The Eight of Cups card is part of the Minor Arcana group, and like all cards in the tarot deck, the Eight of Cups will have a different reading as it appears in combination with other cards, and according to the querent’s question. But overall it’s a card that appears when your feelings of abandonment, whether it’s about people, goals or plans. However, let’s understand better about the Eight of Cups, below.
Visual description and symbology of the Eight of Cups
In the Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the Eight of Cups depicts a man walking away from eight cups that are on the ground behind him. Also, the cups are not positioned symmetrically, as if a cup is missing. Thus, we can have the symbolism of the Eight of Cups interpreted from the following aspects:
The man turning away from the glasses has turned his back on them, as if disappointed and lacking in emotional fullness;
The scenery at the bottom of the card has mountains and winding rivers, which represent the challenges that the man who moves away towards them will face;
There is a moon illuminating the card’s night sky, as a symbol of the desire to escape so as not to be noticed, under the moonlight and at night.
Eight of Cups Keywords
To better understand the interpretations related to the Eight of Cups card, let’s list the keywords related to it.
Keywords: abandonment, letting go, travelling, escapism, introspection, self discovery, loneliness.
Reversed keywords: stagnation, monotony, lack of self-awareness, lack of emotional maturity, false happiness.
Eight of Cups meaning
The Eight of Cups card represents abandonment, moving away from something or someone in order to evolve and grow in different aspects of life. It is a moment of transition where plans, situations, feelings, ideas, thoughts, everything that currently involves you must be put on the table and start to sift through each of these things, removing from your life what pulls you down, which causes delays or that does not bring any benefit to your path and only nourish yourself with people and situations that lift you up and help you move forward towards your dreams. Going through this phase is very important to recycle and free yourself from the disappointments, frustrations and stress that has been accumulating over the days.
You find yourself unhappy with your life, it could be in many areas or just one, whatever it is, it’s sucking all your vitality and sapping your mind of negative energy and you realize it. This is the first step in reversing the situation you are in. Being aware of what happens around you and harms you is exactly what will allow you to get rid of new disappointments and move on.
This card can also indicate a journey, so if you’re planning to explore new places or revisit old paths, know that this card guides you to do so. This is probably what you need to renew your air and mood.
The Eight of Cups appears in a tarot reading, it will be pointing out aspects relating to the querent’s current situation and their decisions about how to deal with it emotionally and practically.
So, let’s understand how the meanings of this card can be interpreted for the querent in each type of reading.
Love and relationship
If in a relationship, the Eight of Cups symbolizes disappointments, hurts, sadness, feelings of abandonment and negativity. On the one hand, you may be feeling that your relationship has reached a critical juncture and the end is very close, even if you don’t want to. Here, changes are about to occur and this finalization is very necessary so that you can smile and be happy again.
Living in a union where sadness has become a constant or the routine smothers the feelings they have for each other will only bring more tears for everyone involved. You have to learn to leave behind relationships that don’t bring good things to open the doors to new loves.
On the other hand, you may have a great fear of being abandoned, a result of old relationships, and this fear that you carry in your chest begins to negatively affect your relationship. If that’s the case, then you need to realize that what happened in the past doesn’t mean it will happen again in your future. Knowing how to separate this will help you to rescue the love and passion you feel for each other.
Eight of Cups has a meaning related to potential abandonment or the negative feelings of someone who has been abandoned before.
For those who are already in a relationship, it may indicate that their partner will leave the relationship. It can also be a wake-up call for you to leave a bad relationship behind, feeling like you have no option but to walk away.
However, it could also be the case that the querent has issues with abandonment due to events prior to that relationship, and is bringing these feelings into the current relationship in a negative way.
If you are single, you feel lonely and not in the mood to meet new people, go to social events and start any kind of new relationship. This could be a reflection of what you’ve experienced in your past relationships and you’ll need to get rid of these negative thoughts and feelings to give love a chance to come back into your life. Allow yourself to live, know, explore and love and be loved again.
