Minor Arcana • Water
Six of Cups Tarot Meaning
Complete guide to the visual symbolism, upright and reversed meanings, love dynamics, career guidance, and yes/no verdict for Six of Cups.
Notice the child offering a cup filled with white flowers to a smaller child in an old courtyard, with an adult walking away in the background.
Key Attributes
Upright Keywords: Nostalgia • Innocence • Childhood • Kindness • Memories
Reversed Keywords: Living in the past • Idealization • Moving forward • Leaving home
General Meaning: Upright & Reversed
In an old courtyard, a child offers a smaller child a cup filled with white flowers. The scene is enclosed and gentle. The card speaks of memories, innocence, and kindness, and asks whether the past is nourishing your present or keeping it small.
In Reverse: Reversed, the flowers are still offered, but the past holds on too tightly. Nostalgia may keep you from living in the present. Honor what was, and turn toward what is.
Love & Relationships
Tenderness, a childhood sweetheart, or a relationship with deep roots. Sometimes an old flame returns; ask whether it belongs to the present.
Reversed in Love: Idealizing the past or comparing your partner to someone from before. Love the person who is in front of you today.
Career & Finances
Returning to familiar places, working with children, or a helpful contact from your past. Old skills and relationships can open new doors.
Reversed in Career: Clinging to old ways of working or refusing to adapt. The past is a resource to draw on, not a place to live.
Yes or No Verdict: Six of Cups
The Six of Cups is a scene of kindness and generous giving. It answers Yes upright.
Read dedicated Yes/No guide for Six of Cups →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Six of Cups a Yes or a No?
Six of Cups is considered a Yes upright. The Six of Cups is a scene of kindness and generous giving. It answers Yes upright.
What does Six of Cups mean in a love reading?
Tenderness, a childhood sweetheart, or a relationship with deep roots. Sometimes an old flame returns; ask whether it belongs to the present.
What does Six of Cups reversed signify?
Reversed, the flowers are still offered, but the past holds on too tightly. Nostalgia may keep you from living in the present. Honor what was, and turn toward what is.
What astrological sign or planet is associated with Six of Cups?
Six of Cups is traditionally associated with Sun in Scorpio.