6 of Cups

Keywords & phrases

• Reunion
• Inner child
• Childhood
• Innocence/innocence lost
• Memories & nostalgia
• Reciprocal feelings & affection
• Gift of friendship
• Processing the past
• Past lives

First impressions

A card full of sweetness and light, the gift of friendship received. But isn’t there always more to it than meets the eye?

What is happening in the card?

Two children (apparently) are standing in the relative safety of a garden. The taller, a boy, offers the girl the gift of flower in golden cup. She looks up to him as she receives it. 

Four more cups, each holding a flower, can be seen in the foreground and one more on a plinth behind the children.

In the background we see an adult, back turned, walking away from this scene towards the house. The children are left to their own devices.

How can we relate to this card?

We feel the energy of the 6 of Cups when enjoy time with those people in our lives that know us the best – old friends, lovers, family. It is also the experience of warm memories (that may resurface or that we call upon) of people and events from our lives.

What we have gained and learned and how we continue to benefit from having them in our lives. How those relationships and experiences shaped who we are today.

However, even happy memories can be bitter sweet. And some memories are not sweet at all. Not all childhoods are safe and secure and not all children (young people and adults) are protected by the people and institutions that are meant to protect them.

Sometimes the people we trust with our hearts and our friendship can let us down, in the worst possible ways. The bubble is burst.

This card can speak to the inner child calling on us to be remember what it was like to play and also offers a chance to process the past and heal old wounds.

Message & affirmations

Today, I am a brave, loyal and generous friend and I am grateful for the people in my life, past and present. I am worthy of their love and I am ready, open and willing to accept more love and friendship in my life. 

My personal experiences of this card

In readings for myself this card often represents that comfort that old friends bring. The cosy bubble of friendship. How easy it is to spend time with those who know me best, with whom I have shared so many experiences. The highs and the lows. Happiness and pain. But most of all the laughter. This is the gift of friendship and I consider myself so very lucky.

In The Tarot Handbook, Angeles Arrien described perfectly the 6 of Cups as representing emotional pleasure that is healing, revitalising, renewing and regenerating. “Out of the experience of pleasure, you are regenerated and renewed to such an extent that pleasure and the sense of pleasure is extended to others.”  This feels so true when I think about spending time with my girlfriends… it lifts me up and is good for my soul. Quite simply, I can feel it doing me good.

I also see it as the resurfacing of emotions, evoked by something in the present. This, of course can be bitter sweet.

There is a beautiful sadness about happy memories. Sometimes I’d like to turn the clock back, relive or RE-live chapters from my life. But, would I really do things differently? No, because I love too much what I have now.

I read for someone recently with The Fountain Tarot and particularly loved the way that the imagery of the 6 of Cups echoes that of The Lovers. In both we see two people immersed in each other within their own protective bubble of love and friendship.

The 6 of Cups and the Lovers card, The Fountain Tarot

Events, situations & readings

In a relationship spread:
The 6 of Cups could represent an old lover or friend. Perhaps they are present, or memories of them are present right now. What messages, lessons or gifts do they bring?

In a personal/spiritual development spread:
This card may indicate a need to process feelings and emotions raised by past events. Also, through pleasure and play, honouring your inner child to promote personal growth and unlock creativity.

Reversed:
You may be dwelling too much on the past – the good and the bad – perhaps you have your rose-tinted spec on? Or maybe, deep memories are resurfacing that need to be processed.

People & interaction with other cards

With the 2 of Cups or The Lovers (see the image above) this card might represent a reconciliation or reunion with an old lover. In a reading with the 3 of Cups, the 6 encourages you to nurture and celebrate your closest friendships.

The appearance of The Devil nearby might give us pause to consider how past relationships, or memories of them, can keep us trapped in the past and in unhealthy patterns of thought and behaviour.

Questions, prompts & insights

How are you showing up in your friendships? Do you give as much as you receive? Are your friendships healthy and reciprocal?

Who needs the gift of your friendship, compassion and affection right now?

How can you best honour your inner child? What do you do for play and pleasure?

What would your younger self say to you now? And if you could speak to that child, what wisdom would you share with them?

Who or what from your past do you need to release or forgive in order to free to find balance and to live and love with an open mind and heart?

 Featured decks:
Main image from The Rider Waite Tarot. Also featured images from The Fountain Tarot by Jonathan Saiz, Jason Gruhl and Andi Todaro