Five of Cups as Intentions (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 Intentions

If you are asking about someone’s intentions towards you, and you draw the Five of Cups, that means this person intends to ignore the positive around them. They intend to focus on the negative and tell themselves that they are not good enough. They have many amazing opportunities for joy and love, but they are blinded by pain. They intend to reject any love that approaches because they are void of emotion. They have no intentions to pursue you, so you must engage with them in order to help.

The Five of Cups as intentions means that they intend to think about their mistakes. Their intentions have not developed enough to think about solutions. They are in a very negative place in their lives. Regret fills their intentions. They must appreciate the good in their lives and change their perspective in order to see the true opportunities around them.

For singles and those embarking on new relationships, the Five of Cups is a sign of them intending to perceive the pending relationship negatively. Something is awry between the two of you. Intend on communicating with this person to potentially change their perception. Things did not start off great in terms of intentions within the relationship.

For existing relationships, the Five of Cups represents an intention to grieve. Their intentions reflect something that troubles them. Their intentions are highly manipulated by their intense emotion. Sorrow and pain fills their mind. They intend to grieve and heal about all of the mistakes they made in the relationship. Once they complete grieving, the relationship can continue. Their intentions can and will return to love.

If you are asking about an ex’s intentions, the Five of Cups shows that they intend to reminisce on the failure of your relationship. They are remorseful of what they did, and they cannot purge these intentions from their head. Pain overwhelmed their intentions. They are being extremely hard on themselves. They intend to contemplate and heal from the past. This makes it a difficult time to rejoin together.

In the context of whether or not a relationship is headed for commitment, engagement, or marriage, the Five of Cups means that this person’s intentions are to carry grief and disappointment with them. They must drop these intentions in order for commitment to be possible. They intend to display their sadness as an indication  to you that something must be fixed in the relationship. Intend on communication to determine the emotional issues that your partner struggles with. This can open the opportunity to a loving future.

Reversed Five of Cups as Intentions

If you are asking about someone’s intentions towards you, and you draw the Five of Cups reversed, that means this person intends to omit the negatives of the past. The pain, grief, and suffering that the upright Five of Cups signifies is no longer in their mind. They intend to absolve themselves of guilt from past mistakes and grow closer with you.

The Five of Cups reversed as intentions means that they are in the acceptance stage of grief. They no longer allow sadness to overcome them. They intend to seek the positives in life. They intend to seek new connections and relationships. The future and inner peace is their top priority.

For singles and those embarking on new relationships, the Five of Cups reversed is a sign of them intending to set out upon new beginnings. They no longer think about past relationships and what they could have done to preserve them. They intend to focus their efforts on someone new. The reversed Five of Cups is a positive sign if you just started seeing someone or are single.

For existing relationships, the Five of Cups reversed represents an intention to conquer all hardships in the relationship. They intend to move past any humps that create separation between you two. They intend to let go of disappointments and grudges that cause divides. Their intention is to look into the future and grow closer together.

If you are asking about an ex’s intentions, the Five of Cups reversed shows that they intend to release the negative feelings and thoughts that persisted after your breakup. The breakup no longer bothers them. This is positive for both of your lives. No intentions for grudges remain. Restarting the relationship is possible if they intend to start fresh and they think about you positively.

In the context of whether or not a relationship is headed for commitment, engagement, or marriage, the Five of Cups reversed means that this person’s intentions are events of the future. They intend to begin planning what their future will look like. If they see their future with you, then the reversed Five of Cups is an amazing sign for marriage. They intend to move into a new phase of life and forget any mistakes you or they have made in the relationship. This paves the way for a strong bond leading into marriage.

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.