Suit of cups | |
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Two of Cups from the
1JJ Tarot deck | |
Deck | Minor Arcana |
The suit of cups is one of four suits of tarot which, collectively, make up the Minor Arcana. They are sometimes referred to as goblets and chalices. Like the other suits of the Minor Arcana, it contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page, knight, queen and king. Historically, the suit represented the First Estate (the Clergy). Tarot cards were originally designed for card play and are still used throughout much of Europe to play various Tarot card games. [1] However, in English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes. In modern card games, the equivalent suits (depending on deck type and origin) are Hearts or Cups. [1] [2]
In tarot, the element of cups is water, and the suit of cups pertains to situations and events of an emotional nature – in contradistinction to physical ( suit of coins), or mindful ( suit of swords), or creative natures ( suit of wands). [3] [4] As such, when the tarot is used in divination, many cups signify an emotionally focus for the reading. Additionally, cups were the symbol of the clergy in feudal times, and thus cup cards can also be interpreted as having to do with spiritual or religious matters.
Contemporary understandings of the Minor Arcana are largely defined by the illustrations of Pamela Colman Smith and the writings of A. E. Waite found as part of the Rider–Waite Tarot, the most popular tarot deck amongst English speakers, and its companion book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. [5]
Suit of cups | |
---|---|
![]()
Two of Cups from the
1JJ Tarot deck | |
Deck | Minor Arcana |
The suit of cups is one of four suits of tarot which, collectively, make up the Minor Arcana. They are sometimes referred to as goblets and chalices. Like the other suits of the Minor Arcana, it contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page, knight, queen and king. Historically, the suit represented the First Estate (the Clergy). Tarot cards were originally designed for card play and are still used throughout much of Europe to play various Tarot card games. [1] However, in English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes. In modern card games, the equivalent suits (depending on deck type and origin) are Hearts or Cups. [1] [2]
In tarot, the element of cups is water, and the suit of cups pertains to situations and events of an emotional nature – in contradistinction to physical ( suit of coins), or mindful ( suit of swords), or creative natures ( suit of wands). [3] [4] As such, when the tarot is used in divination, many cups signify an emotionally focus for the reading. Additionally, cups were the symbol of the clergy in feudal times, and thus cup cards can also be interpreted as having to do with spiritual or religious matters.
Contemporary understandings of the Minor Arcana are largely defined by the illustrations of Pamela Colman Smith and the writings of A. E. Waite found as part of the Rider–Waite Tarot, the most popular tarot deck amongst English speakers, and its companion book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. [5]