Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain/CC0)
TL;DR: Waite wrote in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the Two of Cups carries meanings of love, passion, friendship, sympathy, combination, harmony, and the relationship between the sexes. In current Tarot reading, upright it suggests harmonious connection, a balanced and mutually respectful relationship, while reversed it points to imbalance and unresolved misunderstanding. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: state clearly what you want and listen to what the other person wants instead of guessing each other's intentions.
What is the 2 of Cups card?
The 2 of Cups belongs to the Minor Arcana, the suit of Cups, number 2. In a 78-card deck, the Minor Arcana reflects specific vibrations, events and relationships in daily life, while the suit of Cups speaks of the inner world and emotions.
Four layers need to be clearly distinguished when reading this card: A. E. Waite's original wording in his 1911 book, how Tarot is read today, how Nhật Nguyệt understands it, and a suggestion for applying it today. These four layers do not replace one another.
What does the 2 of Cups image in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck depict?
The Rider-Waite-Smith artwork was printed in 1909, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, while the divinatory meanings were set out by A. E. Waite in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, published in 1911. Waite's divinatory meanings in the 1911 book are often different from modern meanings.
According to Waite's description in the 1911 book: a young man and a young woman are raising cups to each other, above the two cups is the Caduceus wand of the god Hermes, and between the two great wings of the wand is the head of a lion. Waite notes that this is a variation of a sign seen in several older examples of this card, and that there are some curious symbolical meanings attached to it, but he does not discuss them here.
Details such as the specific colours of the two figures' garments or the mountain behind them are not in Waite's description, so they should not be asserted with certainty as part of the official divinatory meaning.
What does Waite write about the Two of Cups?
Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), in the divinatory meanings section for the Two of Cups: Love, passion, friendship, affinity, union, concord, sympathy, the interrelation of the sexes, and, as a suggestion apart from all offices of divination, that desire which is not in Nature, but by which Nature is sanctified.
A close translation: Love, passion, friendship, affinity, union, concord, sympathy, the interrelation of the sexes; and, as a suggestion apart from all offices of divination, that desire which is not in Nature, but by which Nature is sanctified.
Waite lists these meanings for the card as a whole, and in the 1911 edition he does not set out a separate reversed meaning for the Two of Cups. So no specific reversed meaning should be attributed to Waite. The reversed meaning of this card belongs to how it is read today.
According to how Tarot is read today, what does the 2 of Cups mean?
According to how Tarot is read today, the 2 of Cups upright means a harmonious connection, a relationship that is balanced and mutually respectful. Reversed, this card is usually understood as imbalance in a relationship, misunderstandings not yet cleared. The keywords commonly used are connection, harmony, bonding.
This is the common meaning today and also the practical meaning used by the site's card draw; it is not Waite's divinatory meaning in the 1911 book. Modern authors may interpret it further, but if their books are not among the reference sources, that should be treated only as a reference reading, not the single standard.
According to Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does the 2 of Cups say?
According to Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the 2 of Cups is the card of meeting as equals. The two cups raised at the same time suggest a relationship in which both sides actively open their hearts, with neither standing above the other. In the context of a spread, this card often suggests affinity, a promise, or a connection that needs to be nourished by honest exchange.
Nhật Nguyệt does not see this card as a guarantee of a specific outcome. It points to the quality of the connection that is present or being invited, while the outcome depends on the querent's actual actions and the surrounding cards.
What is Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion for today?
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if today you are weighing a relationship or a collaboration, try saying clearly what you want and listening to what the other person wants, instead of guessing each other's minds. At work, this may be a good time to talk frankly with a partner or colleague about what both sides expect. In love, a sincere conversation may be more useful than a grand gesture. On finances and health, this card offers no prediction; every decision should still rest on real information and on professional advice when needed.
Quick reference table: Two of Cups upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck | Minor Arcana - Suit of Cups |
| Number | 2 |
| Main keywords | connection, harmony, bonding |
| Meaning upright | Harmonious connection, a relationship that is balanced and mutually respectful. |
| Meaning reversed | Imbalance in a relationship, misunderstandings not yet cleared. |
This table uses the modern meaning, not Waite's divinatory meaning in the 1911 book.
What should be kept in mind when reading the 2 of Cups in a spread?
When the 2 of Cups appears, it should be seen in relation to the surrounding cards and to the specific question. If the question is about love, this card is usually read as a sign of affinity or a connection taking shape. If the question is about work, it often suggests a collaboration or a two-way exchange. If the question is about the inner self, it may suggest the need to reconcile one's own reason and emotion.
It should not be asserted that the card can predict the future. The card is a tool for illuminating a situation and suggesting questions, not a verdict. These caveats should be kept in place when reading for others.
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Meanings of the Major/Minor Arcana
