Tarot

The Five of Cups can symbolize whether we are focusing on the glass being half full or half empty. The sorrowful figure is wearing black as a message of depression or negativity. He appears to be more focused on the cups that have spilled, ignoring the standing cups behind him.

Obviously the card can suggest disappointment in love or not being appreciated as an artist. The Five of Cups can symbolize unrequited love where rather than face it, we’d prefer to dwell on why the person we love has no interest in us. Chances are, we have made them into something they are not. In fact, because the relationship never consummated, it allows us to live in the delusional space where we believe in all sorts of unrealities.

We can make the other into the dream lover. Had we had the love relationship, we may have discovered why they are not right for us. In life we really don't make choices. We discover what we don't want or what we can't have and all that is left is the answer.

The good news is because we have realized what our dream lover is like - through unrequited love, we know exactly what to look for in the future.

There is also a bridge in the background and the idea that before we can open to love we must love ourselves. As disappointing as the card appears, there are still love opportunities symbolized by the two standing cups.

A deep transformation may be required before we can think about having a relationship. There may be a real and necessary period of grieving associated with love lost. Eventually, we might look up to see the flowing stream, bridge, greenery and castle that await us on the opposite shore. The card appears when we need to be reminded that in time, all things will change.

Keywords: Disappointment in love. Feeling abandoned. A refusal to let go of the past and find value in the lesson. Love unrequited even while an opportunity for new love looms on the horizon. Isolation, sorrow and grief. Broken spirit, divorce or separation. Regret, shame and guilt. 

Reversed: An opportunity to mend a broken relationship. Love rekindled after patience and healing. Moving past grief to reconnect with others or can be an inability to stop grieving.