Queen of Cups
Deep feeling held with care.
Deeply caring and intuitive. Look after yourself too.
- empathy
- intuition
- care
Element: Water
What the card shows
A crowned woman sits on a shell-like throne at the water's edge, holding an ornate closed cup with both hands and gazing at it. Small figures decorate the throne.
Queens embody their suit inwardly. The closed, ornate cup shows feelings treasured and not spilled. Being at the shore places her where the conscious and unconscious meet.
▲Upright
Empathy and intuition used with care, including toward yourself.
Whose feelings am I carrying that are not mine?
▼Reversed
Empathy tips into over-giving, or feelings are shut away.
Where do my feelings end and other people's begin?
Queen of Cups in a reading
In love
Listening closely; being available without losing yourself.
Reversed: Empathy tips into over-giving, or feelings are shut away.
At work
Supportive roles, reading what a team needs.
Its shadow side: absorbing others' moods, losing your own boundaries.
As one of the Cups
Feelings, love and relationships. The suit's element is Water. It shows where in daily life the reading plays out.
Related cards
The other queens: the same kind of person or approach, in another area of life.
Queen of Wands
Queen of Swords
Queen of PentaclesRead it with other cards
Questions about Queen of Cups
What does Queen of Cups mean in tarot?
Empathy and intuition used with care, including toward yourself. Keywords: empathy, intuition, care.
What does Queen of Cups mean reversed?
Empathy tips into over-giving, or feelings are shut away. Excess: taking on everyone's problems. Blocked: numbing your own feelings. Inward: caring for others but not yourself.
What does Queen of Cups mean in love?
Listening closely; being available without losing yourself.
What does Queen of Cups mean for work?
Supportive roles, reading what a team needs.
What question does Queen of Cups ask?
Upright: Whose feelings am I carrying that are not mine? Reversed: Where do my feelings end and other people's begin?
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