Two (II) of Cups –

All Loved Up, Attraction, Partnerships

Keywords

Offer of Relationship, Happy Couple, Only Eyes for Each Other, Relationship Success,  Happy Partnership/Friendship, Equality, Harmony, Balance, Attraction, Connection, Union, Re-Union,  Engagement, Marriage,  Blessings, Truce, Emotional Decisions, Relationship Decisions,

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A man and a woman stand facing each other.  Each hold a Large Gold Cup.  They appear to be raising their Cup to each other as  a toast.  The couple gaze intensely at each other.  The man slowly extends his other hand to make gentle contact with the woman.  Notice how their Cups are held at equal height.  This symbolises the equality within the relationship. Neither domination nor submission can exist within this relationship as the Cups remind us of the deep respect they have for each other and the value they place on the importance of each other’s role.

Above their head we see a winged lion also known as The Caduceus or Rod of Hermes (Winged God) which symbolises peace, harmony, balance, duality and health.  Its intertwined snakes unite the lovely couple. This relationship has been given the blessings of the Gods.  The man and woman have been brought or drawn together by Higher Powers so the relationship they form is very special indeed.

The woman’s white dress symbolises her purity and innocence while the over garment of blue represents her spirituality and understanding.  The man is attired in more colourful clothes.  Both wear wreaths around their head suggesting success and victory.  The Cups have indeed started off well.  They have sought union of heart, mind and soul with another and judging by this card they appear to have struck gold.

The Two of Cups almost shares equal importance with The Lovers of The Major Arcana because it is such a strong and positive card for relationships and matters of the heart.

The couple depicted in The Two of Cups are the archetypal happy couple who appear to have it all.  Lovey-dovey and romance oozing from their pores, deep love, engagement and marriage are strong possibilities when this card appears in a relationship spread.  If the querant is searching for a  partner, then it looks quite likely that their may be a very special relationship on the horizon.  The couple in The Two of Cups appear to be magnetically  drawn to each other and seem oblivious to anyone else.  They are totally wrapped up and immersed in each other.  This card examines the nature of our relationships and the personalities we are drawn to.

The Two of Cups is also associated with decisions about relationships. The decision is generally not about deciding between two different relationships but rather about making a deeper commitment to an existing one.  This could be the decision to get engaged, married or start a family.

In the background we see the couple’s idyllic love nest sitting prettily on a hill. It nestles snugly and securely surrounded by lush trees and gentle rolling hills.  This couple has created their own little world and by the looks of them can live happily there without any contact from the outside world. They totally fulfill each others needs and the relationship can be quite insular.  They need nor want for anything as love sustains them throughout all.  As a couple, they are self-sufficient.

Please take note of the ground that the man and woman stand on.  It is flat, plain and does not appear to fit in with the background scenery.  The Two of Cups is one of many cards in The Tarot that are referred to as ‘Stage Cards’.  If you look closely, the couple look like they might be standing on a stage with the house on the hills in the background merely a backdrop from the props department.  What does all this mean?

Could it be that the idyllic life the couple appear to live, may not be so in reality?  Is it all a facade for other people’s benefit or is it simply that this loved up couple, in the early stages of their relationship, can only but dream about the future they desire together and so only exists in their imagination?  When Stage Cards appear it is wise to check all surrounding cards.  If the Stage Card seems out of context or totally out-of-place then the story being depicted by the card may all be ‘a bit of an act’ and one would want to dig deeper to find the truth.  Enough on Stage Cards for the moment but I do want you to be on the look out for then from now on.

The Two of Cups can sometimes deal with the polarity its number Two creates.  It can be a card for finding balance or simply joining the feminine and masculine aspects of oneself to create a more integrated whole.  It can be the unifying force that brings warring parties together as it joins and heals deep emotional wounds.

