TAROTSix of Cups
Upright
Old friendships, nostalgia, and gratitude/appreciation. Safety
Joys and experience of the past.
Giving and receiving kindness.
Innocence and trust.
Letting go of responsibilities and enjoying life’s pleasures as a child for a while.
Intuition
The card depicts one of the oldest Love stories (and possibly the source material for Romeo and Juliet); Pyramus and Thisbe.
Reversed
Denial, difficulty in living in the present, selfishness, unresolved issues with the early past.
Living in the past.
Hiding from present responsibilities.
Immaturity and lack of growth.
Problems with giving/receiving and fair share.
Astrologia
Determined, Intense and passionate. Transformative with strong ability to self-introspect regarding current feelings or formative events from the distant past. Can be secretive and destructive.
Six of Cups
The previous card, the Five of Cups is about been stuck in the past through traumatic memories or events. The Six of Cups changes the connection with the past to a pleasant one: better times, a more carefree existence or rediscovering past connections.
It can mean negating the memories of a bereavement or disconnection by carrying yourself into the future by remembering earlier better times.
It can mean looking at the future through a child’s eyes, seeing the potential and ignoring the immediate ‘it won’t work!’ pitfalls of an adult’s eyes.
It can also mean ignoring present responsibilities by living in the past. This does not mean becoming like a six year old but can mean not taking responsibilities - such as ignoring unpaid bills in the hope that not thinking about them will make them go away (which is a more prevalent adult belief than many children would suspect).
Pyramus and Thisbe
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe dates to Ovid’s Metamorphoses (around 8AD), but this is only the earliest written version we have. It is derived from a much earlier version. They are the archetypal young lovers, and many later such stories (such as Romeo and Juliet) take inspiration from it.
The story relates to a boy and girl, Pyramus and Thisbe who are born in adjoining houses and become familiar with each other as children. As they grow older, childish companionship blossoms into love, but they are forbidden from seeing each other by their fathers.
As is often the case, young love finds a way, and in this case it is the smallest hairline crack in the wall between the two houses. The two lovers spend their time whispering through the crack, unable to see or touch each other, but the gift of love can pass through the smallest space.
Eventually they come of age and agree to run away together and meet under a tree outside the city. The girl, Thisbe reaches the tree first but sees a lioness approaching. She runs away and hides, but in her haste drops a veil, which the lioness sniffs and shreds.
When Pyramus appears, he finds no Thisbe but does find the shredded cloth. Thinking his love Thisbe has been eaten by the lioness, he is grief struck and kills himself with a sword.
Thisbe returns and sees the dying Pyramus. She joins him in death by taking his still warm sword.
Sometimes people need to listen to the voice of the child, because it can be childish and full of fantasy, but when it is said earnestly and from the heart, it is spoken from a place of unshakable truth.
Sometimes people need to listen to the voice of the child.
Description and Symbology
We see two children; a boy and girl. The boy gives the girl a cup that is either acting as a plant pot, or has flowers in it. Either suggest affection. There are more cups to give, suggesting a deep relationship.
The cups can represent a physical gift but more likely represent a transfer of care, help, or affection. As we note in a previous section, affection can find the recipient through the smallest place and over the longest distance. A hairline crack in a wall is all it takes!
The boy is the one giving, and does it with a smile and no airs. The girl is receiving and does so with the innocence and joy of a child. The process between the two makes the bond between them greater. It is clear that both the boy and girl actually receive something from the giving.
This is the nature of pure giving and receiving. Both love and hate are gifts you give, but only one is received with thanks, and the other is always returned.
Finally we note that both children are in a raised area out of reach of the masses below. This shows they are in a position of safety and can grow as children without the worries of the adult world below them (in other decks this concept is shown by a town guard).
The act of giving
The boy gives with the innocence of a child. The act of giving without pretentions makes him happy, suggesting goodwill is an act that benefits both the receiver and the giver.
The act of receiving
The girl receives the gift with childlike innocence and happiness. Giving can be difficult, but it can also be difficult to receive help because it can be seen as a personal failure or weakness leading to need.
The child-like purity of affection or care of others
The boy and girl are both happy through the simple things: a space to grow, and each other.
The bustling city around the children
The two children are removed from the bustling city below them. They are allowed to grow in an area of safety. The environment any relationship grows in is as important as the relationship itself.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
This card relates to the past and this could be good or bad. If you are in a long relationship it suggests connecting deeply by revisiting your earlier years when there was greater co-operation and closeness. One or both partners may have feelings of being taken for granted.
It could suggest that one partner is being immature, or it could mean that one partner has other things bearing down on their thoughts.
For those looking to have children then along with other cards, it could suggest a new addition.
For those who are single it suggests a potential new partner will come into your life from the past.
A longing for the past or incidents from the past may be holding you from moving forward in relationships.
Addressing the past and learning from it rather than replaying it constantly is the best way forward. Without this, the present and future will be shaped by poor outcomes from the past, and an equally poor future will occur.
It is particularly important to see things as an older and wiser adult. Youth may have been more exciting but that’s because it has a safety net (which disappears once you are older!).
