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Queen of Cups Tarot Card
Belonging to the Suit of Cups of the Minor Arcana, the Queen of Cups tarot card represents empathy, healing, warmth, flow, creativity, intuition, motherhood, magic, and mystery.
The Queen of Cups is the Water of Water card in the Minor Arcana (Queens are Water; the Suit of Cups is Water). This means that she is the most reflective, receptive, and introspective expression of the Water element and the Suit of Cups. She is like the neverending river, the reflective surface of a still lake, and the inexplicable depths of the ocean. Like water, she flows and fluxes in response to any situation. Her appearance can be a warning against remaining stagnant or stubborn. And just as water nourishes all life on Earth, the Queen of Cups is also a nurturer, like the Queen of Pentacles. However, whereas the Queen of Pentacles nurtures the body and physical life, the Queen of Cups nurtures the emotional life, the heart, and the soul. Her intuition is razor-sharp, and she easily sees right into the core of people and situations of all kinds.
Some questions the Queen of Cups invites you to ponder…
- What is your relationship with your intuitive faculties? What are your experiences with listening to and following your intuition?
- What makes you feel nourished? What fulfills you emotionally?
- What does self-care look like to you? How do you take care of your mental or emotional health?
In this post, we’ll be going over the Queen of Cups card’s Upright and Reversed meanings, as well as the Queen of Cups as a person (or significator) and the Queen of Cups as feelings.
Sometimes awareness of a card’s place in the Tarot and your intuition can be all that’s needed to interpret its message, however, understanding the traditional meanings of the Upright/Reversed Queen of Cups card, as well as its emotional and personal elements, will help equip you with deeper insight and more comprehensive, perceptive readings. Let’s get started!
Queen of Cups Keywords
Upright: | intuition, empathy, healing, warmth, flow, creativity, motherhood, magic, mystery |
Reversed: | co-dependency, negligence, coldness, rigidity, instability, insecurity, apathy |
Element: | Water of Water |
Zodiac Sign: | Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) |
Don’t have time to read? Check out this helpful video for key meanings of the Queen of Cups Tarot card!
Queen of Cups Upright Meaning & Advice
Queen of Cups Upright Meaning: The Queen of Cups indicates devoting your entire being to the construction of a cause you firmly believe in. It is being incredibly devoted, vulnerable, and available. Love in action. Psychic potential. Profound emotional ties. Intuition. Consideration and sympathy. Extreme honesty and compassion. Practicality when it pertains to emotional concerns; acting with grace and intelligence in challenging emotional situations.
Queen of Cups Advice: The advice of the Queen of Cups is to go with the flow. Open your heart. Express your feelings with confidence. Trust. Love freely. Trust and follow your intuition and instincts. Connect with the Divine Feminine. Create! Embrace your inner artist and dreamer.
The Queen of Cups also advises you to surround yourself with things that make you feel calm and at peace; make your environment as warm and comforting as possible. Explore what emotionally fulfills you and brings you true happiness. Practice compassionate listening. Empathize with others. Connect with loved ones. Pour into yourself as much as you pour into others – watch out for depleting yourself in the process of nurturing others. Love yourself. Take care of your mental and emotional health.
Queen of Cups Reversed Meaning & Advice
Queen of Cups Reversed Meaning: The Queen of Cups Reversed can show heartbreak and suffering from a loss in love. The love and light of the upright Queen of Cups turn to melancholy, grief, and sadness. It may indicate being blocked emotionally and unable to access your emotions. Either you or someone else in your life is being dishonest. Feeling unbalanced emotionally or emotionally overpowered. Emotional manipulation.
Queen of Cups Reversed Advice: The advice of the Queen of Cups Reversed is to not let your emotions run away with you – rein them in! Make sure your heart is not leading you down the wrong path; use your head and avoid making any major decisions out of an emotional reaction. Address any clingy or needy behaviors in yourself or others around you. Beware of codependency or addictive patterns.
The Queen of Cups Reversed advises you to practice coping with and channeling your emotions in a healthy, constructive way; this may look like journaling, talking things out with a therapist or friend, exercising, art therapy, or anything that helps you to calm your emotions and heal your heart. Allow yourself to feel your feelings (in a safe space) and let your emotions pass through you so you can begin to heal and move on. Resist avoiding or denying your emotions.
