Three of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

emotional expression

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Tarot Alley uses the Rider Waite type of deck for our meanings, symbols, interpretations, etc.

When determining the Three of Cups tarot card meaning, you should consider that it’s a Cups card and a Three. The Suit of Cups represents emotions and relationships. Threes represent productivity and results.

In this way, we can determine that the Three of Cups represents emotional expression.

Take a look at the Rider-Waite Three of Cups displayed to the left (or above).

What is your first impression?

Who are these people? What are they doing? Why? How do they feel? Do you want to observe or get involved?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, just your interpretation.

Astrology: Mercury in Cancer
Element: Water
Numerology: 3 (productivity and results)

Common Symbols

• Dancing Women: to represent expressing emotions
• Upraised Cups: to represent a toast

Keywords & Concepts

The Three of Cups for Personal Growth

Affirmation: I allow my actions to reflect my true emotions.

Shared successes taste so much better than solo once. Search for opportunities to help others in their pursuits and goals.

Ask Yourself:

• What’s worth celebrating in your life?
• How can you demonstrate your feelings in appropriate ways?
• What can you do to show your partner how you really feel?
• What fruit is being produced by your own emotional involvement?
• At what point do you cross the line from having fun to having too much fun? How can you know when enough is enough?
• What deserves to be celebrated in your life? What form of recognition would be appropriate?
• How in touch with your emotions and instincts are you?

Interpreting the Three of Cups

Generally, the Three of Cups represents emotional expression. It’s time to express your feelings, especially the positive ones.

Go out and celebrate your joy through song, dance, physical affection, or whatever method makes you happy.

The Reversed Three of Cups

How you read reversals is a personal choice. You can ignore reversals and read them as if the card is upright (this is what I often choose to do) or you can interpret reversals as variations of what they would mean upright. There are 3 common ways to read reversals: as a negative interpretation, as an opposite interpretation, or as a block on the upright interpretation. Check out How to Read Reversals for more information.

Typically, a reversed Three of Cups represents unrealistic or unreasonable emotion. Examples include:

• Mistaking giddiness for affection
• Allowing manic emotions to dominate
• Expecting others to feel exactly as you do
• Demanding unreasonable support from others
• Excessive partying

Examples of the Three of Cups

Specific Interpretations

Specific situations are the general interpretation (from above) used for a specific situation (love, career, etc). There is no need to memorize these (or even look them up) if you understand the general interpretation. However, here are some basic interpretations for some specific situations:

the Three of Cups Tarot Card Meaning