Six of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

Six of Cups upright. The card of the day you recall something from the past or an old friend and it makes you happy.

Six of Cups reversed. The card of the day you get caught up in the past and set aside what you have to do today.

The Six of Cups is the sixth card of the Cups suit in the Minor Arcana. In a reading it brings up a warm memory or an old friend and points to what that memory adds to your life today.

What do you see on the Six of Cups card?

Two children are in the lane of an old village. A boy in a purple vest holds out a golden cup full of white flowers to a girl sitting on a stone step. She reaches out, takes hold of the cup and bends her head to look at the flowers. A small crown of flowers sits in her hair. Five more cups stand around them, and each one holds white flowers. Behind them you see old stone houses, a tree with purple blossoms and tall cypress trees.

In a reading, the children stand for your own childhood memories. The cup the boy offers is a kindness given freely; he expects nothing in return. The white flowers are simple feelings with no resentment mixed in. The stone houses show an old, familiar place, such as the street where you grew up or a village where you spent a summer.

The Six of Cups puts one memory in front of you. Think of the one that comes to mind first. What does it tell you about today?

Six of Cups upright meaning

Upright, the Six of Cups is the day an old memory or an old friend makes you happy. You go through an old box and find a school photo. You look at the faces in it and smile for a while.

The card also shows an old friend coming back. A message arrives from a friend you have not seen in years, and you reply at once. As you text back and forth, you notice the conversation picks up as if no time has passed.

Goodwill belongs to this card as well. You carry an older neighbor's shopping bags all the way to their door. That small favor, done without expecting anything back, is the heart of the Six.

In a reading, the card says the past brings something useful to the matter you asked about. You remember a hobby you used to love. The advice here is to bring it into the present, so this week you set aside one hour for it.

Six of Cups reversed meaning

Reversed, the Six of Cups is the day you get caught up in the past and push today's tasks aside. You scroll through old photos and the hours go by. Evening comes, and the job you meant to finish that day is still untouched.

The second reversed meaning is being unable to look ahead. You tell yourself everything was better back then, and the chances in front of you today look small. Here the card turns your eyes away from the old days and toward what you already have.

The third meaning is an old hurt. If a hurt from childhood or from an old friendship still sits with you, it shapes how you treat people now. Notice it, and you stop loading it onto the person who is with you today.

The reversed card also means growing up. You let go of an old habit because it no longer fits you. Letting go feels a little sad, and it is still the right step.

Six of Cups in love

If you are in a relationship, the Six of Cups is about remembering the days you first met. You and your partner go back together to the place where you first met up. You laugh and retell what you talked about that day.

If you are single, the card shows meeting someone from your past again. At a wedding you run into someone from school or from your old neighborhood. The conversation feels familiar, and a new closeness starts between you.

Reversed, the card points to being hung up on a past relationship. If someone from your past is still on your mind, you compare every new person you meet to them. Drop the comparison and get to know the new person as they are.

Six of Cups career meaning

At work, the Six of Cups shows an old connection paying off. When you are looking for a job, you write to a former colleague, and they recommend you to someone they know. The good relationships you built in the past give something back today.

The card also points to turning a childhood hobby into work. If you loved drawing as a child, today you sign up for a design course.

Reversed, you get stuck on past successes. You keep talking about old projects but start nothing new. This week, take the first step on a new piece of work.

Six of Cups money meaning

With money, the Six of Cups shows a small, kind act of sharing. You help someone close to you with a small sum and do not ask for it back. The card says this help makes the bond between you stronger.

The card also points to checking old accounts. A savings account you have not opened in a long time comes to mind. This week, you log in and look at it.

Reversed, you hold on to an old spending habit. Your income changes, yet you keep spending the way you did before. The advice is to rewrite your budget for the situation you are in now.

The Six of Cups does not tell you money is on its way or that an investment pays off. It only puts your old money habits in front of you.

Is the Six of Cups a yes or no card?

Upright, the Six of Cups answers yes. This yes is strongest for questions about making up with an old friend or going back to an old hobby. If the Six comes up reversed, the answer is no for now. When you ask out of longing for the past, look first at where you stand today.

If the answer depends on someone else's decision, the Six of Cups does not tell you what that person thinks. Your part is to take one step toward them in good faith, without expecting anything back.

Six of Cups in a three-card spread

In a three-card spread, what the Six of Cups says depends on where it lands. In the app the positions run Now, What challenges you and Your next step.

Now. A memory or an old friend is on your mind. That familiar feeling brings warmth to the matter you asked about.

What challenges you. Longing for the old days delays the decision you face today. You measure the present against the past, and the present always comes up short.

Your next step. Write to an old friend. Today you send them a short message and suggest meeting up.

Six of Cups as advice

As an advice card, the Six of Cups gives you one task today: a small kindness. You give someone something without expecting a return, whether a book, a meal or an hour of your time. The gift stays small. What counts is that you do not keep score while you give.

Six of Cups and the Sun: astrology of the card

In the Golden Dawn system, the Six of Cups sits in the middle decan of Scorpio, from 10 to 20 degrees. The Sun rules this decan. The Sun stands for warmth, openness and showing who you are. Scorpio is the sign of deep bonds and memories that stay with you.

Together they describe a memory from the past that still makes you happy today. The children on the card carry that warmth. Scorpio's depth here is not a heavy feeling but a good memory kept safe for a long time. With the Sun shining on it, that memory comes back to mind today.

Six of Cups number meaning: 6

In the Cups suit, the Five is a disappointment. The Six brings the sweet relief that comes after that hurt. After a sad stretch, you take shelter in an old, safe memory.

In tarot, the number six shows balance after an upset. In the Six of Pentacles that balance is giving and receiving. In the Six of Cups, the balance sits between the past and the present.

Six of Cups vs Two of Cups

On both cards a cup passes between two people. The pictures look alike, so readers mix the two up. In the Two of Cups, two adults hold out their cups at the same moment. That is a mutual bond formed today. Picture it: you find out that someone you just met wants the same thing you do, and the two of you set a time to meet.

In the Six of Cups, one child hands the other a cup of flowers. What is given comes from the past, and nothing is expected back. In the same scene, you meet not someone new but someone you knew as a child, and together you recall an old story.