The Queen of Cups rules the emotional realm. She is the woman whose throne is right on the ocean’s edge, and water is typically symbolic of the unconscious and feeling. Her position at the shore indicates that she lies between land and sea, the place where feeling and thought exist. She holds a cup that has handles shaped like an angel. This cup is closed, which is why the Queen of Cups symbolizes the thoughts that come with our unconscious mind. The queen sits alone, which allows her to think. The calmness of the water and the sky symbolizes the serene mind of the queen. Her feet are not touching the water, which stands for her looking at her thoughts and feelings from the outside.

Upright Meaning Guide
Queen of Cups Upright Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Mature emotional female, security, femininity, loving, warmth, sensitivity, kindness, happiness, intuition, romance, loyal, faithful, shy, easily wounded, pretty, beauty, daydreamer, psychic, empath, creatively artistic, inspirational, healer, listener, counselor, caring, supportive, good mother

General Meaning and Interpretation (Upright)

In a general context, the Queen of Cups Tarot card can generally signify a woman or women in your life who will be supportive and caring towards you. This Minor Arcana card is also a sign that you should be mindful of how you treat yourself and others or to treat people with compassion and sympathy. She can also indicate that you may be more sensitive than you let on to the outside world and that harsh actions or hurtful comments affect you more than you show to the outside world. This card can also indicate a tendency to daydream and a big imagination. As a person, the Queen of Cups represents a mature female or feminine person who is kind, caring and supportive. The Queen of Cups is a sentimental, sensitive soul and a good listener. She is empathetic to the feelings of others. As a mother, partner or friend, the Queen of Cups is affectionate, loving and warm. However, she can also be shy and have a tendency to daydream. She is creative, artistic and intuitive and she appreciates beauty. She may be a water sign such as Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces

Love & Relationships (Upright)

In a love Tarot reading, if you are in a relationship, the Queen of Cups can indicate a time of caring, fulfillment and emotional security in the relationship. This card can also indicate that you need to be open and honest about your feelings to get the best outcome for your relationship. If you are single, the Queen of Cups indicates that now is a great time to get out there and meet new people as a new romance could be coming your way! If representing a person, she indicates a female or feminine person who will be warm, loving, caring and affectionate. This person is a great listener and has compassion in abundance. The Queen of Cups can also come across as quiet or shy. She will be a loyal and faithful partner, make sure you treat her well!

Money & Career (Upright)

In a career context, the Queen of Cups can be an indication that you need to consider if your current career is fulfilling your emotional as well as material needs. This card can indicate that you would be suited to a career in a caring profession such as nursing, counseling or healing or a creative field such as art or fashion. It can also indicate that an emotionally mature female will offer you the support and guidance you need in your career. She can also be a reminder to focus on the emotional well-being of yourself and your work colleagues rather than just focusing on business. In a financial context, the Queen of Cups is a good omen as you should be experiencing financial security when she appears. However, this card tells you not to get caught up in making investments or complicated financial deals. Keep an eye on your finances but the other areas of your life should be taking precedence when she appears.

Health (Upright)

In a health context, the Queen of Cups can indicate caring or support being offered to you. This can in some cases be a sign that you will require support in order to deal with an injury or illness. However, it can also simply be an indication that you need to show more compassion to yourself and your body. Try not to treat yourself too harshly if you are struggling with an illness or injury, try to take good care of yourself and give yourself the time you need to heal. Alternately, it can indicate that you will be such a positive state of health that you are able to offer support, caring or healing to someone who needs it.

Spirituality (Upright)

In a spiritual context, the Queen of Cups signifies strong intuition or psychic abilities. If you are seeking to develop your psychic abilities this card is a great omen to get as she indicates a big increase in psychic powers. It can also indicate that an intuitive female will help you on your spiritual path.

Reversed Meaning Guide
Queen of Cups Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Emotional immaturity, insecurity, lack of trust, lacking direction, weak, giving too much, overly-sensitive, needy, shallow, frivolous, silly, self-centered, disorganized, depressed, sulky, smothering, bitter, vengeful, manipulative, spiteful, disloyal, unfaithful, blocked intuition, stifled creativity

General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)

In a general context, the Queen of Cups reversed Tarot card generally indicates emotional immaturity. She can also indicate that you may be feeling overly sensitive, insecure, depressed or sulky. This Minor Arcana card reversed warns you to avoid becoming bitter or vengeful if things do not go your way. You should always seek to rise above your challenges and not give way to spitefulness or jealousy. As a person, the Queen of Cups reversed can represent a female or feminine person who is weak, directionless or shallow. The Queen of Cups reversed represents a mature female or feminine person who can be overly sensitive, needy or clingy. She may lack empathy for others as she becomes caught up in being self-centered. As a mother, the Queen of Cups reversed can be disorganized, manipulative or smothering. As a friend or partner, she can be disloyal, shallow and unfaithful. She may be a water sign such as Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces.

Love & Relationships (Reversed)

In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship, the Queen of Cups reversed can be a warning not to let your insecurities or lack of trust affect your relationship. If you have been acting clingy or needy you need to get back control of your emotions before you push your partner away. Alternately, if you have been rushing around trying to keep your partner happy, you need to remember to look after your own needs first or you will burn out. Try to find the emotional balance and do not allow others to take advantage of your good nature. If you are single, the Queen of Cups reversed is not a great omen as you may not be in a good place emotionally right now and may attract people who will seek to take advantage of your vulnerability! Take some time out to deal with any issues and find your own inner balance before you date anyone. If representing a person, the Queen of Cups reversed can be emotionally unstable or immature, needy, moody or sulky. She is generally not a great person to be around as she can be self-centered, manipulative or shallow. She can also be disloyal, unfaithful, vengeful, bitter and spiteful!

Money & Career (Reversed)

In a career context, the Queen of Cups reversed can be an indication that you may be feeling overly emotional or sensitive to other people’s moods which could be causing you stress at work. It can also be an indication that you are giving too much of yourself to your work or becoming disorganized and not managing your time properly, leaving you exhausted or drained. Try to maintain a balance between your work and personal life. It can also signify a lack of focus or direction causing you to become restless. The Queen of Cups reversed can indicate that you may be feeling creatively stifled or experiencing creative or artistic blocks. In a financial context, the Queen of Cups reversed is not a great omen as it can indicate financial insecurity. Be cautious when investing and make sure you understand all the risks involved and can trust the people you are dealing with, do not leave yourself vulnerable to financial losses. This Minor Arcana card when reversed also warns against being shallow or silly with money.

Health (Reversed)

In a health context, the Queen of Cups reversed can indicate that you may be extending yourself too much to the detriment of your health. Try to take time out for yourself and find the balance you need. It can also indicate that you may be overly sensitive to harsh or toxic environments, people or situations which could manifest in physical symptoms. Take care of yourself first and foremost.

Spirituality (Reversed)

In a spiritual context, the Queen of Cups reversed can signify blocked intuition or psychic abilities not being used to their potential. If you are seeking to develop your psychic abilities this card tells you to slow down, your psychic abilities will develop in their own time. If you try to push too far too fast you could cause yourself frustration and inadvertently block your intuition. Alternately, it can indicate that you are ignoring your spiritual gifts as you are overly focused on superficial matters. It can also indicate that you may be lacking spiritual direction, look to emotionally mature females for guidance on this.

Reference:
Labyrinthos, 2019, 10/31/19, (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/queen-of-cups-meaning-tarot-card-meanings)
Lisa, 2019, 10/31/19, (https://www.thetarotguide.com/queen-of-cups)