Queen, Suit of CupsQueen of Cups tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedQueen of Cups in shortIn short
The Queen of Cups is a loving, intuitive heart. A crowned queen sits on a throne at the water's edge, eyes on the ornate gold cup in her hands. Waite says she sees visions in it, and she acts as well.
- Compassion
- Intuition
- Care
Piece oneThe shore
Her throne stands on a shore of sand and coloured pebbles, swirling water at its edge. Waite notes that water runs through all the Cups court cards. She sits where land meets sea, between feeling and the real world.
"...the Sign of the Cup naturally refers to water, which appears in all the court cards."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe shore puts her between two worlds. Her throne stands on dry land, with water running at her feet. Waite says she sees visions and also acts, and the shore fits both: one side in the sea of feeling, one on solid ground. The cherubs and the covered cup belong to the same in-between place.
Piece twoThe cherubs
Two small cherubs sit on top of her throne around a carved shell; a third is carved into its side. Waite's entry leaves them out. In our picture they turn her seat into a place of tenderness.
Why it is hereThe cherubs make her throne soft. A court card usually shows power, but her seat is carved with children and a shell, signs of care and of the sea. They sit above and beside her while she looks into the cup, so her vision comes with tenderness around it.
Piece threeThe queen
The queen wears a gold crown and lowers her eyes to her cup. Waite calls her beautiful, fair and dreamy. He adds she also acts, and her action feeds her dream.
"...she sees, but she also acts, and her activity feeds her dream."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe queen is the suit's feeling grown up. She looks into her cup with steady attention, crown on, and has no need to speak. Waite says she acts as well as sees, and what she does feeds what she dreams. The covered cup holds her vision, the throne her comfort, the shore her place between sea and land.
Piece fourThe covered cup
She holds a tall gold cup with a lid, a cross on top and two curved, wing-like handles. Waite says she is one who sees visions in a cup. Its contents stay hidden; only she looks.
"...as one who sees visions in a cup."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe covered cup is her private vision. Its lid keeps the contents hidden, so only she knows what she sees. The cross and the winged handles make it the most ornate cup in the suit. Her steady gaze, the quiet shore and the cherubs all frame this one closed object.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
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The shore
Deep blue water and bright orange pebbles. Small warm colours, like gifts the sea left behind. The Page of Cups stands on sand with the waves behind him. The King of Cups sits out on the waves themselves. The queen sits right at the waterline. In the Two of Swords a woman sits by the sea too, blindfolded, with her back to it.
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The cherubs
Cream cherubs on a rose-pink throne. Soft and warm, closer to a nursery than a court. The pink throne is the warmest large shape on the card, and it pushes back against the cold blue water. Her pale robe sits between the two, cool like the sea and soft like the throne. The shell above her head ties the carving to the shore.
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The queen
A gold crown on golden hair, matching her cup. She and her vision share one colour. The Queen of Pentacles sits the same way, eyes lowered to the thing in her hands, a gold coin in her lap. Both queens hold their treasure close and study it. One looks into feeling, the other into the earth.
Also in -
The covered cup
Deep gold on a pale sky. A heavy, rich cup under light, open air. The Ace of Cups carries a cross too, on the round Host the dove drops into an open cup. The ace pours its gift out to everyone in four streams. The queen's cup stays shut, its gift kept for whoever she chooses to tell.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
Queen of CupsUpright
The Queen of Cups is love with insight. Waite's words: a good, fair woman, honest and devoted, loving intelligence and the gift of vision, success, happiness, pleasure.
She feels deeply, reads what others feel, and turns it into care. Trust your intuition and act on it, gently.
Queen of CupsReversed
Reversed, Waite says the accounts vary: a good woman, or a distinguished one you can't trust, with words like vice and dishonour.
Feelings that flood good sense, kindness that turns to martyrdom, sympathy used to manipulate. Care for yourself as well as others.
Yes or noYes.
Yes, if your heart agrees. Trust your feelings; they point to a gentle yes.
Queen of Cups in your lifeIn your life
Love
Deep, caring love. A partner who listens and understands, or a time to open your heart.
Work
Work built on empathy: care, teaching, healing, art. Your read on people is right.
Money
Trust your instinct. Keep your generosity within limits.
Health
Rest, and look after your feelings as well as your body. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
Intuition, dreams, quiet meditation. Look into your own cup.
Advice
Trust what you feel, then act on it kindly.
As a person
Warm, intuitive, caring. Understands people without being told. Waite calls her a perfect spouse and a good mother.
Past, present, future
Past: a caring person or a deep feeling that shaped you. Present: trust your intuition. Future: love, understanding, emotional balance.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Suit
- Cups
- Element
- Water
- Golden Dawn
- Water of Water
- Court
- Queen
- Upright
- Fair woman
- Reversed
- Vice
QuestionsCommon questions
Yes. Love, intuition, care. Waite's meanings include success, happiness and pleasure.
Deep, tender love and understanding. A caring partner, or your own open heart.
Yes, if it feels right. Trust your gut.
Waite describes a good, fair, honest, devoted woman with loving intelligence and the gift of vision. Today: anyone warm and intuitive who senses what others feel and cares for them.
Our queen holds an ornate cup with a lid. Waite says she is one who sees visions in a cup. Her visions stay private; only she looks inside.
Waite shows a beautiful, dreamy queen who sees visions in a cup. He adds that she also acts, and her action feeds her dream.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Element, decan and sephira: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
All 14 Cups