Six of Cups Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love & Yes/No
The past brings something sweet today: a memory, an old friend, or a reminder of what you truly enjoy.
| Arcana | Minor Arcana, suit of Cups |
|---|---|
| Element | Water |
| Number | 6 |
| Astrology | Sun in Scorpio |
| Golden Dawn title | Lord of Pleasure |
| Yes or no | Yes |
| Upright | nostalgia, memories, innocence, reunion |
| Reversed | stuck in the past, unrealistic memories, moving forward |
Six of Cups symbolism
In a village courtyard, a child offers a cup filled with white flowers to a younger child. Other cups filled with flowers stand nearby. An older figure walks away in the background.
The descriptions on this site refer to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith and designed with Arthur Edward Waite, which is the reference for most modern tarot. Other decks may show different imagery with a similar meaning.
Upright meaning
- nostalgia
- memories
- innocence
- reunion
The Six of Cups is nostalgia, childhood memories and innocence. It can bring a reunion with someone from the past, a visit to a place you knew as a child or simply the comfort of familiar things.
The card also speaks about kindness and simple generosity. It asks you to reconnect with the parts of you that are playful and open.
Reversed meaning
- stuck in the past
- unrealistic memories
- moving forward
Reversed, the Six of Cups shows being stuck in the past or idealising memories. It can also show moving forward and leaving old patterns behind.
Honour the past without living in it.
New to reversals? Our guide to reading reversed tarot cards explains the different ways readers interpret an upside-down card.
Six of Cups in love and relationships
Upright in love
In love, the card can bring back an old flame, a childhood sweetheart or a relationship with tender, innocent energy.
Reversed in love
Reversed in love, it suggests letting go of an ex or unrealistic memories of past relationships.
Six of Cups as feelings
As feelings, the Six of Cups means someone feels nostalgic, tender or comfortable with you.
Career and work
At work, it can show returning to an old job, working with children or drawing on past experience.
Money and finances
With money, it can indicate gifts, inheritance or help from family.
Is Six of Cups a yes or no card?
Yes
The Six of Cups is a yes.
Want to ask your own question? Try our yes or no tarot, which uses the same yes, no and maybe values shown on this page.
Number, element and astrology
The Six of Cups belongs to the suit of Cups (also called Chalices or Hearts in playing-card terms), the water suit that deals with emotions, love, relationships, intuition and creativity. In tarot numerology, 6 is the number of harmony, restoration and exchange. The Golden Dawn assigned this card to Sun in Scorpio and gave it the title Lord of Pleasure.
Six restores harmony, and in Cups harmony returns through memory, kindness and innocence. The Sun in Scorpio shines light into the deep past. The Golden Dawn named it Pleasure: the simple, uncomplicated happiness we associate with childhood.
Advice from Six of Cups
Reconnect with what made you happy as a child. It may point you toward what you need now.
Example reading
Illustrative example
Someone who gave up music as a teenager draws the Six of Cups for 'What would bring me joy?'. The answer is almost literal: pick up the instrument again.
This example is written by our editors to show how the card is read in context. It is not a real client's reading. See our tarot spreads for how positions change a card's meaning.
Related cards
Dream symbols linked to this card
Deceased loved ones, Ex-partner. Our dream dictionary explains how the same symbolism appears in dreams.
Ask the cards about your situation
Draw three cards for your own question. Every card in your result links back to its meaning here.
Free tarot readingCard of the dayFrequently asked questions
What does Six of Cups mean in tarot?
Upright, Six of Cups means nostalgia, memories, innocence, reunion. The Six of Cups is nostalgia, childhood memories and innocence.
What does Six of Cups reversed mean?
Reversed, the Six of Cups shows being stuck in the past or idealising memories. It can also show moving forward and leaving old patterns behind.
What does Six of Cups mean in love?
In love, the card can bring back an old flame, a childhood sweetheart or a relationship with tender, innocent energy. Reversed in love, it suggests letting go of an ex or unrealistic memories of past relationships.
Is Six of Cups a yes or no card?
The Six of Cups is a yes.
Does the Six of Cups mean an ex is coming back?
It can indicate the return of someone from the past, including an ex.