Five of Cups as Health (Upright & Reversed) Tarot Card Meaning

The Five of Cups is the card of grief, loss, sadness, and disappointment. This card shows a man crying over three knocked down cups. He is so absorbed in his loss that he doesn’t see that he has two upright cups behind him. He is missing the opportunities that are still available to him. 

The Five of Cups reminds us that grief is a natural part of life. It is normal to grieve over our disappointments and failures. Challenges and losses are part of the journey. However, it is important to not be so wrapped up in the negative that we do not see the positive in our situation. The Five of Cups reminds us to authentically grieve, but also to see how we can use this moment as a learning opportunity to move forward.

Upright Five of Cups as Health

If you are asking about health, and you draw the Five of Cups, it suggests that your current condition is shaped by emotional pain, grief, or disappointment that may be affecting your physical state. This card often appears when the body is carrying the weight of unresolved emotional sorrow or regret. Emotional heaviness may be lowering your energy, affecting your immunity, or slowing your motivation to heal.

The Five of Cups in a health reading encourages you to pay attention to unprocessed sadness, regret, or emotional loss that may be weighing you down. Suppressed feelings can quietly impact the nervous system and overall well-being over time. Acknowledging your emotions and giving yourself space to grieve can be an essential part of your healing journey.

For physical health, the Five of Cups can represent concerns around the digestive system, immune function, or the body’s response to prolonged emotional stress. The physical effects of grief might show up as stomach issues, fatigue, or increased vulnerability to illness. Gentle care and emotional support can help reduce these symptoms and allow your body to recover.

For mental and emotional health, the Five of Cups suggests you are currently experiencing grief, depression, or feeling stuck in what hasn’t gone right. You may be focusing on past regrets or losses and struggling to see what’s still available to you. This card reflects a moment of emotional heaviness—but also the potential to begin shifting forward.

If you’re asking about the cause of a health issue, the Five of Cups suggests it may be rooted in heartbreak, emotional trauma, or chronic sadness that has not been fully acknowledged. These emotional wounds may have built up over time and are now showing themselves through your health. Naming the pain and honoring it can be the first real step toward release.

If you’re wondering about recovery, the Five of Cups shows that healing will come through emotional release, forgiveness, and finding hope in what still remains. Recovery won’t erase the loss, but it can restore your strength and reconnect you to purpose. There is still something here worth turning toward, and that shift will support your healing.

Need more clarity on your relationship?

Ask unlimited questions in a safe space. Get the answers you need. Your situation is unique. Sibyl’s expert psychics are here to help!

Learn More

Reversed Five of Cups as Health

If you are asking about health, and you draw the Five of Cups reversed, it suggests that your current condition is beginning to improve as you shift from grief into healing and acceptance. This card signals emotional movement—slow but steady—away from sorrow and toward renewal. You may be feeling more ready to care for yourself and let in support.

The Five of Cups reversed in a health reading encourages you to pay attention to opportunities for emotional renewal and the ways you’re learning to move forward. You might be reconnecting with others, forgiving yourself, or feeling a lightness that wasn’t available before. Emotional growth is happening, even if it’s subtle.

For physical health, the Five of Cups reversed can represent concerns around recovery from emotional burnout, or healing from past losses that affected your body. Your system may be slowly regaining balance as your emotional world stabilizes. This is a time for gentle routines, rest, and acknowledging progress without rushing.

For mental and emotional health, the Five of Cups reversed suggests you are currently experiencing emotional release, a willingness to look forward, and the early stages of recovery from sorrow. You might be letting go of what you can’t change and opening up to new emotional experiences. It’s a quiet but powerful turning point in your healing.

If you’re asking about the cause of a health issue, the Five of Cups reversed suggests it may be rooted in long-held grief that you are now ready to face and process. Pain that was once overwhelming is now becoming more manageable. This shift allows healing to reach areas that were previously closed off.

If you’re wondering about recovery, the Five of Cups reversed shows that healing will come through hope, emotional resilience, and choosing to focus on what’s still possible. The more you open your heart to what remains, the more strength and clarity you’ll find. This card reminds you that you’re not stuck—you’re already moving forward.

Real psychics. No scams.

Need intuitive advice but wary of getting scammed? Get honest answers, with no hidden fees. No “spell removal” upsells, we promise.

Learn More

Conclusion

For relationships and feelings, the Five of Cups represents grief and loss. These challenges are a normal part of life and any relationship. It is not the fact that we have grief and loss that matters, but how we respond to it. The Five of Cups reminds us that we can turn our most difficult moments into learning opportunities. 

If you find yourself needing further clarity in your relationship matters that go beyond reading for yourself, Sibyl offers unlimited tarot readings on love & relationships, as a neutral and objective third party.