Eight of Cups

Key meanings (Upright): Abandoning plans, leaving something behind, walking away, travelling, letting go, dissociating, escapism, reaching limits, introspection, self-analysis, withdrawal, looking deeper, disappointment, fatigue, lack of courage

Key meanings (Reversed): Stagnation, fear of moving on, not leaving, self-doubt, monotony, lack of self-awareness, faking happiness, staying in a toxic situation, doubting capabilities, fearing the inevitable, fear of the unknown, clinginess

Eight of Cups tarot card description

As we look closely at the image of the Eight of Cups, we notice a man walking with his back to us. The man is holding a staff in his hands and using the support of the staff as he walks ahead on a higher land just above the water. We also see eight cups neatly aligned and the man has his back to the cups. The staff that he is holding is a representation of the wisdom and maturity that he has gained throughout his struggles all this time, and as he is walking away from the cups tells us that he has had enough of the struggles and is tired of holding on and waiting for things to improve. As he walks away, he is letting go and moving on from something big and special that he had to let go of, because it was necessary for his growth.

The staff that he is holding is similar to the staff that sages or minks hold, giving us a glimpse of the man's intelligence and maturity. The staff in the form of his maturity is giving him the support that he needs during a time when has to be strong and not fall. There was a time when the cups gave him joy and purpose, but as time went on, the cups were becoming something unbearable and were not adding any value to his life. He is tired of them now and has set out to look for a better purpose that will give him meaning in life.

As we look carefully at the background of the Eight of Cups, we see that the place looks like a desert, barren and dry representing where the man is headed, it's not going to be an easy adventure where he will only have fun. The barren land hints at the struggles that the man is about to face in his new adventure and the road to purpose is just as difficult as it is fulfilling. Nothing comes easy, and since he has stepped out of his comfort zone to explore new things, the results are going to be fulfilling even if the journey is difficult and unknown.

Eight of Cups (Upright)

Upright Eight of Cups tarot card meaning

With the appearance of the Eight of Cups upright, it is an indication of a difficult situation in your life that is becoming too hard for you to handle and you are feeling the need to move away from that situation altogether. The situation could be a lot of things such as a job, a loving relationship, a living condition, a project, etc which were a source of great joy and happiness for you once, but now it has become bitter as time went on and except pain, it's not providing you anything. When you had started with it, it was something that consumed most of your thoughts and time and you were investing all your energy into it so that it resulted in something amazing.

You were excited about it very much, but even after all your efforts, all you are facing is disappointment. You were emotionally invested in this situation and gave your everything to make sure that it came out successfully, but all you met with is disappointment. As you struggle with it, you are also realising that there is nothing that you can do to save this situation. You have come to this realisation that this situation is not adding value to your life and the time to move on has come.

The Eight of Cups upright is hinting at your understanding that things are amiss right now and you can't seem to find what you were looking for in this situation. You are feeling as if whatever gave you the feeling of excitement and adventure is now all bland and stale and no matter how hard you try to find some excitement in it, it is just not fulfilling enough. You cannot connect to it on an emotional level. You know that the time has come when you have to leave this thing behind and even from the outside it may look like you have everything you ever wanted right now, but deep down you realise that it is not doing anything good for you and is holding you back or dragging you down.

Love and Relationship (Upright)

The Eight of Cups in the upright position appear when it is time to reevaluate your options and think about things that you love and care about. If you are in a relationship, the Eight of Cups ask you whether you are happy in the current relationship. Does the relationship provide you with the same happiness and fulfilment as it did before, during the early years? This card is hinting to you that you should not compromise your relationship just because it has been too long and you do not want to restart again with a new relationship. You should know that no matter what, avoiding right now will bring more pain later. Right now you should focus on the important things, which also include your relationship and your partner. This card tells you to ask yourself honestly if the current relationship is adding value to your life and giving you everything that you deserve.

Do you wake up every morning thanking God for your life and partner? Or, are you just submerging yourself in your work deep enough to leave no time for you to wonder or doubt your relationship. You have to think about how and where you see yourself in the future and whether you see your partner with you in it. If you feel like your partner is not treating you the way you want to be treated, you should reconsider your options. A relationship should be something that adds excitement to your life, something that will give you a sense of relief and the feeling of returning home. Your partner should be the one who is always looking out for you and inspires you to be better in life.

