Two of Cups Tarot Card Meaning - Upright, Reversed & More

Two of Cups upright

Two of Cups At A Glance

Keywords: Partnership, bonding, making it official, unity, mutual respect, separation, rejection, withdrawal, ending relationship, marriage
Season: Winter
Element: Water (emotions)

Two of Cups Tarot Card Description

The Two of Cups is a suit card within the Minor arcana and is usually numbered as 2. Often the Two of Cups card’s art depicts two people of which the genders are often ambiguous joining hands whilst each person holds a cup. Above them is the symbol of a Caduceus (a winged lion snake hybrid creature) which represents the strength and victory of their connection.

This composition of this card mirrors The Lovers and in a lot of ways it is the minor arcana equivalent to The Lovers. Where the major arcana card speaks of grand gestures and of love generally the Two of Cups is more specific.

This card is the ‘making it official’ card of tarot. Once the lovers have met and fallen for each other this is the moment they decide to commit to one another, with or without ceremony.

Two of Cups Upright Meaning

The Two of Cups card symbolizes a mutually beneficial partnership. Often it is romantic, but it can mean platonic too. This is where two people come together and are made happier for it.

We often see this card meaning making a relationship official but other examples could be signing a contract with business partners or renting a house with a friend. Any situation where people are joining together and it has a positive affect on both people is 2 of Cups energy.

It suggests the relationship is fair and contains mutual respect and a strong connection between those involved and there is a sense of safety and trust for the people involved.

“Love is not really a mystery. It is a process like anything else. A process that requires trust, effort, focus and commitment by two willing partners” - Elizabeth Bourgeret

Two of Cups Reversed Meaning

Two of Cups reversed

The Two of Cups reversed means a lack of or loss of commitment. This doesn’t necessarily mean one person has been unfaithful it could mean the relationship has become unbalanced or one person could be emotionally unavailable. The balance and unity that there once was has tilted a little.

This card reassures us that all is not lost. Open communication and honesty can turn this around and put the relationship back on even ground if both people are willing to put the time and effort in.

“Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality.” - Abraham Lincoln

The Two of Cups: Yes or No

A strong yes either upright or reversed but with the caveat that we may need the help and support of our loved ones to accomplish what the ‘yes’ refers to in answer to the question.

Let’s Break Down the Two of Cups In Our Lives

How the Two of Cups card applies to specific areas of our life.

Two of Cups In Love

If the reader has asked a question about love either romantic or platonic and the Two of Cups card appears then it can suggest a strong attraction, not necessarily sexual but a strong desire to be around this person and deepen the relationship we have with them. We feel almost cosmically pulled to be with them.

Reversed the Two of Cups in love can mean something small but important within the relationship has changed. This could be codependency, uneven power dynamics or a change in roles within the relationship.

Either way the relationship is hindering not helping the people within it. Deliberate and conscious steps need to be taken together to find the balance again.

Two of Cups With Money

If the Two of Cups card appears when a question about money has been asked it is suggesting that within our finances we are balancing out. It is not necessarily suggesting wealth but it is still a good card to receive if we have recently overcome a financial loss as it says we have broken even and can move on from here unharmed.

Reversed the Two of Cups with money means there is a negative financial balance. The change has probably been caused by a situation outside of our control but we still need to react. This could be creating a budget or reducing spending but we will be tasked with balancing our books ourselves and shouldn’t delay in starting this work.

Two of Cups At Work

When asking a question about a situation at work or about our careers the 2 of Cups card can mean we are developing a better relationship with our boss and colleagues. Very rarely this card can suggest a romantic relationship developing in the workplace but it also does caution us to make sure each person involved feels equal and respected.

Reversed the Two of Cups at work suggests conflicting or opposing interests impacting the workplace. It could also mean a business partnership no longer working effectively. A business relationship souring or colleagues at work being uncooperative.

Two of Cups With Others

If we are asking about our external world, either our immediate world of people we know or the world at large and we get the Two of Cups card as an answer it means we may be offered the choice to commit to our community or otherwise make our place in a social group/setting known publicly. We bond ourselves to a facet of society and are rewarded with a sense of togetherness and safety in numbers.

Reversed the Two of Cups with others can signify we are called to withdraw a little from society or our social commitments. We may have spread ourselves a little too thinly and cannot keep all the commitments we have made. Whilst scaling back we should analyze which events and group are most important to us and prioritize these.

Two of Cups With Self

The Two of Cups card relates to our internal world suggests a recent ceremony or event has had an impact on our view of love or commitment and has got us searching for something similar in our own lives. This cards says that feeling this way is admirable and we should check that we are truly ready to commit for the long term and not just because of the novelty.

Reversed the Two of Cups card with self can symbolize we have commitment issues. Some thoughts we have around commitment will be valid and help us make this decision better but some thoughts are fear based and caused by our past trauma. We should try to separate these so we understand when we are making the best decision and when we are responding out of fear.

The Two of Cups As Feelings

The beautiful feeling of love at first sight. How it feels to surrender to the heady mix of lust and attraction when we first meet someone who sparks our interest. It makes us feel like the luckiest person alive and so grateful just to know this person is in the world.

It has an addictive quality like we want to spend all our time with this person.