Even though there are issues related to abandonment, either from previous relationships or by the family, which prevent the consultant from trusting in love.
Money and Career
The Eight of Hearts card is a card that symbolizes abandonment and leaving behind everything that is not good for you. With such a remarkable meaning, it shows a change of job, sector, business or career. You feel frustrated with different issues related to your work environment and the only plausible way out is to take action and provide new horizons and directions for yourself. It can be within the workplace itself or looking for a new job, it doesn’t matter, something must be done to get back the peace, quiet, satisfaction and positive results that you so desire.
If you are involved in any type of business or society, the search for new strategies, ideas, projects will make you completely change the focus of your attention, guiding you along new paths and opening up new opportunities. The Eight of Cups is a card that warns of the evils of being stagnant in something that no longer makes you happy. So don’t be afraid to change.
The Eight of Cups card is essentially a card related to changing aspects of the querent’s career. Thus, it indicates a possible abandonment of a job in which the consultant was no longer feeling well, or even leaving a business that was not bringing good results.
In the financial field, this card asks for increased attention to get out of situations that only bring harm and harm your financial health. If you feel that a certain person, business or investment is losing more than it is gaining, then it is time to leave and move away as soon as possible. Now, if you’re about to make a big decision, this card urges caution. Mature the idea, analyze all the options and be strategic and rational before deciding.
In general, the Eight of Cups will indicate a time to pay attention to your finances, and not be afraid to step out of situations where you feel your personal finances are being jeopardized. Therefore, the querent may walk away from businesses or people that he feels are harming his financial life.
Heath and Spirituality
The Eight of Cups card is a card that calls for attention to care for the mind and emotions. You are constantly looking at the negative side of things. Everything that goes wrong in your path is reason to disbelieve in a happy ending and these thoughts are starting to suck you down a precipice that is difficult to get out of. The darker this journey you take in your mind, the more you will feel its reflections in your physical body.
You need to start seeing the beautiful, good and wonderful things that life and the universe have to offer you. Even when a storm hits us, the sun always shines again and it is in these moments of light that we must supply ourselves with good and positive feelings. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek help from loved ones, support groups or specialist professionals. Talking about what brings you down is what will lighten your heart and allow you to smile without measure or pressure.
Eight of Cups signals to the seeker that he may be focusing too much on the negative aspects of his life. Thus, there will be a negative impact on your health as well. Therefore, you need to have a more positive focus and allow yourself to relax.
In the spiritual realm, this card shows the search for new horizons, currents, beliefs and paths. You feel ready to explore new truths and abandon everything you’ve believed in until now, or a good part of it. Listen to your heart and don’t be afraid to break new ground, only you are able to point out the best spiritual path to follow.
Eight of Cups signals that the querent may be on a journey of self-discovery and discovery. Thus, the querent may be open to letting go of old beliefs in search of their own spiritual path.
Eight of Cups Reversed
The Eight of Cups in the inverted position shows some fear and uncertainty in the face of choices and decisions that must be taken along the way. These uncertainties end up leaving you stagnant in the same place without knowing which direction to take or road to follow and much of it is due to the fear of making mistakes. This can be one of the many consequences of not having defined goals or not knowing exactly what you want for yourself, jumping from branch to branch without a certain destination. It’s no use putting all your energy into a single step if you don’t know where you want to go.
On the other hand, this fear can come rooted inside you because of everything you’ve managed to build so far. You’ve fought so hard, you’ve put each card in the right place and you can’t accept the possibility of seeing your castle crumble, so you prefer not to risk any kind of change so as not to lose the illusory comfort you’ve created for yourself. Life is cyclical and with it everything changes, you need to learn to let go in order to receive double in return.
But we know that the reading can vary according to the context in which the card is drawn, and it can have an opposite side, or inverted, in the reading of the same card. The reversed Eight of Cups can indicate a time when the querent ceases to take practical action and becomes stagnant.
