The Six of Cups reversed can invite you to examine your relationship with the past: a memory you keep polishing, a familiar role you have outgrown or a new chapter you are beginning. It need not mean that something is wrong with you.
Upright, readers often explore kindness, childhood, gifts and familiar connections. Reversed, ask what you want to keep, what needs a fresh response and what can remain in the past.
- Upright themes
- Memory, kindness, giving and receiving, familiar bonds, simple pleasure.
- Reversed possibilities
- Idealizing the past, noticing an old pattern, outgrowing a role, renewal.
Six of Cups reversed: three directions to explore
A reversal is not automatically the opposite of the upright meaning. Decide how you use reversals before the reading, then let the question and position guide the interpretation. Our reversed tarot guide compares several approaches.
There is also a historical difference worth knowing. Waite’s published Six of Cups entry emphasizes renewal and what comes next when reversed. Modern readers also explore nostalgia that has become restrictive. These are different interpretive options, not a checklist of things that must be happening to you.
Nostalgia is crowding out the present
You may be comparing today with a carefully edited memory: the old relationship without its arguments, or the former job without its daily frustrations. The card can invite a fuller picture, not tell you that your memories are false.
Ask: What do I miss, and what was difficult or unavailable then?
If you miss an old friendship, you might be missing shared play or feeling understood. Look for a way to meet that need now; contacting that person is only one option.
A familiar role needs a fresh response
You might notice yourself taking the same role in different situations, such as always smoothing things over or waiting for someone else to decide. Use the card to examine a pattern you can actually observe, not to invent a childhood explanation.
Ask: What happened this week, and what response would fit the person I am now?
Instead of “This card proves my family caused this,” try “I said yes when I wanted more time. Next time I can ask to think before answering.”
You are making room for what comes next
Moving forward is another possible reversal reading. You can keep affection, skills or traditions from the past without continuing every old obligation. A transition can involve both relief and sadness.
Ask: What do I want to carry forward, and what am I ready to stop repeating?
Leaving home or changing a long-held role does not have to mean rejecting everyone connected with it. Consider one practical boundary or new routine.
The Rider-Waite-Smith image and its symbols
Pamela Colman Smith’s scene shows an exchange in an old garden or courtyard. Waite describes children with cups full of flowers. Other decks may use different art, so begin with the image and guidebook you actually have.
- Two small figures
- One offers a flower-filled cup to the other. Readers often explore giving, receiving, childhood or an earlier version of the self through this exchange. The picture does not identify a real person in your life.
- Six flower-filled cups
- Four stand in front, one is raised behind the larger figure and one is being offered. Their flowers can suggest tenderness, simple pleasure or a gift rather than a transaction.
- The old garden or courtyard
- The enclosed setting can bring home, familiarity or protection to mind. It can also prompt a question about what you have outgrown; that is an interpretation, not a fixed code.
- The figure in the background
- A figure carrying a spear walks away at the left. Some readers connect this with the adult world or responsibility; the image alone does not prove abandonment, safety or a past event.
Turning the card upside down changes its orientation, not the printed scene: no flowers actually fall out. You may use that idea as a metaphor, but do not confuse a metaphor with what the picture shows.
The card belongs to the Minor Arcana and the suit of Cups. In the Golden Dawn system, Cups correspond with Water and this six carries the Sun in Scorpio association and title Lord of Pleasure. The published Golden Dawn tarot descriptions set out that symbolic system; it does not identify someone’s birth sign or establish a date.
Six of Cups upright: bringing something worthwhile forward
Upright, the card can bring a familiar place, an old friendship, a small gift or a remembered pleasure into the reading. The useful question is not only “Who might return?” but “What do I value in that connection or experience?”
As advice, you might choose a small kindness, revisit a neglected interest or let yourself receive help. That does not require contacting someone from your past. A present-day act of generosity can fit the theme just as well.
In an outcome position, some readers explore reunion or renewed warmth. Keep it as a possibility rather than a promise. Nostalgia does not prove that a relationship was uncomplicated, and a painful childhood does not mean this card has nothing to offer you.
Love, relationships and the pull of an old story
Upright: explore familiarity, shared history or kindness between people. A connection may feel comforting, but the card does not tell you whether another person is sincere or what they privately feel.
Reversed: ask whether you are comparing a current relationship with an edited version of an earlier one, or expecting a familiar role to repeat. For someone single, the question might be whether an old expectation is limiting what you notice now. Let real behavior and communication test those ideas.
If an ex is on your mind, separate missing them from wanting the relationship back. What worked? What hurt? What has actually changed? The Six of Cups does not establish that they will return or that reconnecting would be right for you. Our love tarot guide offers questions that keep your choices in view.
You do not owe anyone renewed contact. If a relationship involves fear, threats or control, prioritize your safety rather than a card interpretation. In the U.S., the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788. Call 911 in immediate danger; elsewhere use local support and emergency services.
Career and money: familiar is not automatically better
Upright at work: consider an earlier skill, a mentor, a former field or work involving care, teaching or heritage. These are possible themes, not a list of jobs the card assigns you or evidence that an old employer will make an offer.
Reversed at work: examine whether loyalty to an old role is helping you or keeping you from considering alternatives. A family business or long-standing team may need a fresh conversation, not necessarily an exit. Check duties, support, pay and practical options before deciding.
For money, the card can prompt reflection on giving, family help or purchases tied to memory. You might ask whether you want the item itself or the feeling associated with it. Do not infer an inheritance, a gift or someone else’s intentions from the draw; check actual terms and seek qualified advice for significant financial decisions.
Four combinations, read as questions
These are examples of how two themes might interact, not claims that the cards appear together more often or always carry one message. The spread position and your situation still matter.