Two (II) of Cups –

Keywords

Offer of Relationship, Happy Couple, Only Eyes for Each Other, Relationship Success,  Happy Partnership/Friendship, Equality, Harmony, Balance, Attraction, Connection, Union, Re-Union,  Engagement, Marriage,  Blessings, Truce, Emotional Decisions, Relationship Decisions,

Meaning

The Two of Cups is a very positive card and is always welcomed in a relationship spread.  This card has many interpretations but its overriding one is to do with love, matters of the heart and relationships.   When it appears in a spread it generally represents a deep loving relationship or the offer of a relationship. It is a very exciting and reassuring card and reminds us that we can love and be loved.  Love is all and love makes the world go around. It can represent that heady stage at the onset of a relationship when we get so caught up in love and our other half that nothing else is important. Our world revolves around each other and we think of nothing else but each other.  We also believe that it will always be this way.

The Two of Cups can also suggest that you may have reached that stage in a relationship where you must decide to commit long-term or get married.  Rarely it suggests having to make a decision between two relationships.  However, if The Lovers of the Major Arcana is also around with a couple of opposing Court Cards then this may be what is happening.  It suggest it is time to decide, but which one do you take?  You must exam your needs and what it is that draws you to both partners.  Which one has the potential to fulfill your requirements and long-term needs?

The Two of Cups also deals with the bonds that are formed between friends and the couple in this card may represent a deep and meaningful friendship or working relationship.

The Two of Cups strongly favours an engagement or marriage.  A proposal may indeed be on the cards as we see the man reach out to the woman.  The type of relationship depicted in The Two of Cups is often the envy of others. Friends may outwardly appear happy for you but can be found  interfering in order to break it up if they feel they have been abandoned in favour of it.

There is a strong spiritual connection between the couple in  The Two of Cups.   Looking at them we can’t help but feel that they may have found their soul mate in each other.  The couple hold their Cups at equal height symbolising equality and acceptance within the relationship. The maturity that exists between this couple allows both partners to maintain their own independence, friends, hobbies etc outside the relationship without jealousy or possessiveness setting in.

The Two of Cups can also speak of attraction.  Is there someone you are attracted to but feel too vulnerable and unsure of their feelings to make a move?  Maybe it is the other way around.  There may be someone in the background that is attracted to you but has not yet declared them self.  Take a look around you and see who it might be.

On the other hand The Two of Cups turning up in a reading that is heavily laced with work related cards can suggest that need to make some time to bring a bit of romance into your life or be more romantic with your partner.  If separation has been involved or arguments and tension causing problems in a relationship, then The Two Of Cups can sometimes indicate a truce being called and healing setting in.  The hand of peace or forgiveness may be offered.  Balance and harmony can return.  Love may be renewed or there could be the possibility of a reunion between a separated couple.   Maybe it is time to kiss and make up.

Remembering the effect of The Stage Card, maybe the romantic image the cards depicts looks too good to be true.  Could you be guilty of idealising love. The partner you seek might be based more on fantasy than reality.

Career related, you may work with couples as a marriage guidance counsellor or mediator.  You may decide to join forces with another to form a Partnership.  This Business Partnership will be immensely fulfilling and will be based on equality and respect.  You may also have the natural gift of bringing people together to work more effectively and efficiently where everyone contributes and the working environment is peaceful and harmonious. Maybe as a couple you are deciding to start that business you have always dreamed of.

 Reversed

Keywords

Disharmony, Inequality, Imbalance, Love gone Sour, Unhappy Couple, Hot & Cold, Separation, Divorce, Domination, Submission, Not Suited, Incompatible

When the Two of Cups reverses it changes the whole dynamics of the happy couple in the upright.  The balance and togetherness disappear or break down.  The Cups either fall or spill their contents.  You no longer have what you thought you had in the Upright.  The Two of Cups in reverse brings to the forefront the effects of the number Two in its negative aspect.  In the Upright Two we had balance and at the bringing together of two separates to make a whole (attraction).  Now we have the two separates repelling or repulsing each other.  The gulf between them widens.   The whole can now be ripped apart; breaking up relationships, friendships and happy families.  Balance is lost and so too is equality.  The Feminine/Masculine aspects split from the lovely integrated version of the Upright.  Instead domination and submission flourish.  One is too active and aggressive while the other is too passive and submissive.   The Two of Cups reversed is a card of extremes.  High moods and joviality one day and then depression and apathy another.  It is a card of negative opposites.  It can represent a time in our lives when we are at odds with ourself, feel unbalanced and are unsure of what it is we want.

