The Cup suit in tarot is connected to water, Magdaleno explains, which is all about rebirth, emotion, and intuition. She notes that in the traditional Rider Waite Smith deck card, you can see the Queen sitting right on the edge of water, with one of her feet on the pebbles and one in the water, representing that she’s balanced in what she does. “She’s obviously very influenced by her emotions and intuition—but she’s grounded at the same time,” Magdaleno says. Notably, the Queen of Cups is also the only card with a cup that is closed. “In all the other suits and cups, the cups are open,” Magdaleno adds. “Hers has angels on it, suggesting she’s really in tune with her spirituality—but the lid means she keeps things more to herself, and those emotions she’s led by are pretty contained,” which helps her lead with a steady and grounded approach, she explains. And with the Queen of Cups representing your partner or love interest, “that’s a really good sign it’s going to be a nurturing and intuitive partner, someone who’s in tune with your wants and needs, and the relationship as a whole is very caring and loving,” she adds. Perhaps insecurities are coming up in the relationship, or you’re questioning the relationship in general but won’t listen to your gut. “It’s telling you that you probably already know the answer, you’re just not looking for it because you’re hoping something different is going to come up—but you really just need to listen to your intuition,” Magdaleno says. This card in reverse can also indicate you could be overly mothering a partner, she adds. But because the Queen of Cups is associated with emotion and intuition, pulling the card in a career reading could also mean that you should consider a more creative career. And again, because the court cards often represent people, the Queen of Cups in a career reading could also represent a mentor or coach, and this card could be encouraging you to take that person’s guidance. “It can also represent a career where you’re always taking care of others and it’s starting to burn you out and you feel like you have nothing left for yourself,” she adds. Similarly, when it comes to finances, you could be ignoring your intuition when it comes to money matters. You could also be financially supporting other people “and that’s leaving you with your cup kind of drained and not very abundant,” Magdaleno adds. As always with this card, the key here, she says, is to “be sure you’re listening to your intuition as you make decisions along the way.” While these emotions are challenging, the nice thing about tarot is it gives you a bit of a warning or signal so you can adjust accordingly and take the necessary steps to work through them.
