The appearance of the Five of Cups is not a welcome sight since it heralds grief. You have been brave and have gone out on a limb and taken risks. Not every risk pays off and certain things did not pan out as you had hoped. All is not lost however and there is something to gain from this experience. A person draped in black with his back to us stands dejected looking at three overturned cups. He has been so enveloped in sorrow that the card itself seems like a silent one. He does not even realize that behind him lie two upright cups representing something that can be salvaged. For now, he is alone with his agony. According to a Swiss-American psychiatrist named Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining where one hangs on to any hope, depression and acceptance. The figure in the Five of Cups has not yet come to terms with his despair and moved on to acceptance. Once he does move to acceptance, then he can turn around, pick up the two upright cups, cross the bridge back to civilization and mourn his loss. For now, he is going through depression. While it is absolutely essential to experience the sorrow of bereavement so that healing can begin, it is also essential to move on from that place and move towards acceptance. You may be going through heartbreak over a relationship or a situation. It is essential to give that thought its due melancholy, however, do realize that all is not lost and there is still something to be gained from that experience. There is never ever any growth without pain, and what you have experienced here may add to your empathy or world view. There is a world of people who care about you, who wait patiently on the other side of the bridge while you take the time to acknowledge that the situation is over now like water under the bridge.
Meditations on the Five Of Cups
No darkness lasts forever. And even there, there are stars.
Ursula K. Le Guin (The Farthest Shore)
What has your experience of grief been?
What helped you to conquer it?
How did you move past grief to acceptance and mourning?
What has been left in the upright cups for you, during that experience? When did you see your upright cups?
If this Resonates with You Take A Class or Book A Reading. Sources The Life Work of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Its Impact on the Death Awareness Movement, by Michèle Catherine Gantois Chaban. E. Mellen Press, 2000.
Images Used on The Site. Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. c. 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc