VI of Cups
Tarot Card Meaning

Keywords:
~ nostalgia
~ memories
~ childhood
~ idealized past
~ walk down memory lane
~ golden age
~ reunions
~ homecoming
~ innocence
~ enjoyment of childish pursuits
~ fun and games

Reversed:
~ repressed memories
~ childhood trauma
~ distorted remembrance
~ stuck in the past
~ naive
~ over expectation

The VI of Cups represents the remembered ideal of childhood past.  With that remembrance comes a nostalgia for idyllic, faded memories of innocence and good times. You may have a strong urge to take a walk down memory lane, looking at old photographs or reading favorite letters (or emails) that you saved from friends and family, or even a past love now fondly remembered.  This remembering is all well and good as long as you don't get stuck in the past.  Your goal is to live in the present moment of your life, to focus on what is happening now.  But a little daydreaming about your favorite memories might be just the thing to make you feel warm and fuzzy about yourself right now.

When the IV of Cups comes up in a reading it can mean that currently you are reflecting on what you have done so far this month, year, or lifetime and comparing it to the ambitious goals and dreams you set for yourself.  Are you fulfilling your hearts desires?  Have you completely changed what you want for yourself now that you are older and wiser?  Reflecting upon these questions right now can get you much closer to living the life you intend to live, instead of the one you are absent-mindedly living.

The VI of Cups may simply represent children and the childish games they play being a part of your life right now.  Perhaps you are taking up an old hobby that used to bring you joy, or planning a games night with friends, or a day with a niece or grandson.  What activities did you enjoy as a kid that you no longer do?  Why aren't those activities fun for you anymore or haven't you even tried them out recently?  The VI of Cups wants you to have some fun for the sake of having fun.  Take the should out of your day and find out what that looks like for you.

VI of Cups reversed

The warning that comes with the VI of Cups in reverse is that you are losing yourself in the past.  You can't entangle your current emotional and mental processes from what happened before.  Perhaps you are just going over and over a scenario in your head that made you feel bad, sad, rejected or abused.  You keep replaying the scene in your head and thinking of what you could have said or done to make it different.  Well, unfortunately you can't change the past.  You can get stuck there though and fail to move on.  The VI of Cups is telling you it's time to heal and look for simple joy in your life.  The reversal is telling you that you can best do this by redirecting your thoughts and feelings from bad past experiences to times you when you had good experiences in the past.  Learn from your mistakes or experiences and move on from here on out.

With the Vi of Cups in reversed you could be focusing on how naive you were to think you could accomplish so much by this point, and feeling a bit disappointed with your shortcomings and life’s let downs.  Remember though that when we set out to make big changes or leaps and strides, we tend to overlook the small steps that get us to our goals.  If you are feeling downtrodden or inadequate compared to what you had hoped to feel by this point in your life, don’t beat yourself up!  Negativity helps no one.  Take the time instead to congratulate yourself for all that you have done so far.  Pat yourself on the back.  Toast to your accomplishments. Each small effort you make toward your goals will accumulate in the long run. Don't get trapped in looking back and regretting.

The VI of Cups often indicates a childhood trauma that is still effecting you today.  It is hard to be human, and no one grows up in a bubble of perfection and happiness.  It's impossible to make it to adulthood without trials and the scars they produce.  But sometimes these issues and traumas from the past resurface in a way that means we have to deal with them.  Maybe you can no longer dismiss and bury childhood or family issues anymore.  They are going to keep coming up until you get that shit sorted out.  It might not be pretty, easy, or enjoyable work, but the results will be empowering and powerful for you in the long run.