Erica Tucci

We finished our discussion on the Major Arcana cards that make up the Fool’s journey in my last blog post. If you have any questions or concerns thus far, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Today, I’m going to begin the explanation of the Minor Arcana cards of the Tarot. As I stated in the post entitled “The way of the hero”, the Minor Arcana cards reflect the day-to-day activities that we experience in our lives. They show practical aspects of life that we deal with on our personal Fool’s journey as we seek deeper self-awareness. The Minor Arcana is divided into four suits representing the four aspects of our human experience: Cups (emotional), Pentacles (physical), Swords (mental) and Wands (spiritual). They are made up of ten number cards and four court cards.

In this installment, I will be going through the cards of the Cups suit, giving a basic meaning of each.  Cups is the suit that deals with the emotional level of consciousness. They indicate that you are thinking with your heart rather than your head. They represent love and imagination, joy and peace, a sense of harmony and wonder. They show love as the way to Spirit.

Please note that my descriptions of all Tarot cards, both Major and Minor Arcanas, are very general, just to give you an idea of how Tarot can be used as a tool for personal development. When used in a reading, each card’s meaning will be based on its underlying symbolism, but will vary from reading to reading, depending on a variety of factors – the question(s) asked, the personality of the person requesting the reading, the circumstances of that person, etc. My intuition also plays a big part in what is revealed to me through the cards.

So let’s begin with the Ace of Cups. Aces are the cards of new beginnings and the potential of great growth from these new beginnings…like the seed growing underground but not having emerged through the earth yet. So the Ace of Cups could be the potential of a new relationship or creative endeavor, or anything that comes from the heart. Literally, it can indicate a new birth. Metaphorically, it can be the spark of a new idea.

Twos are the cards of duality – the yin and the yang, the feminine and the masculine, etc. Generally, the Two of Cups looks at the beginning of a union, whether it is a friendship, love affair or the union within oneself.

Threes are the cards of expansion and ambition. The Three of Cups indicates joy, celebration and sharing the wonder of life, be it a celebration of a new life, the end of a crisis, the success of a life event and the like.

Fours are the cards of wholeness, stability, structure and balance. The Four of Cups indicates the possibility of finding emotional balance and stability, that is, if one chooses not to cut oneself off emotionally and settle into some unresolved inner issue.

Fives are the cards of confrontation, strife and hardship. The Five of Cups indicates sorrow and pain, where things in life seem at loss. However, if one goes through the pain and emotion, one can reconcile his/her loss and move to the other side where there is joy and fulfillment.

Sixes represent the completion of a cycle, which creates the urge to enter a new stage. The Six of Cups reflects our nostalgia of childhood memories and how they can propel us forward into a new phase of life in which we integrate the past with the present.

Sevens represent paradox or a state of tension between what may seem “right” and the consequences that may result from being influenced by that belief of rightness. Seven of Cups shows us how our emotional world can have a multitude of dreams or desires from which to  choose in life, but we must be vigilant about the motives behind each desire and choose wisely so that we are pursuing that which is for our highest good.

Eights are the cards of furthering one’s development, but on a more solid ground than before. The Eight of Cups shows that something may be missing in a situation, and one goes on a quest to either find the missing piece or to seek a new adventure.

Nines can be defined as the cards of synthesis, where there is movement forward to completion. The Nine of Cups represents nurture of the heart that brings good things in one’s life.

Tens are seen as the cards of culmination, where things come to completion, which becomes the basis or foundation for a new beginning. From every ending there is a new beginning…from death comes birth. The Ten of Cups represents great emotional fulfillment and security, no matter what the circumstances.

Now for the court cards, which comprise the Page, Knight, Queen and King. Generally speaking, the court cards represent people, but they can also represent events or personality traits that you may have. Pages and Knights are generally less mature than the Queens and Kings as they could be considered at the beginning of the Fool’s journey, where their “personalities” haven’t fully developed yet.

The Page of Cups represent youth, childlike enthusiasm and a boundless capacity to learn, sensitivity and imagination and optimism. New opportunities in the domain of feelings and unconscious manifestation are embraced by the Page of Cups.

Knights are adventurers and explorers. The Knight of Cups represents chivalry and gallantry, and reflects hopes and dreams. He’s not afraid to dive deep into the world of emotions on a quest fighting for an ideal or sentiment.

The Queen of Cups embodies the emotional energy of the suit of Cups, its realm being that of love and relationships. The qualities of the Queen of Cups are that of nurturing, sensitivity, intuition, creativity and a natural inner harmony.

The King of Cups may be likened to King Neptune, ruler of the underwater world, where the deepest mysteries of life lie, from where our emotions arise. He is very much in touch with his emotions yet he is perceptive and analytical, and craves intellectual discourse. He can be a powerful force to contend with and has no problem exerting his wisdom and experience in times of great emotional upheaval. In fact, as a personality trait, he can be the cause of the inner emotional storm one may be in.

That’s it for the suit of Cups. Next will be the Pentacles, followed by Swords and finally Wands. I really would love to hear from you, letting me know if all this Tarot stuff resonates with you, or providing constructive criticism that would help me better serve you. Please subscribe to my blog by clicking the Subscribe button below, to keep receiving posts that I hope will be inspiring and enlightening to you. And if you would enjoy getting a Tarot reading from me, click here.