Five of Cups

Q: What does the Five of Cups signify in love?

In love, the Five of Cups represents feelings of loss, regret and emotional disappointment. It can show sadness over a breakup or past hurt and a tendency to focus on what went wrong instead of the love that still remains. The card invites you to process your grief and slowly turn toward new emotional possibilities.

Q: How does the Five of Cups relate to marriage?

In marriage, the Five of Cups can indicate unresolved hurt, unspoken disappointment or mourning a lost expectation. It suggests that past mistakes or pain still affect the relationship. Healing conversations, empathy and forgiveness are needed so both partners can move forward instead of staying stuck in regret.

Q: What does the Five of Cups indicate about career growth?

For career, the Five of Cups points to setbacks such as job loss, failure of a project, missed opportunities or disappointment at work. You may feel discouraged or dwell on what did not work out. The card encourages you to notice the options that still exist and to redirect your energy toward rebuilding and learning from experience.

Q: Can the Five of Cups indicate challenges in love or career?

Yes. The Five of Cups often indicates emotional heaviness, pessimism and difficulty letting go of the past. In love, this can show a focus on betrayal, rejection or what has been lost, making it hard to open your heart again. In career, it may reflect dwelling on errors or failures instead of exploring new paths.

Q: What advice does the Five of Cups offer for personal growth in relationships or work?

The Five of Cups advises you to acknowledge your pain, allow yourself to grieve and then gently shift your attention to the opportunities still available. In relationships, practise acceptance, self-compassion and forgiveness. In work, learn from past experiences, change your perspective and take small steps toward new goals so you can move from regret to renewal.

Devi Shankar
Jul 25, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2025

Cups in general is a very positive suit in the Tarot Deck. But where there is emotional bliss, there also has to be emotional grief. Let us look at this in the Five of Cups.

Five of Cups Meaning - General

In Five of Cups, you can see a man sulking. He stands with his back to you, but you can see him looking down at three fallen cups. There is blood around the fallen cups as well.

In a literal sense, Five of Cups could mean bereavement and the emotional grief that comes with it. Such events have the tendency to suck us in and blind us to the blessings outside.

Alternatively, Five of Cups in tarot could suggest some kind of loss, disappointment and a consequent feeling of emptiness and void. Something you have been working on, has failed. Or a relationship you have been nurturing has gone kaput. It is natural to be sorrowful in such moments, and these challenges are opportunities of personal growth for us.

We should learn to pick up the threads and move on. The person in this card could be crying over spilled milk. However, in his mourning, he is missing out on the two upright cups right behind him. There is a bridge right ahead that leads to a castle – the castle stands for stability and security.

But looking down and sobbing can do nothing but blind your vision and foresight. Get rid of any emotional baggage, regret or anger and take steps to move on. Ask yourself where's your silver lining, and start your journey towards it.

Let us look at the Five of Cups in specific contexts of a love tarot reading and career tarot reading. Remember to apply all the above general readings to the below readings as well.

Five of Cups Love

Love Reading for Relationships

In a literal interpretation, Five of Cups could indicate a divorce or separation, or bereavement of your partner. But not necessarily. Look for supporting cards.

It basically symbolizes some kind of loneliness. This could also be about turning empty nesters, or leaving home, or reaching retirement.

Five of Cups in love could also indicate some kind of friction or regret in the relationship. Or are the above issues resulting from unresolved feelings for an ex?

You might be feeling disillusioned about your relationship, but this card tells you that all love is not lost yet. Work on your relationship to salvage it.

Love Reading for Singles

Five of Cups in love readings for singles could suggest that you are still mourning the loss of a loved one. This could be out of bereavement, or simply a break-up.

Are you feeling any remorse or guilt about it? The past is in the past, and cannot be changed. But there is a future out there for you that leads you to stability.

It is ok if you are not in the mood to date. But staying in a grieving state will hinder your progress. Look at the positives and start feeling grateful towards those.

Five of Cups Career & Finance

Five of Cups in career could indicate a job loss, or losses or failure in a business. Five of Cups generally suggests unwelcome changes and difficult situations which sop you up.

This could also relate to a major financial or monetary loss.

However tough the situation and big the losses, all is not lost. Five of Cups asks you to look around as there are things to be salvaged.

In case of bereavement, you could expect some inheritance or gift coming in.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What does the Five of Cups signify in love?

The Five of Cups in terms of love can signify a loss of love, regret and disappointment emotionally. If you are single you might still carry sadness from the ending of a previous relationship. If you are currently in a relationship, the Five of Cups would be an indication of focusing on what happened and not the potential of healing or rebuilding from within.

2. How does the Five of Cups relate to marriage?

The Five of Cups in a marriage could indicate an unspoken apology or unresolved hurt or mourning for a lost expectation in your partnership. While the card indicates past mistakes occurred in your relationship it is also a reminder the love and strengths you once held for your partner are still there today.

3. What does the Five of Cups indicate about career growth?

The Five of Cups for your career can indicate a setback in your career path, where you've experienced rejection, or failure, remorse, or discontent in the workplace. The Five of Cups may also represent the action of focusing on losses instead of learning from them or seeing new opportunities that may be right in front of you but are not yet apparent because you are still focused on the losses. You need a shift from what didn't work to what is going to work.

4. Can the Five of Cups indicate challenges in love or career?

Yes, the Five of Cups can indicate stagnation in love, a negative outlook or an inability to let go. You may have someone who cannot move beyond the pain of their past and focusing on it holds them back from moving forward. In the workplace, a sense of no motivation may be a result of rejection or disappointment from a past experience.

5. What advice does the Five of Cups offer for personal growth in relationships or work?

The Five of Cups provide you with encouragement to practice acceptance, healing, and changing your perspective. The Five of Cups are also there to inform you that awareness of the past while being open to present meaningful relationships is critical in your recovery process. The time to recover from your past experiences will begin once you divert your attention away from the cups that have fallen to the earth, to the two cups standing before you.

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