For You to See Life - 4u2c.life

The card of the Five of Cups portrays the aftermath of Psyche’s betrayal of Eros. Her sisters have stirred her fears to such an extent that she has broken her promise to her husband and lit a lamp to see his sleeping face. Here we see Psyche standing distraught before the empty nuptial couch, the lamp in one hand, the other hand reaching in desperation toward the departing figure of Eros which can be glimpsed disappearing behind the marble columns of their beautiful palace. In the foreground, four cups lie overturned, their contents spilled over the floor. A fifth cup remains standing, still intact, beside them.

Minor Arcana ~ The Five of Cups

The Five of Cups represents that testing time in a relationship when one experiences regret over past actions. This card poses the difficult problem of betrayal, which, as part of the Suit of Cups, is presented as a necessary and potentially creative experience. Although it is painful, betrayal breaks the magical blind cocoon of being ‘in love’ and totally merged with another, for to betray can sometimes mean being oneself. Psyche’s betrayal is not done out of thoughtlessness or greed; it springs from her urge to know her partner, and the god is in some ways wrong to deny her this knowledge. Thus it is an honest act, provoking inevitable conflict which nevertheless is necessary because any other action would constitute a self-betrayal.

Betrayal of another’s unreasonable demand or expectation is a difficult but frequent aspect of the deepening of relationship. The lover, husband or wife who says, ‘Do not seek to really know me, but remain in love with the image I want you to have’, will invoke betrayal, and the betrayer, like Psyche, must often suffer the consequences. But the presence of one intact cup in the image tells us that all is not lost, something remains to build upon. Psyche now knows who her husband is, and she knows that she loves him, not her fantasy ot him.

Without this rite of passage she would have been stuck in the anxiety and resentment of the Four of Cups. Now she suffers regret but there is something remaining to work with.

On a divinatory level, the Five of Cups implies regret over past actions. Something has gone wrong, a betrayal has occurred and there is sadness and remorse. Separation in a relationship can ocair But this card does not augur a final ending. Something remains which can be worked on, and it is up to the individual to take up the challenge and make the commitment to the future.

I will explain in my readings what each card means, this is a general interpritation taken from the Mythic Tarot Deck

Information Source: Mythic Tarot Deck
[published in 1986 by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene and Illustrated by Tricia Newell (not the New Mythic Tarot)]