Have you been ignoring your feelings, intuitive nudges, or your heart’s desires? The Queen of Cups Reversed is a sign to come back to yourself; reconnect with your heart and your intuition. Also, if you have been over-giving, this reversal can mean that you need to start pouring back into yourself before your emotional well runs dry. The old saying ‘don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm’ may apply here.
Sometimes, the Queen of Cups Reversed can represent a depressed, dishonest, or emotionally manipulative figure in your life. You may need to remove yourself from an emotionally charged or toxic situation or relationship. Refrain from attempting to control others’ emotions. Depending on the circumstance, keep your emotions to yourself – it may not be safe for you to share your emotions at this time.
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Queen of Cups as a Person
In the upright position, the Queen of Cups as a person represents someone who is sensitive, caring, and emotionally mature. People signified by this card can be quite mutable personalities who know how to respond and adapt to situations and others around them. Compassionate and warm-hearted, the Queen of Cups person is loyal, protective, and generous with those they love. This is someone that many may go to for advice, as the Queen of Cups knows how to really listen and empathize with others. This ability mixed with a keen intuitive sense leaves people often feeling naked in the presence of this Queen.
And though Queen of Cups people are kind, gentle, and perceptive, they are also bewitchingly mysterious and can be hard to get to know on a personal level. Similar to the High Priestess, there is endless depth and intrigue to the Queen of Cups person. Though not always the most logical, they usually possess an incredibly strong imagination and creative ability. Because of their well-developed intuitive faculties and grip on their own emotions, they often use their intuition and emotions as their compass to guide their decisions and assess other people/situations.
Since the Queen of Cups belongs to the suit of the Water element, this card may represent someone who is a Water zodiac sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) or Water-dominant in their astrological natal chart.
Queen of Cups (Reversed) as a Person
The Queen of Cups Reversed as a person is someone who has a tendency to use emotion to manipulate others into getting what they want. They may not even be aware that it’s happening, but regardless, they do it. Selfish and acting out of self-preservation, the Queen of Cups Reversed can be heartless when it comes to other people – they are only out for themselves. They can also be highly dramatic, ruthless, and nasty when upset. This is not a person you want to cross.
On a less malicious note, the Queen of Cups Reversed can also come up for someone whose self-esteem and self-worth have plummeted for the worse. For whatever reason, this person is weak at the moment. They may be struggling to go with the flow and may resort to micro-managing behaviors with others. This person may also have a hard time making decisions for themselves- they constantly seek out approval and validation externally instead of from within. They are uncomfortable in their own skin.
As a person, the Queen of Cups Reversed may also show someone who is stuck in a victim mentality and blames the world for all that is wrong in their life. They may refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and reject listening to reason or logic. In reverse, the Queen of Cups becomes emotionally unstable, needy, and clingy. People represented by this reversal often struggle with co-dependency and managing emotions on their own.
Queen of Cups as Feelings
When the Queen of Cups appears as someone’s feelings for you, it can suggest that this person sees you in a deeply empathetic and nurturing light. They may feel a strong emotional connection and a sense of comfort when they think of you – the Queen of Cups often embodies qualities like compassion, intuition, and understanding, indicating that they may view you as someone who truly “gets” them on an emotional level.
This card indicates a warm and caring affection, potentially hinting at a romantic bond filled with emotional support and mutual understanding. They hold you in high regard and feel like you are a nurturing and caring presence in their life.
Queen of Cups (Reversed) as Feelings
When the Queen of Cups tarot card appears reversed, it could indicate that someone’s feelings towards you might be somewhat unclear or fluctuating – there could be a sense of emotional distance or challenges in expressing their emotions openly. This reversal can show that their emotional state might be less stable at the moment, potentially leading to moments of unpredictability or confusion in their feelings.
DISCLAIMER:
Sage & Moon is a participant in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase through these links. Any product we choose is based on personal recommendations that we love and trust you will too. By using these links you are directly supporting us to keep writing + creating. Thank you!