Finance (Upright)

There are times when we realise all that we fought for was just not the right thing for us. This is exactly what the Eight of Cups upright is trying to convey in a finance tarot reading. You probably have struggled a lot all through your life to become financially as well as socially successful, and now that you have a secured bank balance, you are also receiving the respect that you have always craved. But you are slowly realising that even with all this money and success, you are not satisfied or you are not feeling the fulfilment that you thought was obvious. Right now, you are feeling as if you are living the life of someone else and you are pretending in front of everyone that you are happy and satisfied.

The Eight of Cups upright have come up to make you realise that this is not the end, and your days of adventure and achieving are not over. Now that you have realised that the life you have spent all this energy to build is not the right one for you, you have the option to move one from it and go on an adventure to look for what's most suitable for you. Even if you feel like you have built this comfortable life for yourself in your current location, there is always the chance to start again with something that will give the feeling of satisfaction that you were not able to receive from your previous life.

Career (Upright)

Many things are indicated through the Eight of Cups upright when it relates to our career. This card in general suggests moving away and leaving behind, usually things that don't add value to your life or things that are not allowing you to grow. But in a career reading, the Eight of Cups can mean many things and does not strictly have to mean bad or negative things. Since it's indicating moving away or leaving, it could mean that you are moving to a different place, like going on a vacation or moving to a place that is different from the place that you are living currently. It could be a completely different state or even a country and it will be a very different experience than you have ever lived.

This card can also be an indication that you are currently in a working space that you feel is not suitable for you. It could be either that you are not receiving the amount of compensation that you deserve from how much work you are doing and you feel as if you are missing out on opportunities that you could have if you detach yourself from this job. There is also a feeling that the current job is holding you back and not letting you grow. The work environment is too stressful and does not leave any time for you to explore any other options. This card is indicating that you should take a considerable amount of break because it's getting too stressful and because of that you are not able to give your best performance.

Health (Upright)

The Eight of Cups upright is an indication of your environment and your way of thinking and its negative effects on your health. You are too focused on the negative aspects of your life, and worrying about things that are out of your hand. There are probably things that have been bothering you for a while and you feel as if you are not doing enough to make it better. This and many other things such as your family or friends make you stressed and worried. This situation has been going on for a while, and all this worrying is finally taking a toll on your health. Although there are things that are worrying you a lot, you have to realise that there are also positive things in your life that you are missing out on. Try shifting your mind from the negative things for now and focus more on the positive things in life, at least until your health is in a better place. Consider taking a holiday with your close ones as this will put your mental health in a better place.

Eight of Cups (Reversed)

Reversed Eight of Cups tarot card meaning

The Eight of Cups in reverse is an indication of you moving away from something, but you are still confused or contemplating whether you should leave or should you stay because right now a lot of things are at stake. Right now you are standing between the decision and thinking about whether you should leave or stay from a disappointing situation or try to salvage it one last time. You could very much try for the last time, but what’s stopping you in your tracks is the question of whether you will come out from this successfully or you will have to face another failure. You know that failing again will be devastating because this disappointment took a toll on you and you have lost trust in a lot of important things in your life.

Now is the time for you to connect with your intuition and check whether you should try to save the situation one last time or should you give up completely. Check the cards that are paired up with the Eight of Cups reversed. Here, if the hanged man or Four of Swords appear, which are more on the passive side, this can be taken as a sign that you wish to do it again. This card combination describes your desire to not give up yet. However, if the cards that have come up are more on the active side such as eight of wands or the chariot, you should take it as a sign to finally move on and that this situation is not worth your energy or time.

The Eight of Cups reversed gave you the advice that you should rely more on your heart when making decisions. Right now, whatever the consequences may be, be true to your heart because that is the only way for you to get out of the situation unscathed. Others may have opinions about what should be your actions and how you should treat your situation, but it should be you who decides in the end. You should be the judge of whether this situation is serving the way you want.

Love and Relationship (Reversed)

Just like the rest of things,.in the love reading as well, the Eight of Cups reversed is indicating that you are in a relationship right now which you feel like the right thing should be to end the relationship. This relationship has started to feel like a burden for you and no matter how hard you try to keep everything in the correct place, things are just not going right and this is becoming too hard for you to cope with. But matter how bad the situation is and you know the right course of action will be to leave it, there is something that is holding you back and not letting you end the relationship. This something is very important for both of you and even if you know that you will suffer more if you keep association with it, it is just not the time to end it.

