Upright Keywords:
Dreams, Goals, Illusions, Wishful thinking, Lofty goals, Unrealistic goals, Choices, In action towards goals
Reversed Keywords:
Making a choice, Informed decision-making, Distracted, Confusion, End of confusion, Escapism
Overall, the Cups suit has to do with love, human relationships, and subconscious thought. They are also referred to as goblets, chalices, and cauldrons amongst other things. The name of the suit will depend on the Tarot deck you are working with and the vision of the artist who created it.
In regards to Cups, it’s important to remember that relationships come in all shapes and forms so these are not necessarily all romantic Tarot cards. The suit of Cups will apply to your relationship with yourself, your loved ones, and even your enemies. Pay attention to the cards around the Cup you pulled and remember what you asked the deck before jumping to romantic conclusions.
Each suit is associated with a different element. Cups are associated with the element of water, which is easy to remember because a cup contains liquid. Cups, therefore, correlate to the water signs of the zodiac or astrological calendar. Those three signs are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. If you pull this card in any tarot reading, you should stop and reflect if any water signs are involved in your question. The Seven of Cups specifically relates to Scorpio: the fixed or, in other words, most stubborn of the water signs. Scorpio stands in frozen water: immobile and resistant to change.
If you pull a Seven of Cups, consider if any Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio – especially Scorpio – is involved in your question or answer.
The Cups and water also both deal with the subconscious and delving into the unknown within yourself in order to confront the best and the worst of your inner workings.
The number Seven in Tarot is associated with challenges, as it is the number of The Chariot in the Major Arcana. Seven’s are funny because they are both calls to action but also waiting games. Where the Seven of Pentacles tells you to stay the path and tend your garden, it is both telling you to wait and keep working. All the Seven’s have this sort of dual-message, making them as challenging as the message they bring to you!
Upright Meaning
Pulling the Seven of Cups upright in any reading is holding up a mirror to your current goals and situation. This card is appearing to tell you that you need to not only choose your goal but choose a realistic goal and also start making physical actions to achieve that goal.
This card is a Cup and therefore deals closely with matters of the heart, but the Seven of Cups is all business. The Seven of Cups is telling you to get your head out of the clouds and get moving.
Upright the card is urging you to make a choice but not just any choice: you must make it with a clear mind. Use your intuition to make a realistic, achievable decision and then begin action towards that goal.
Reversed Meaning
The Seven of Cups reversed in any reading could mean a variety of things. It could mean that you have done what the upright version of the Seven of Cups demanded and made an informed decision. If so, good for you!
It could also mean that you’re living outside your means because of your unrealistic goals. It could be that you are confused about which dream to focus on and strangely enough it could also mean that you have finally overcome your confusion and chosen your dream.
How do you know what it means exactly? We will discuss the probable meaning in a few different Tarot spreads below. You should also take into strong consideration the cards that fall before and after the Seven of Cups to better interpret what it means.