faced.
A Hand: A searching hand looking for more wine, symbolizing the attempt to numb feelings while losing clarity about what is already present.
Blue Silk: Isolation and sorrow, a curtain that blocks the arrival of light and cuts off the outside world even when dawn is near.
A Cup Filled with Wine: Immersion in sadness, showing emotions that remain contained yet heavy, echoing the glowing little soul.
White Soul: Spirit and body soaked in grief, where the body seeks alcohol to numb itself while the soul stays frozen, unwilling to move on.
Wine Bottle: Material support that already exists, yet becomes invisible when loss dominates perception.
Book: The possibility of happiness and a better outcome, close to the “castle” symbolism in the classic image, highlighting the contrast between storybook perfection and reality.
Upright:
Sadness, melancholy, loss, disappointment, regret, unable to break free, sinking into it, a state of separation.
Personality: Easily falls into sadness, cannot let go of what was lost, focuses on the negative, overlooks what remains, recovers slowly from setbacks, emotionally sensitive and fragile, withdraws into isolation when disappointed.
Relationship: Pain from past wounds, difficulty stepping out of a breakup’s shadow, fixating on what was lost while ignoring what is still good, needing time to heal, feeling disappointed and discouraged in love.
Career/Studies: Disappointment after setbacks, focusing on failures while ignoring progress, denying overall growth because of isolated mistakes, needing to rebuild confidence, temporarily lacking motivation to move forward.
Finances: Over-worrying about losses, losing confidence after one failed investment, ignoring the foundation that still exists, needing an objective review, avoiding fear-driven decisions.
Advice: Shift your perspective. The memories carried by those cups do not disappear. Allow yourself to grieve, but do not remain in loss forever. Notice what still supports you, seek help from friends, and step out of the gloom one small step at a time.
Reversed:
Letting go, forgiveness, release, putting down the past, broad-mindedness, seeing through, self-control, discovering beauty.
Personality: Emotions return toward balance, hope reappears in difficulty, attention shifts to the positive, willing to accept support, turns experience into wisdom, resilience increases, life goals begin to rebuild.
Relationship: Moving out of the shadow of past love, opening to new connections, growing through pain, rediscovering the possibility of love, releasing emotional burdens, forming a healthier view of relationship.
Career/Studies: Learning from failure and restarting, seeing new opportunities, regaining enthusiasm, turning setbacks into growth, setting practical goals, rebuilding confidence step by step.
Finances: Viewing losses objectively, creating a cautious plan, learning financial wisdom through setbacks, gradually improving conditions, building healthier money habits.
Advice: Accept what happened. It appears not to trap you, but to reveal what needs strengthening and to push you toward a new beginning. Turn your attention to the future, and let the lessons become nourishment for growth.