This card is suggesting you look into your fear, evaluate everything related to it, and question whatever is holding you back. Ask yourself what you are fearing so much that even if you are suffering, you can't seem to let go. Question yourself whether this situation is worth all the pain. It is normal to fear the loss of everything that you have built, all the love and energy that you have put in for the relationship all this time, and think about how life will be after it is over. The loneliness you might feel after you are alone for a long time is normal to be feared. But you should keep this in mind while you are deciding that nothing is permanent and no matter how hard something seems right now, after a while, you will move on and life will get back to normal.

Finance (Reversed)

The Eight of Cups reversed points toward your insecurity or fear of not finding something worthy after you leave your current financial safety. Right now, you are in a financial place where it seems as if whatever you are earning is not equivalent to the amount of effort you are putting in. you are giving all your energy and time into this current job or earning source, but the return that you are receiving seems too less and it is not even close to being enough to afford your lifestyle. The best option now is to let this job go and look for something that will serve you equally, but this card is indicating that you are scared to let this job go because you are scared that you might not get something better than this and letting this current job go before you are secure enough with your finances will throw you into a deeper mess.

You are finding it difficult to leave this current financial security to look for a better option and that is something that has been holding you back and not allowing you to grow. One should indeed be secure enough before they start to look for something better and it’s valid to be scared of unknown things, but it is also true that some situations require bold actions and risks, because, without them, you just can't get out of it. This is exactly what you should consider during your current situation, and no matter how much you are scared about leaving your finances behind, right now is the time to leave them behind and look for a better option. That is the only way for you to grow out of your critical financial situation.

Career (Reversed)

Just like anything else in this reading, the Eight of Cups reversed hints at your fear of leaving a job or profession which is very unfulfilling because you are scared of not being able to find a better option. Right now you are struggling at your current job and your professional life is in a very bad place. The joy which you received when you first got this job or when your business first started to grow is nowhere in sight right now, and all your profession doing for you right now is making your life miserable. You are always busy, not receiving the equal amount of compensation that you are expecting even after putting all the effort and energy, your family has been left behind just so you can put all your time into your profession and everything is taking a toll on your mental and physical health.

But even after realising all these things, you are refusing to let this job go because you keep thinking about all the time and energy you have put into it to make it grow, and you feel that if you let this go now, everything that you have done till now will go to waste completely. And on top of that, you are doubting your capabilities to start something new again and grow from the ground. You are too scared of the unknown and starting again feels like a hassle for you. But you must know that as you choose not to look for something better, you are choosing a profession that is unfulfilling and underwhelming, something where you are not able to use your creativity to the fullest. Taking a leap of faith and risking right now will surely result in a more fulfilling life later and you have put trust in your skills and capabilities to grow from scratch.

Health (Reversed)

The Eight of Cups reversed in a health reading is indicating about the things that are putting your health at risk. This card is indicating that you are deliberately putting yourself in a situation from which you ought to remove yourself but you are not doing so because you're scared about things that are out of your control. But now that things are getting out of hand and it is putting your health at risk.

You should seriously reconsider your actions and decisions because if you let things be the way they are right now, you will suffer more later and there might come a time when you won't be able to repair the damages. The things that affect your health negatively should be completely removed from your life and only that will help your health. You have to know that you have the power to make changes for your health and that includes changes in diet, working out, reducing your work pressure, and giving yourself a considerable amount of break.

Eight of Cups: One Card Pull

One card pull is done when you want to have straight to the point and quick answers. It is for the time when you wish to know specific answers in the form of Yes or No. So, getting a one-card pull is always helpful if you are going through any challenging situation or are stuck in a dilemma. Post shuffling the card, you can choose one from the deck. Depending on your question, you shall get the answer to the question. The results for one card pull in the Eight of Cups card is:

Upright position: If you have pulled the Eight of Cups in the upright position, the answer is yes, but as you get what you want, you will realise that it is not something that you want.

Reversed position: If you have pulled the Eight of Cups in the reversed position, the answer is a no.

Eight of Cups for Timing

If the question is about when something you wish for will come to reality, and the Eight of Cups has been pulled out, this can indicate that whatever you are wishing for will come to you very slowly. But you have to keep patient because even if the speed at which you will get it is slow, it is a very assertive thing, and like the water element that this card represents, the growth will be like the flow of water.

If one is wondering about the exact timing of when they will receive it, they should expect the time to be during the summer or the month of the zodiac signs Aris, Sagittarius, or Leo.

If one wishes to count it by the months, they should consider the dates with the 8th, 17th, or 26th of each month. The important thing to keep in mind while waiting for the time is that whatever you are wishing for will come to you at a very slow pace, and it's taking the time to make itself a solid and steady thing and consider it a flow of blessing.