So, the card warns you to stop fearing change, move forward and leave some situations and people behind. So, so that you understand better, let’s look at the meanings of the Eight of Cups reversed in each aspect.
Love and relationship
If you are in a relationship, the reversed Eight of Cups signals a relationship that has come to an end, but which continues to exist for undecipherable reasons. You can’t understand why you can’t walk away and leave this relationship behind. It could be fear, fear of being alone or something very strong that still connects you to this person you loved so much and, most likely, still harbors fraternal feelings. Regardless of the reason, you need to let her go. Putting an end to a beautiful and well-written sentence, as your relationship has been so far, is very difficult and painful, but extremely necessary for the paragraph of life to continue.
On the other hand, you may have serious doubts about the future of your relationship and whether or not you should end it. If there is that doubt, then it is best to calm the mind, stabilize the heart and clearly analyze what brought you to this point. Maybe it’s just a passing problem and talking honestly with your partner will help you face the turbulent moment you’re in. It depends on you wanting to stay together and make it work.
Reversed Eight of Cups may indicate that the querent is discontent and unhappy in their relationship, but cannot get out of it and leave the other person behind. And this may be out of fear of loneliness, pretending happiness to the outside world.
If you’re single, you’re passing up potential partners because you’re too attached to your past relationships. You need to realize that the past is something that must be left behind if you really want to build a future with someone else. Keeping reliving old stories will only serve to prevent you from discovering new worlds.
Furthermore, the reversed Eight of Cups can warn of a fear of commitment and emotional maturity, which causes problems within the relationship.
Reversed Eight of Cups may indicate that the querent is passing up potential partners by becoming too attached to past relationships. Also, the querent may be running away from a relationship as soon as it becomes more serious, for fear of commitment.
In that case, the Eight of Cups will point out a time to focus on resolving these internal issues, so that you can have a healthy relationship with more self-esteem and confidence.
Money and Career
In relation to work, the reversed Eight of Cups indicates that you feel stagnant in your professional life, with no expectations of growth. The problem is that, despite having this recognition on your part, you are unable to take the first step to change it. It’s as if the fear of everything going wrong froze you and prevented you from opening the doors to new opportunities. You can’t let all that insecurity stop you from changing the situation you’re in. It is not enough to recognize dissatisfaction, it is necessary to do something to change. Embrace the changes and leave this professional situation that makes you so unhappy.
Reversed Eight of Cups can indicate that the querent is feeling stagnant in his professional life, afraid of abandoning his current situation and of changes.
In the financial field, this card in the inverted position indicates a time when you need to take action in your financial life to feel more complete. Most likely, you’re afraid of losing everything you’ve achieved so far and therefore can’t see yourself taking a risk on something that doesn’t have safety stamped on its label. It turns out that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve everything you want. The key to success here is knowing how to balance security and risk. Taking risks is not synonymous with throwing everything that has been built to the wind, but reserving a part to increase this construction.
But the letter warns the consultant to embrace the possible opportunities for change, and abandon the current professional situation in which he is unhappy and stagnant.
Inverted Eight of Cups indicates a time when you need to take action in your financial life to feel more complete, even if you are afraid of losing your stability.
Health and Spirituality
The Eight of Cups in the inverted position warns of situations, addictions and attitudes to which one is trapped and which strongly harms one’s health. You need to review your habits as soon as possible, otherwise you will see your physical and mental health wither until you reach a serious illness that is difficult to treat. Exercise, eat properly, meditate and take care of your mind. Don’t leave it to take care of yourself when it’s too late.
In a reading on health issues, the reversed Eight of Cups can indicate that the querent is remaining trapped in a situation that is seriously damaging his health. Thus, it is necessary to analyze how to modify this context, make changes and prioritize the improvement of their health.
On a spiritual level, you feel stuck in old beliefs that no longer satisfy you. You have to free yourself from everything that binds you to it and take back the reins over your own choices. You, better than anyone, know the spiritual path that will most nourish you with good things. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
On issues of spirituality, the card will point to neglecting your spiritual development, or feeling trapped in beliefs that no longer serve you. Therefore, the querent needs to connect more to his spiritual self, and discover his true path in life, leaving behind what no longer serves him.
