Queen of Cups
With deep compassion you sense what others feel. Care for others without losing yourself.
- Card
- Minor Arcana · Cups (Water)
- Upright keywords
- Compassion, Empathy, Acceptance, Intuition
- Reversed keywords
- Emotional instability, Dependence, Oversensitivity, Self-sacrifice
- Yes or no
- Leans yes
Traditional correspondences Element: Water of Water / Golden Dawn: Queen of the Thrones of the Waters / Thoth: Queen of Cups / Gemini 21° to Cancer 20° / Sephirah: Binah (Understanding)
Upright meaning
Deep compassion and empathy. Trust your intuition.
A queen sits at the water’s edge, gazing at an ornate closed cup. The Queen of Cups is emotional intelligence: compassion, intuition and nurturing care. Upright, she asks you to trust your feelings and care for others.
Reversed meaning
Emotional ups and downs or dependence. Look after yourself too.
Reversed, she is overwhelmed by emotion or loses herself in others’ needs. Set boundaries and care for yourself.
For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.
Love
A caring, intuitive partner and deep emotional connection.
Emotional dependence or jealousy.
Work
Caring professions, counselling or creative work.
Emotional burnout.
Money
Spending on care for others.
Emotional spending.
Relationships
A good listener and caring friend.
Taking on others’ problems.
Health
Emotional healing.
Emotional exhaustion.
Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.
Mind and spirit
Deep intuition.
Losing yourself in feelings.
As a person
A compassionate, intuitive, nurturing person.
Someone emotionally unstable.
Timing
Within weeks, a moment that calls for compassion. In the calendar, mid June to mid July is also a guide (roughly June 11 to July 11).
Advice
Trust your heart and care for others.
Look after yourself first.
Questions to ask yourself
- What is my intuition telling me?
- Am I caring for myself as well as others?
- Where do I need boundaries?
A common misreading
The Queen of Cups isn’t weak. Her emotional depth is a strength when balanced.
The story of this card
The Queen holds water with understanding. She knows the depths of feeling.
The Waite deck’s picture and symbols
In the Waite deck the Queen sits on a throne at the water’s edge, decorated with water nymphs, holding an ornate lidded cup.
History and differences between traditions
The covered cup is unique among Waite’s cups, often read as the unconscious.
Words for today
I trust my intuition.
I care for myself too.