Spending time paring back the complexity of your career and finding simplicity may work well. Asking basic child-like questions such as ‘what is wrong?’, ‘what is right?’, and ‘am I happy?’ will be a good start.
Look at whether inertia and familiarity are holding you to the past. The card suggests safety which can be both good and bad. Are there better opportunities beckoning elsewhere that beat the current feeling of safety at the expense of moving forward faster?
You are relying on past performance or past success, and may be in a safe, well-paid but boring job via ‘golden handcuffs’ or safety-inertia.
Remember, they are keeping you for the project not for you. Once that ends, the goldilocks period also ends.
It is time to look to the future and remember you are not a tree and don’t have roots. You can get up and follow the sun!
There may also be a sense of wanting promotion for past successes rather than future potential. Watch that as it is a common career miss-step!
Spending more time on the simpler pleasures may help with any health problems you have right now. A walk in the park rather than a night out and meal, or time with significant others at home with a glass of wine rather than travelling to a room full of strangers.
This will not only make you thinner, but it may also make you happier with what you already have!
A lack of moving forward from past habits may be creating problems. When you are six, you can spin around until you are too dizzy to stand, then get up 10 seconds later. Try it at thirty and it’s a day off sick…
This is obvious for most people, but it is not so obvious for partying all night or staying in front of a screen all day!
Revisiting your earliest beliefs will prove fruitful.
It will either prove how far you have moved forward or show you things that you have forgotten and should revisit. Hopefully it will shed light on both.
Another feature this card can signify is charity. It is important to give for the right reasons and be thankful for what you yourself received by paying it forward.
You are clinging to old beliefs or deeply held convictions that hold water from past experience but are acting as blockers for future growth.
It is time to re-analyze the past with the future in mind. Consider what promotes growth and aligns you with the future you want, vs fighting for things that only the younger you considered important.
Things like status-labels vs self-confidence and fun vs contentment are obvious, but we all have a few self-defeating ones that take a while to force kicking and screaming into the adult world!
Check your finances for over-complexity or being out of date.
It is quite often the case that you look at a portfolio made even a couple of years ago and can’t remember why you chose certain assets, so check now!
Also, streamlining your choices so you could explain them to your inner six year old may be an exercise worth taking (it is amazing how often the reason is ‘I’ve kept it because I can’t be bothered to change it, and it does okay so far’!).
You are struggling with debts or bad habits from the past, and they are most likely continuing because the enablers for them are also coming from the past and remain unaddressed.
It is time to remove old childish wants or spending that would be paid at a vague future date, because that vague future date is now and the child has to admit to growing up!
Yes through safety and remembrance of the past.
No through being held back by the past.
Reading the Card
The upright card generally denotes revisiting the past, or earlier innocence and simplicity. It can also represent safety.
The reverse card notes the same process but you are more likely to be stuck in the past through nostalgia or a yearning for something missing from the past, and this is most likely holding you back.
The upright card
The Six of Cups is about looking back to your roots, old memories and nostalgia. It also speaks of the purity and innocence of a child: honesty (which can be a double edged sword!), curiosity and being forthright with your emotions.
The card also suggests sometimes it is better to take away all the trappings of adulthood and seek simplicity. Giving everyone a say leaves you with a contrived, complicated solution. ‘You can have one each if you are here, otherwise none’ is straight from a child who doesn’t want to wait around or hear adult excuses and timetables!
The card can also mean bringing the past forward into the present by reconnecting with old friends, old flames, or recalling old emotions by revisiting significant locations or photos. This does not have to be a rose tinted backward looking exercise, but can be a positive re-affirmation of your roots or how far you have travelled.
Finally, the card denotes safety. In relationships it can represent a period of safety and simplicity within the relationship. This will allow close bonds to grow within a new relationship or strengthen (or re-grow) them in an existing relationship.
The reversal
The reversal can mean looking back at your roots for the wrong reasons:
- Hiding from the present or a recent loss by wallowing in nostalgia
- Forgiving bad behavior by living in a past world when it did not occur.
- Childish behavior such as assuming things you want are things you deserve simply because you want them(unfortunately, a very common adult regression).
The reversal can also point to deeper concerns;
- Being uprooted from familiar surroundings or status so that you are starting again. The card suggests that you will have to rely on your core social networks (family, very close or long-standing friends) and should not be reticent to do so. Asking for help is often harder for many people than giving help!
- Being blocked by past issues, typically early on in your life. This can be a very powerful blocker and one to be very mindful of when you are reading the cards for someone else.
Card Design Process
The hardest part of this card was getting the expression of a child receiving something. It never felt right until I asked an expert.
My mother confirmed that very small children don’t smile so much as use their entire body. They will often point at the thing that makes them happy, then clap their hands, kick, or make noise and only then start to smile at the sound of their own happiness.
Once I followed her description, it all suddenly felt right!
Final Words
The Six of cups represents the past and the sense of childhood safety, innocence and memories of growing up. Depending on the context, this can act as a reminder of who you are but it can also be a warning that the old ways only get you so far and nostalgia can be a trap that prevents you moving forward in the present.
