Queen of Cups At A Glance
Keywords: Emotional expression, compassion, nurturing, kindness, heart over head, repressing emotions, withdrawn, withholding love
Season: Winter
Element: Water (emotions)
Queen of Cups Tarot Card Description
The Queen of Cups is a court card within the minor arcana suit of Cups within tarot. The traditional depiction of this card shows a beautiful Queen sat regally on a throne next to a shore with the waves splashing very close to her. As we know water symbolizes emotions and relationships and its closeness to her suggests the acceptance and control she has over her emotions.
Her emotions do not rule her she has mastery over them but she uses them to motivate her into kind and compassionate action which serves others. She holds a golden cups which is sometimes winged, sometimes angel-shaped and it is the first card we have seen with a lidded cup. It is another representation that her emotions are organized and not solely influencing her.
Queen of Cups Upright Meaning
The Queen of Cups is a court card. Like all court cards within tarot, it sometimes represents a real person in our lives. The Queen of Cups is someone who has a big heart and uses that heart to perform a nurturing role. It might be within their career like a nurse, doctor or teacher or it could also be that they hold a nurturing role for us in our lives like our parents or guardians.
The Queen of Cups can also represent these attributes within us. This card could be pointing to our own capacity to nurture and be compassionate. Though The Queen of Cups is in touch with her emotions and this can make her sensitive, she is not a soft touch and she can lay down the law when the time calls for it. But she is the most gentle of all the Queens within tarot.
“She held herself until the sobs of the child inside subsided entirely. I love you, she told herself. It will all be okay.” - H Raven Rose
Queen of Cups Reversed Meaning
When we see The Queen of Cups reversed we are being forewarned that we may face a situation where our emotions could get the better of us. We are being asked to take a step back and remember the end goal. It is impossible to remove our emotions completely but there is a way to use what we are feeling to achieve the end goal. It is nice if we can use joy and love to manifest but we don’t always authentically feel this way.
So in this case we are being guided to manifest with the emotions we do have. Jealousy? Okay fine, be so jealous that we do the work to have what we covet from someone else. Angry? Good. Use that anger to raise awareness or start a petition. The Queen of Cups reversed says any emotion that is strong enough to move us can be useful in helping us.
“If you can show people how to build castles, make sure you do not neglect building and nurturing your own.” - Suzy Kassem
Queen of Cups: Yes or No
The Queen of Cups is a yes card. Even when reversed. This card advises us to check in emotionally but not be consumed or lead by them. For the best outcome it will be important to blend both mind and heart.
Let’s Break Down the Queen of Cups In Our Lives
The Queen of Cups can change depending on what area of life this card is referring to.
Queen of Cups In Love
This card regarding matters of love is a very good omen suggesting we will receive the love and nurturing we have put into a relationship back in return. We feel we are appreciated and respected and the relationship supports both partners as they continue to flourish together. Single people may enter a new relationship which quickly blooms and those in a long term relationship find it deepens.
Reversed can suggest that our lover or ourselves are overly clingy at this time. It could be temporary or something which seems to be increasing over time but we can help them/ourselves best by finding professional help and going with them for support if this is helpful. It can also signify we are giving more to a relationship than we are receiving and the imbalance is starting to make us feel resentful.
Queen of Cups With Money
We may be called to donate a small portion of our resources to help those in need. It might not be money but instead it could be our time, home space or even something as small as carpooling. This kind act has a positive karmatic effect on our finances and mood.
Reversed we might have been a little too generous and given much more than we can stand to lose. It can also signify we might be ignoring our financial health and overspending to try and soothe something inside which hurts. But this can’t be fixed with spending. We must heal the emotions that are root cause of these actions.
Queen of Cups At Work
To receive this card in reference to a work or career question could suggest we may be asked to step into a more caring role at our work and we find that this suits us. It could be Human Resources, team leading or any other role which asks us to care for the wellbeing of others. We feel a deep sense of purpose and find the role very rewarding.
Reversed can suggest we are neglecting our own physical, mental and emotional health for our work and that this can’t continue because we are close to breaking point. We must communicate with our boss and find a long term solution that puts our own needs first.
Queen of Cups With Others
The Queen of Cups suggests that now is a good time to show compassion to others and double-down on caring for the people within our lives. We often get lost in our daily lives so when this card presents itself it is suggesting checking in with our nearest and dearest and refocusing our lives around love, not work.
Reversed we are being asked to look into the ‘toxic care-giver’ role and how it might apply to us. This is essentially someone who is a martyr and cares for others but so much that it causes them to suffer unnecessarily. Then overtime bitterness and resentment can build up towards others as the care givers own needs go unchecked. We must remember to care for ourselves whilst we care for others and schedule in time for rest and relaxation.
Queen of Cups With Self
This card in relation to the self is suggesting we spend some time expressing self-love. Whether this is with mirror mantras, gratitude journaling or other self-love techniques we are being guided to nurture our inner self.
Reversed it can suggest we are in a cycle of self-loathing and restricting love and kindness from ourselves. Our internal monologue is very negative and we have started to believe the negative things we say about ourselves even though they aren’t true.
Queen of Cups As Feelings
The Queen of Cups feels like the overwhelming compulsion to care for a vulnerable person, child or animal. An emotion which moves us so strongly that our bodies have acted before our mind has caught up.