Eight of Cups Yes or No
When the Eight of Cups is present in a tarot reading that can result in simple Yes or No answers, the answer will be a “no”. Because this card brings a certain negativity and symbolizes choices and decisions that revolve around changes, saying no to certain people and situations.
Eight of Cups Combinations
This card in general brings an aspect of indecision in relation to life’s difficult choices, but according to the tarot card with whom it comes combined, it can bring a guiding element on which is the best path to take. So let’s get to know some combinations below.
Eight of Cups and the Fool
When these two cards appear combined in a tarot reading, they can indicate that the querent is ready to abandon a path and go in another direction that seems more beneficial. Thus, many people around will disapprove of this decision, viewing the querent as opportunistic or selfish.
Eight of Cups and Ace of Cups
This combination indicates that the querent is overcoming his lack of self-esteem and will move away from negative relationships to which he was trapped. The Ace of Cups indicates that there is now a greater understanding of your self-worth, and you need to find your own happiness, so that a new love interest may arise.
Eight of Cups and Five of Diamonds
This combination represents that the querent had to abandon certain things in his financial and professional life. The Five of Pentacles points out that you may have to sell your belongings, or that you have done so before.
Eight of Cups – Element, Astrology and other associations
Here are the main associations with the Eight of Cups.
- Water element
- Planet: Saturn
- Astrological Sign: Pisces
- Kabbalah: Hod – Splendor
- Important dates: Mid-winter
- Yes/No: No
Eight of Cups as Personality Types
The Eight of Cups indicates someone who does not follow a traditional lifestyle and is constantly looking for happiness away from the material world, deepening his journey through spiritual paths and listening to the voices that inhabit his heart. They are people who have evolved and changed a lot along the way and in such a way that they end up becoming unrecognizable to those close to them. Introverted, they are difficult to see at parties and social events, preferring to remain reserved for a few dates.
When in the inverted position, it indicates someone who is constantly putting themselves down, feeling worthless and hopeless. These are people who believe that life is against them and, with no hope of achieving happiness, end up submitting to the desires and whims of others. Fearful, they always choose the easiest path for fear of making mistakes or having to face major dilemmas.
People born under the influence of the Eight of Cups card are taken by a deep desire for escapism, around the search for happiness and success. In general, they can have a personality that is more introverted and focused on the spiritual side than the social one.
Eight of Cups as Feelings
Thus, in relation to feelings, people born under the Eight of Cups realize that their priorities may not be shared by other people. In general, they have deep feelings towards the spiritual side of life, and it can be challenging to get to know and develop some kind of relationship with these people, as they tend to be very self-contained.
General questions about the Eight of Cups tarot card
Now that you know a little more about the Eight of Cups, let’s see the main questions that are raised about this card.
What does the Eight of Cups card mean in tarot?
The Eight of Cups card means that the consultant is at a time when he needs to abandon some people or situations in his life. Thus, you need to take action to deal with the challenges of moving, just as you may need to deal with your own negative feelings about moving and leaving.
What does the reversed Eight of Cups card mean in tarot?
In inversion, the Eight of Cups means that the querent may be stuck in a negative situation for him. That is, he cannot abandon certain situations and people for fear of change, or even because he thinks he needs to appear happy to the outside world and remain attached to beliefs that no longer serve him.
How does he/she feel about me? Eight of Cups?
The Eight of Cups signals that there are some negative feelings, that there is a need to let go of certain feelings. At the same time, it could indicate that the person has chosen to take a different path regarding their feelings for you.
What does the Eight of Cups mean in the love tarot?
The Eight of Cups tarot card means that within a relationship there may be difficulties due to feelings of abandonment, or even because the current situation is unsustainable and very negative. It is necessary to work more on self-confidence and walk a different path in love.