Five of Cups

Card Theme: Sadness
Element: Water

A solitary man stands in a black cloak. He is standing looking at three overturned cups, while behind him, two cups are still standing. There is a stream running past him; this represents emotion. He seems to be dealing with the past, unaware that the future offers him security.

The Five of Cups speaks to you of loss and regret. You might find yourself having to say goodbye to something in your life and find it hard to cope with that empty feeling left behind. It can happen when you find yourself having to say goodbye to something in your life that you thought you were not ready to let go of. Maybe you are brooding over mistakes from your past or hurts and disappointments. And you are possibly dwelling far too much on these rather than looking towards a positive future.

One of the reasons you might find loss so painful is that you struggle to hold on to people, possessions, and maybe your job. And it’s time for you to let go, you might find it difficult to disassociate yourself from these things, and so part of you feels empty when they’re gone.

This card suggests that you have been through a period of pain and loss. The past issues may have held such powerful emotions that you might not see the positive side of life and all the waiting opportunities.

When you dwell on the past, you are stopping yourself from moving forward. Staying in the past will not change anything, nor will it put right what has gone wrong. By allowing the negativity of a situation to preoccupy your thoughts will only delay the healing process. And it certainly will not allow any joy into your life. It would help if you found a way to let go. The more you allow yourself to hold on to what has happened in the past, the more bitterness and resentment will start to fester. You will then find yourself missing out on opportunities that may be offered to you. And in turn, and most importantly, you could find yourself missing out on happiness.

Although this card might feel sad and discouraging, it also signals a happier time. Because if you can deal with sadness and can accept it. This will leave space for something new to come into your life. You could find this in the form of a new relationship, work, opportunities, friends, or even the ability to follow your dreams.

It would help if you remember that your future is full of potential, so don’t look back. What is done is done. Whatever choices you might have made in the past were suitable for you at that time, so there is no point focusing on choices that have not turned out the way you wanted.

I read this somewhere,” You can not have a better tomorrow if you can’t stop thinking about yesterday.”

Ignore disappointments and loss of times gone by and what you had in your life. And start to concentrate on what you have in your life. And look towards the promise that the future has in store for you.

For me, there is powerful energy with this card—the feeling of gratitude for all the things you have in life.

Blocked Meaning

Card Theme: Renewal

The Five of Cups in the blocked position suggests that you might have experienced a loss. And you are finding yourself feeling indecisive. The card says that you have already experienced the lowest point, so now the only way to go is up. You are ready to pick up the pieces, and you will be stronger than you were before. You will feel empowered to be able to move forward and be prepared to face reality. By continuing with this negative frame of mind, you will only be making matters worse for yourself.