Three of Cups
Three of Cups Tarot Card Meanings
UPRIGHT: Celebration, friendship, creativity, collaborations.
Upright Three Of Cups
The Three of Cups is a card of celebration, friendship, sisterhood, and creative collaborations. Your friends and family are here to support you and lift you up to even higher levels of success. Celebrate with them and enjoy their camaraderie.
This card reminds me of the wonderful connection shared by the four female characters in Sex and the City—Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda. They stand by each other through thick and thin, and they are always there for one another as they make their way through relationships, careers and different life journeys. Nearly every episode shows them enjoying each other’s company, often over a cosmopolitan at a swanky Manhattan restaurant. You get the feeling that these girls will be friends forever and know they can always count on each other for support and compassion.
When the Three of Cups appears in a Tarot reading, you are encouraged to gather with your closest friends and have a good time together, talking, laughing, sharing and creating. Together, you give and receive the love, support and compassion each of you needs from one another. You may be inspired to host a girls’ night out, a weekend away, or start a women’s circle so you can join forces with like-minded people. The energy is high, and you’re here to do amazing things together.
The Three of Cups often indicates a very sociable period – perhaps a birthday, a wedding, the holiday season or a vacation with friends. See it as your opportunity to let your hair down and forget about your day-to-day commitments and obligations for a while. Instead, spend quality time with friends and family and enjoy yourself!
This card also invites you to collaborate with others on a creative project and inspire one another to reach new heights. Collectively, you are working towards a common goal for the greater good of others, and by reaching out to others and banding together, you can achieve a great deal by sharing your positive energy and passion with the wider community. The Three of Cups is a very creative card, suggesting that you may pursue a creative outlet within a group environment, such as an art class or a dance class. This is a great way to connect with others and to access your creative abilities.
Upright Love Meaning:
Friendship turning to romance, social gatherings leading to romance
The 3 of Cups tarot love meaning signals celebrations, friendships, and gatherings. If you’re single, you may have luck finding love in your social life. A close friendship may also turn into romance. If you’re already in a relationship, social gatherings will bring the two of you closer together. When you go into the world together as a couple, it may make it easier to see just how well the two of you get along together. Being around friends and family can have a strong effect on the two of you, reminding you of why it is you two have chosen each other. Your love can feel deep and gratifying now.
Upright Career Meaning:
Planning a celebration at work, happy and joyous office environment
The three of cups signifies celebrations in all aspects of your life. If it appears to relate to your career, it may be that a number of work-related events are on the horizon. These parties will be joyous occasions. These can take many forms. You may be celebrating a graduation, a change in position or a promotion. If you are launching a business and planning a release, these events are likely to go particularly well. Outside of these engagements, your office environment can be very positive right now. You might find that group work and collaboration is easier now that it has been in the past. It is a good time to enjoy these celebrations and supportive relationships.
Upright Finances Meaning:
Spending on social life, financial stability, reaching financial milestone
If you find the three of cups in a financial tarot reading, it might signify that you may have a lot to celebrate financially. All of this can be very exciting, but it is important to not get too carried away. You may find that your social life is more important to you than ever during this time, and while you may be in the position to be generous, make sure that your good fortune lasts. Be joyous, but also responsible.
Reversed Three of Cups Tarot Card Meanings
REVERSED: Independence, alone time, hard-core partying, ‘three’s a crowd’.
Reversed Three Of Cups
While the upright Three of Cups is a card of friendship and social events, the reversal of this card suggests that you would prefer to go it alone right now. You may have recently spent a lot of time with others and now just need some alone time. Or perhaps you are no longer ‘clicking’ with some of your friends or a social group and are ready to move on. Or sometimes, you might find yourself on the ‘outer’, excluded from other people’s circles and feeling isolated and alone. Honour your desire to step out of the social scene for a while and enjoy this time by yourself so you can get clear on who you most want to connect with in the future.
If you are involved in a creative project, now may be the time to work independently rather than in a group. The reversed Three of Cups can show that your creativity is being stifled, or you are being forced to conform to the group. You may be part of a tight-knit club that does things a certain way and is not open to innovation or alternative approaches. You need to consider whether you are willing to sacrifice your creative abilities in favour of the group’s desires.
If you are experiencing high levels of stress or you’ve been working hard, the reversed Three of Cups appears as a message to take some time off to recuperate and gain the support of friends before returning to reality. You may have been working so hard that you’ve lost your connection with your friends and family. Now is the time to reconnect and reprioritise their love and support. See this card as a reminder to reconnect with the people you care about, let loose and have a good time, without worrying too much about the consequences.
On the other hand, the Three of Cups reversed may signify overindulgence. You may be out most nights partying, doing drugs or drinking heavily when what you need is balance in your life. Be mindful about the longer-term consequences of your actions and ask yourself whether this lifestyle is sustainable. Take a break from the social scene to regroup and get some much-needed sleep.
When it comes to relationship readings, the reversed Three of Cups can sometimes appear when a third person is involved. You may be involved with someone who is already in a relationship with someone else, whether you know it or not. Look to the other cards for more detail. The Seven of Swords signals a betrayal of trust and possible cheating. If you see the Five of Swords, you likely already know about the other relationship, but you are trying to ignore that it exists. If you see the Devil, consider the nature of the relationship as it is likely to be hedonistic and unhealthy to those involved. It is unlikely that this situation is sustainable as ‘three’s a crowd,’ and something has to give.
Reversed Love Meaning:
Short but exciting romance, third party coming in between you
Should you be single, the 3 of Cups tarot love meaning indicates that your romantic life may be fun and exciting, but perhaps short lived. Relationships started at this time can quickly fizzle once the two of you get to know one another better. If you’re already in a relationship, be wary of any third party that is trying to do harm to your partnership. Sometimes, this can come in the form of nasty gossip, or perhaps someone attempting to insert themselves between the two of you.
Reversed Career Meaning:
Work events not going as planned, destructive office environment
When reversed, the events and celebrations that the three of cups normally represents may not go as planned. If you were planning a launch or other event, it might happen but will not bring the success and result you intended. Sometimes, this card can signal that these events will be delayed or canceled. If none of these situations apply to you, it may be likely that your work environment can be particularly toxic right now. There is likely gossip and other forms of undercutting that are destroying the camaraderie. There may be conflicts all around; some of this may be directed at you, but you may also simply have to deal with being caught in between the crossfire. Try your best to not be a part of this negativity. Do not add fuel to the fire as it will only burn you in the long run.
Reversed Finances Meaning:
Over spending on social gatherings, giving beyond your means
The reversed three of cups can signal financial stress, usually in a social context. If you’ve been spending a lot on your social life, or some kind of event or party of some kind, you may need to rein in your budget. For example, if you’re planning a wedding or a birthday party, be wary of what the strain that it can cause on your financial situation. There may be more things to pay for than you had anticipated. The upright three of cups also indicates this concern a bit, but reversed, the warning is more severe. Be wary of spending and giving beyond your means. It is easy to get swept up in celebration, but it will not serve you well in the long-term to lose track of your financial progress this way.