Three of Cups
Three of Cups is one of the 56 minor arcana of the tarot, in the suit of Cups; in the Golden Dawn tradition it corresponds to Mercury in Cancer.
The Three of Cups is three friends raising their cups in a moonlit garden: shared joy, belonging and the people who carry us.
Symbols on the card
- Three raised chalices
- Joy multiplied by sharing.
- The garden
- A harvest of friendship.
- The circle of friends
- Mutual support with no hierarchy.
Number and suit
Threes are the first growth: two things meet and something new results. Cups are water: feelings, relationships, intuition and imagination.
Upright meaning
Celebrate with your people. Friendship and community lift you now.
Love Joyful times, meeting through friends.
Work Team success, collaboration, networking.
Inner life Let others celebrate you too.
Reversed meaning
Something is off in a social circle: gossip, exclusion or too much partying.
Love A third person complicating things.
Work Cliques or socialising instead of working.
Inner life Choose the company that leaves you lighter.
In a three-card spread
- Situation
- Friendship and shared joy.
- Challenge
- Social tension or excess.
- Advice
- Lean on your people and celebrate together.
Tarot and astrology
In the Golden Dawn system this card is the decan of Mercury in Cancer: the themes of Cancer, expressed the way Mercury acts. Cancer →Mercury →
Questions to sit with
- Who are the people I celebrate with?
- Who could I reach out to this week?
Through the suit
Tarot here is a mirror for reflection, not a prediction. The meanings follow the Waite-Smith tradition and the Golden Dawn attributions, in our own words.