In a relationship spread this card reversed spells trouble.  It may herald the end of a relationship or marriage.  An engagement may be broken. You may have realised that you were not suited to each other once the initial heady romantic stage had worn off.  You need to identify your needs in a relationship and also question what it is that draws you to another.  The answers you come up with may not be compatible.  You may be excellent at beginning relationships but not so when it comes to maintaining them.  The presence of the Reversed Two of Cups can also suggest that you are attracted to someone other than your partner.  It may be true the other way around too with your partner being drawn to another.  Check the other cards in the spread for any further signs of this as there may be a third-party in the relationship.

The Two of Cups reversed can also suggest a falling out between close friends or a friendship that is very one-sided.

The Two of Cups reversed can bring considerable turmoil in its wake with a couple madly in love one day and arguing and fighting the next.  Great inequality in the relationship can cause significant problems.  It is usually a situation where one dominates the other. If this is agreeable and the parties involved comfortable with the arrangement then all is fine, but bullying could be at play here.  In its extreme negative aspect, The Two of Cups Reversed can suggest abuse or control within a relationship or having to live with a partner who has an alcohol or drug addiction.

With extremes being at play in the Reversed Two of Cups, we might find a couple who are totally co-dependent.  As a couple you may need to  develop certain areas of your life that are separate from each other, such as separate hobbies, separate friends, activities etc.  There should be a You, Me and an Us in all relationships.   On the other hand the card could be highlighting a couple who need to spend more time together.  The Reversed Two may act as a red flag in your relationship if you are not giving adequate attention to your partner, not making romantic gestures or taking him or her for granted.  It calls on you to remember how things were when you first met.  It asks you to go back to the Upright Ace of Cups and tap into the power of its energy so that you can re-ignite and re-awaken the relationship for all may not be lost.

The Two of Cups Reversed can find you guilty of sitting on the fence when it comes to acting on an attraction you have for someone or letting the person who is attracted to you know that you are keen.   Whoever it is may get bored waiting. They may not hang around for ever or worse still, might get snapped up by someone else.

When it comes to careers, this card speaks for itself really. Here we see inequality and possible bullying in the workplace or business partnership.  One person seeks to control and dominate the other.  They may force their methods and ideas on all and demand total compliance.  The Two of Cups Reversed can highlight the age-old problem of  equal job status or partnership but one has a larger salary than the other.  Sexual discrimination may be a reality in the workplace leading to discontent and unhappiness.  It may also suggest a job that started off very promising but has now turned sour.  What was offered may not be what has been delivered.  This is bound to make you feel unhappy and resentful.

The Reversed Two of Cups tears the union and cooperation of the Upright apart and so we will find a workplace where there is little teamwork or friendship.  Be careful of mixing business with pleasure when this Two of Cups Reverses.  Altogether, the Reversed Two of Cups will bring disharmony and tension into the workplace.

*When we next visit the Cups in Card (III) we will see if the couple are still all ‘Loved Up’ .  Will they have some happy news to share with everyone or will it be tears and heartache all round? 

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Ace of Cups     2 of Cups   3 of Cups   4 of Cups    5 of Cups     6 of Cups    7 of Cups  8 of Cups  9 of Cups  10 of Cups

Aces Intro    Twos Intro   Threes Intro     Fours Intro  Fives Intro  Sixes Intro  Sevens Intro Eights Into  Nines Intro Tens Intro

Back to Lesson 5

The 78 Cards – Detailed Study Version (Card Description, Keywords, Upright & Reversed Meanings)

The 78 Cards – Shortened Version (Keywords, Upright & Reversed Meanings)

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