MINOR ARCANA

Eight of Cups Tarot Meanings

We’ve overcome the confusion and disorganisation of the Seven of Cups and have come out with clarity and purpose in the Eight of Cups. We are taking steps to create a strong emotional foundation, that will support us on the journey ahead.

We’ve seen what’s been holding us back and what has been throwing us off course and we can finally walk away from it. The Eight of Cups is all about having the courage and the strength to do what is best for you. Put yourself first and take action to persevere your emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Eight of Cups Upright Meanings

In the upright position, the Eight of Cups is all about putting ourselves first and doing what is best for our emotional and spiritual health. Some of the key meanings of the Eight of Cups are:

Moving on
Self-preservation
Realisations
Start afresh
Retreat

You’ll notice that we have ‘retreat’ again, just like we did back in the Six of Cups. The Eight is a more mature version of retreat. Where in the Six of Cups we retreated in order to heal and to be comforted, in the Eight of Cups we retreat because we’ve learned what we no longer need. We’ve not necessarily been hurt by these things although that is a possibility, more importantly, we’ve had the time and space to see things more clearly and recognise things for how they truly are.

Eight of Cups Reversed Meanings

In the reversed position, the Eight of Cups uncovers all the negativities that can arise when we finally decide to walk away from something, or finally make the decision to do what is best for us no matter what the consequences. Some of the main reversed meanings of the Eight of Cups are:

Drifting
Abandonment
Fear
Lack mindset
Low self-esteem

The Eight of Cups reversed can unleash some subconscious fears on our conscious mind. Because we’ve cleared out some deep emotional stuff, it’s allowed more room for some things we may have been repressing to move forwards. It’s important to know that these things are just a fight or flight response and with some grounding, they can be overcome.

Reading Eight of Cups in a Tarot Spread

The Eight of Cups can be a very freeing card, but it can also be a scary one to tackle. It leaves us more open and vulnerable, especially to feelings or emotions that we may not have fully explored in the past. The thing to remember when we are faced with the Eight of Cups in a spread is that it has appeared to support us in our decisions, to show us that we are heading in the right direction. It’ validates our feelings and tells us that it’s ok to be selfish if we are doing so in aid of self-preservation.

Eight of Cups as An Invitation

The Eight of Cups invites us to see what is no longer serving us. What we are holding onto that is not in our best interests. It is an invitation to finally spend some time looking after number one.

For Eight of Cups, this invitation could be the following:

An invitation to walk away from toxic or negative behaviours, either in yourself or in others
An invitation to look at what you may be holding onto that you should be letting go of
An invitation to dive into the unknown with reckless curiosity
An invitation to assess feelings of abandonment or separation

Eight of Cups as Sage Advice

As an advice card, the Eight of Cups shows up to advise us on how to put ourselves first. For a lot of people, putting their needs before the needs of others is second nature and although compassion for others is a virtue, it can often be taken advantage of. We have to know when to set boundaries and when to enforce them.

Some advice Eight of Cups may offer is:

Set clear boundaries with others and implement them when you feel it’s necessary
We have to clear out the old in order to make way for the new
Independence doesn’t have to mean loneliness, you can form a unique identity and still have a connection with those closest to you

Eight of Cups as a Lesson

As a lesson card, the Eight of Cups shows up to teach us about self-preservation and self-awareness. It’s an energy that we have to adopt in order to learn where we stand in the world, what our values are and what we really want out of life.

Some lessons that Eight of Cups may offer you are:

A lesson in choosing to follow our deepest desires
A lesson in knowing when it’s time to move on
A lesson in creating space to think and see things more clearly
A lesson in dealing with low self-esteem and how to build it back up again

Eight of Cups as a Redirection

The Eight of Cups may come up to redirect us away from things that are no longer serving us. Often, even negative beliefs and behaviours are woven tightly into the safety net of our comfort zones. Although something isn’t benefiting us, we can sometimes stick with it because it feels familiar.

As a redirection, Eight of Cups could symbolise a need to:

Recognise that you have outgrown the current place you are in
Retreat from the things that are causing you sadness or pain
Feel the fear and do it anyway
Switch your focus to an abundance mindset and follow where it leads you

Cups

The cups are the suit that watches over our emotional and intuitive self. It directs our attention to our well-being, asking us to spend some time opening up and reflecting on how the inner world feels.

It doesn’t require much action at this stage, like the swords, the cups are a fairly passive energy. It is more about understanding and being open to what is, than trying to make change or put plans into action.

Water

The cups correspond to the element of water, it adopts the same properties that water offers such as the ability to go with the flow.

When we apply the properties of water to the suit of cups, we get a nourishing suit that can both soothe but also drown us. You may have heard the term ‘drowning in emotion’ and the cups can represent that feeling.

Eights

The number eight is a number of long-term stability and frameworks. They help us to build a structure within the suits so that we have more longevity.

With the Eight of Cups, we are looking at frameworks and structures within that emotional and intuitive world. We may have to let go of the bad to welcome more good or say goodbye to old structures that we’ve been clinging on to for too long.