When you draw the Three of Cups, you will see three women lifting their cups up in the air in a celebration of some sort. Good times are in the air, for the three ladies have wreaths made of flowers in their hair. Wreaths are often associated with success and victory, so their happiness is well deserved. The ladies are also seen standing on top of a field of flowers and fruit, further adding to the joyful feelings in this card. There are feelings of beauty, growth, compassion, and happiness that the women share with each other.
An interesting note though, in the Rider-Waite the woman in the middle is turned away from the reader and her face hidden from view. However, the two other maidens are seen smiling.
Upright Meaning Guide
Three of Cups Upright Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Reunions, celebrations, parties, socializing, gatherings, indulgence, festivals, festivities, gatherings, happiness, wedding, engagement party, graduation, baby shower, happy times
General Meaning and Interpretation (Upright)
In a general context, the Three of Cups Tarot card is the Minor Arcana card of reunion or celebration. It can signify someone from your past coming back into your life. It can also signify parties, festivals, weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, and other similar celebrations. With this card appears in your Tarot reading you can look forward to a happy event in your life. It signifies a group of people coming together with open hearts and minds to celebrate important events. It is a very positive card that indicates happy times, uplifting and positive energy and good feelings.
Love & Relationships (Upright)
In a love Tarot spread, if you are single, the Three of Cups Tarot can indicate that someone from your past may reappear in your life in a romantic capacity. It can also indicate that you will have an abundance of potential suitors after a period of solitude or loneliness. If you are in a relationship, it can indicate that you may have a celebration to look forward to such as an engagement, wedding, baby shower etc. When this card appears you can look forward to happy times or events to celebrate in your relationship. It can also simply be an indication that you and your partner will find yourselves attending lots of weddings or engagements.
Money & Career (Upright)
In a career context, the Three of Cups can indicate that there will be a celebration in relation to your work or career. This may be in the form of graduating from a course, a successful launch event for a business, a celebration of the successful completion of a project or an office party. It can also indicate that there will be a good atmosphere in your workplace or that there will be a buzz about the projects you are involved in. Any teamwork you’re involved in will be going very well and everyone will be getting along nicely. This card can also signify that a promotion or job offer could be coming your way. In a financial context, the Three of Cups tells you that you may have an abundance of money coming in but you could find yourself spending a lot too with all these celebrations!
Health (Upright)
In a health context, the Three of Cups Tarot card indicates that you may have a lot of social events or celebrations coming up that could tempt you into overindulgence or excessive partying. Enjoy yourself but be mindful of the impact excessive indulgence could have on your health and try to moderate things.
Spirituality (Upright)
In a spiritual context, the Three of Cups can indicate that you may find yourself doing group work or interacting with others on a spiritual path in group scenarios that will boost your energy and teach you new ways of connecting to spirit. Embrace these new spiritual friends and accept the opportunities to learn.
Reversed Meaning Guide
Three of Cups Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Overindulgence, gossiping, bitchiness, lack of social life, lack of friends, canceled celebrations, broken engagements, canceled weddings, miscarriage, termination, cheating, affairs
General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)
In a general context, the Three of Cups Tarot card reversed can indicate celebrations being canceled. This may take the form of a canceled party, a canceled wedding or an engagement being broken off to name but a few. The Three of Cups reversed can signify that your social life may be non-existent at the moment or that you’ve grown apart from your friends. While the upright Three of Cups is all about people who are open and loving coming together in celebration, the reversed card can indicate backstabbing or bitchiness from those around you. It can indicate that the people who should be happy for you, or alternatively should be empathizing with you if an important event has fallen through, are being nasty or gossiping about you behind your back. People you thought were your friends may try to start rumors or sabotage you with gossip when this card appears. Be careful who you trust. The Three of Cups in a reversed position can also indicate a celebration being tainted in some way, you could find that a rowdy intoxicated guest ruins your party or someone gate-crashes or causes a scene. It can also simply be a sign of family and friends going their separate ways after coming together for a celebration. Look to the supporting cards for more information.
Love & Relationships (Reversed)
In a love Tarot spread, if you are single, the Three of Cups reversed can indicate a short term relationship that won’t last is coming your way. The relationship may be a joy, to begin with, but it will quickly fizzle out. It can also indicate a reunion with someone who you will soon realize was out of your life for a good reason! If you are in a relationship, the Three of Cups reversed is not a great omen generally as it can indicate canceled celebrations such as weddings or engagements. It can also signify someone trying to cause trouble in your relationship. This could be a third party trying to sabotage your relationship with gossip or rumors. However, it could also represent someone trying to seduce your partner behind your back while being nice to your face. Watch your back with this one! The Three of Cups reversed can be an indicator of a miscarriage or termination. Look to the supporting cards to confirm this. If you are not pregnant and not ready for a child, be warned and take proper precautions.
Money & Career (Reversed)
In a career context, the Three of Cups reversed may indicate that people in your workplace or team may give off the impression that they are team players but could be secretly trying sabotage or damage a project to make you look bad. It can also indicate that the gossip mill may be in overdrive in your workplace so try to focus on your work, remain professional and don’t give the gossips any ammunition. It can also indicate a launch being canceled or a promotional event not going to plan. Financially, the Three of Cups reversed can signify that the financial implications of a canceled event such as a wedding will cause you some stress. It can also signify that you may be overspending and overindulging, try to reign in your spending before you get yourself in over your head.
Health (Reversed)
In a health context, the Three of Cups reversed can be a strong indicator that you will be over-indulging or partying too much to the detriment of your health. The Three of Cups can be an indicator of a miscarriage or termination thus canceling a baby shower or the celebration of a birth. However, the supporting cards would need to confirm this.
Spirituality (Reversed)
In a spiritual context, if you have been doing spiritual work in a group or have the opportunity to, the Three of Cups reversed can indicate that there may be some in the group who do not have good intentions. Trust your instincts about people, if someone acts nice to your face but you have a bad feeling about them, go with your gut. Someone may be jealous of your powers. Be discerning of which practices you take on and only use what works for you and what you consider ethical. Don’t go against your own morals!
Reference:
Labyrinthos, 2019, 10/31/19, (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/three-of-cups-meaning-tarot-card-meanings)
Lisa, 2019, 10/31/19, (https://www.thetarotguide.com/three-of-cups)