- Six of Cups + Ten of Pentacles
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Family history, traditions and what a household passes on.
Ask: Which tradition would I choose to continue, and which expectation needs discussion?
- Six of Cups + Eight of Cups
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Leaving something familiar while carrying the experience with you.
Ask: What am I moving toward, rather than only moving away from?
- Six of Cups + Five of Cups
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Remembering a loss while considering what remains.
Ask: What deserves grieving, and what support is still available now?
- Six of Cups + The Star
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Hope or renewal alongside memories of an earlier time.
Ask: What would a gentler relationship with this memory look like?
For a different kind of Cups emphasis, compare the Two of Cups and mutual connection with the Nine of Cups and personal satisfaction. They need not become interchangeable love messages.
A gentle three-position practice
You can place the Six of Cups beside the spread as a theme card, upright or reversed, and draw three additional cards. Or use these prompts as a journal exercise without drawing anything. Choose a neutral memory if that feels more comfortable.
- 1What I carry forward A quality, skill, connection or value from the past that I choose to keep.
- 2What I can release An expectation, comparison or obligation that no longer fits.
- 3What I can do now One present-day response that is within my control.
Here is an imagined journal entry, not a prediction:
- Memory
- I remember enjoying art at school, but I also worried about being judged.
- What I choose
- Keep curiosity; loosen the expectation that every attempt needs approval.
- Present action
- Spend twenty minutes drawing for myself, then note how the activity actually felt.
Keep what you remember separate from what you infer. A card cannot verify a forgotten event or tell you why someone behaved as they did. If reflection becomes distressing, you can stop, focus on the present or speak with someone you trust. The NIMH guide to caring for your mental health explains self-care and when to seek professional support.
If you are new to laying out a reading, start with our beginner’s tarot guide. You do not need a complicated spread to explore one useful question.
Frequently asked questions
1. What does the Six of Cups mean upright?
In many Rider-Waite-Smith readings it brings memory, childhood, kindness, gifts and familiar connections into focus. It can invite you to bring a valued part of the past into the present, without promising a reunion or assuming everyone had a happy childhood.
2. What does the Six of Cups reversed mean?
Common modern readings include idealizing the past, repeating an old role or moving beyond it. Waite’s published reversed entry emphasizes renewal and what comes next. Choose an interpretation that fits the question and position rather than treating every possibility as true at once.
3. Is the Six of Cups reversed a bad card?
No card needs to become a verdict. This reversal may invite an uncomfortable comparison or a welcome change, depending on the reading. It does not prove that you are immature, damaged or unable to move on.
4. What can the reversed Six of Cups mean in love?
It can prompt you to notice whether an old relationship or familiar expectation is shaping the present. Ask what is actually happening between the people involved. The card does not establish another person’s feelings, intentions or willingness to change.
5. Does the Six of Cups mean an ex will return?
Some readers associate it with reconnection, but the card does not establish that a specific person will contact you. Consider whether contact would be welcome and safe, what has changed and what boundaries you would want, rather than putting your life on hold.
6. What does the Six of Cups mean for career or money?
Upright, readers may explore earlier skills, mentors, familiar work or family support. Reversed, they may consider an outgrown role or spending tied to nostalgia. Check actual terms, costs and options before acting; the card does not promise an offer, gift or inheritance.
7. Is the Six of Cups a yes or no card?
Some systems lean toward yes for warmth or reconnection, while others do not assign fixed yes/no answers. A reversal may invite reconsideration rather than a simple no. Use your chosen method consistently and do not treat the result as a guaranteed outcome.
8. What does the Six of Cups suggest about someone’s feelings?
A reader might explore affection, familiarity or memories. Those are possible themes, not a report from another person’s mind. Communication and consistent behavior give you information that a card cannot establish.
9. Who are the figures on the Rider-Waite-Smith Six of Cups?
Waite describes children in an old garden with flower-filled cups. Readers often see an exchange between an older and younger child, then explore kindness or the past through it. Their exact identities and relationship are not supplied by the card.
10. Does the Six of Cups confirm pregnancy or fertility?
No. Children in the image may invite discussion of family, care or play, but they are not evidence of pregnancy or fertility. Use an appropriate test or healthcare professional for those questions.
11. Which astrological association belongs to the Six of Cups?
In the Golden Dawn correspondence system it is linked with the Sun in Scorpio and the title Lord of Pleasure. Cups are associated with Water in that tradition. These are symbolic correspondences, not facts about a person’s birth sign or a prediction date.
12. How is the Six of Cups different from the Ten of Cups?
The Six often emphasizes memory, giving and familiar bonds. The Ten often emphasizes shared happiness or an ideal of belonging. Neither card has to be locked to past versus future, and neither guarantees a particular family situation.
13. How does the Six of Cups differ from the Two or Nine of Cups?
The Two often centers on a mutual exchange or connection, the Six on memory and kindness, and the Nine on personal satisfaction. Use the question and position to decide which aspect matters rather than treating all Cups cards as the same love message.
14. What can I ask when the reversed card feels confusing?
Try one present-focused question: “What am I comparing today with?” or “What do I want to keep, change or release?” You can read the card upright for a moment to study the picture, then return to the reversal method you chose for the spread.
15. Can I work with this card if childhood memories are painful?
You do not have to revisit childhood or contact anyone from your past. Choose a neutral memory, focus on a present need or leave the reading. A tarot image cannot verify a forgotten event; seek appropriate support if the exercise becomes distressing.
You can honor the past without living there
The Six of Cups can hold affection, grief, gratitude and change in the same reading. You do not have to choose between pretending everything was good and throwing every memory away.
Ask what deserves a place in your present, then choose one kind, realistic response. The choice remains yours.