10 of Cups
Keywords & phrases
- Emotional fulfilment
- Contentment
- Happiness
- Love
- Happy family
- Love’s ideal
- Gratitude
- Idealism
10 of Cups
Keywords & phrases
- Emotional fulfilment
- Contentment
- Happiness
- Love
- Happy family
- Love’s ideal
- Gratitude
- Idealism
First impressions
… and they all lived happily ever after.
What is happening in the card?
A couple stand with their backs to us, embracing hip-by-hip, with their faces and free arms raised to the sky in a gesture of gratitude and rejoicing. Above them in the sky 10 golden cups are shimmering within the arc of a beautiful rainbow.
Two children are playing or dancing nearby and in the background we see a house set in a lush green landscape that has a river running through it.
This a perfect pastural scene. Idyllic. Who wouldn’t want this, or some version of it, as their happy ever after?
How can we relate to this card?
Isn’t this what we all long for? A stable home, a lover and a family.
This is the generally accepted ideal. But the truth is that we don’t all fit neatly into this picture. Life is a messy affair and people are messy in it. Not all families look like this.
For some, this is the natural progression of life but for others, it seems like an impossible dream.
The rainbow here can symbolise abundance and wishes coming true and can also be read as a symbol or celebration of diversity.
Elements, numbers, symbols & imagery
- Element of Water ? the realm of feelings, emotions, relationships, intuition and creativity
- The number 10 – completion, end of a cycle
- Children – innocence, productiveness, naivety
- Lush green landscape – fertility, growth
- House – stability, security, achievement
- Rainbow – abundance, protection, happiness, the 7 chakras, ideal way of life, inclusivity, diversity, bridge between heaven and earth
Emotions expressed
- Joy
- Contentment
- Love
- Hope
- Gratitude
Other associations
Tree of life:
10th Sephira of Malchut – kingdom, sovereignty, achievement, responsibility, real-world – in the realm of B’riah – the world of creation, spirit and feeling.
Thoth:
Satiety, Mars in Pisces
Golden Dawn title:
Lord of Perfected Success
Major Arcana:
Associated with The Wheel of Fortune – Key number 11
Message & affirmations
Today, I know the world to be a truly and endlessly abundant place and I am already open and willing to accept the gifts and guidance that flow to me from source. All the love of wisdom and creativity of the universe flow to me and through me and manifest in creative excellence at work and happy healthy relationships with the people in my life and those I meet on the way.
“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.“
~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
“Happiness is an attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it. Nor can it be experienced where love is not. Love has no limits, being everywhere. And therefore joy is everywhere as well.”
“I am beginning to recognise that true happiness isn’t something large and looming on the horizon ahead, but something small, numerous and already here; the warm sunset, a decent breakfast, the smile of someone you love. Your little everyday joys all lined up in a row.”
~ Beau Taplin
My personal experiences of this card
When this card comes up for me it calls me to examine my level of contentment and fulfilment in life. And if I feel I’m coming up short in this, the 10 of Cups reminds me to take a moment to consider all that I do have and all that I am grateful for. I call upon those times when I was happy, proud, excited and open my heart with gratitude to experience more of the same.
Events, situations & readings
In a relationship spread:
This is a wonderful card to see in a reading about relationships of all kinds. It suggests happiness, contentment and fulfilment. There is a sense of completion and wholeness that comes with the 10 of Cups. A sense of coming home.
In a work/career spread:
In a work or career spread the 10 of Cups indicates a sense of (creative) fulfilment and purpose in your work. It may also relate to fulfilling family commitments, providing, creating a happy home.
Reversed:
As perfect as the scene depicted in the 10 of Cups is, reversed it may indicate that you are holding to an overly idealistic concept of what life, work, relationships should be and serves to remind you to consider what you have in the present that you can be grateful for.
People & interaction with other cards
The sense of fulfilment and emotional contentment that the 10 of Cups brings is amplified by the Ace of Cups.
Questions, prompts & insights
What are you grateful for in your life? How do you show that gratitude?
Consider your most important relationships and how you are nurturing them. What are your hopes and dreams for you and your loved ones? How are you working to make these a reality?
Are you holding on to an impossible ideal or dream? Can you take a moment to acknowledge what you already have and how far you have come… with gratitude?
Featured decks:
Main image from The Rider Waite Tarot.
Explore the Tarot deck with me
This is a work in progress, a project far from complete. I’m exploring traditional and personal meanings for the Tarot cards in a semi-orderly fashion. Please take a look by clicking on the cards below. Or you can pick a card to see what comes up for you today.
