The Ace of Cups shows a hand extending a chalice that is overflowing with five streams of water. The hand that extends from the clouds presents our awareness of spiritual energy and influence. Radiating from the hand are rays which symbolize that you must always count on your inner feelings and your heart to guide you. This is your intuition and inner power communicating to you. The five streams represent the wealth and strength of the soul and the effect of spiritual energy upon our five senses. A dove possessing a wafer or small disc in its mouth descends from above, representing the incarnation and presence of the spirit in the material world. Directly below the hand is a large ocean adorned with lotus blossoms, signifying the awakening of the human spirit. The cup has an upside down M or a W engraved on it.
In the Ace of Cups, a huge cup is being given to you and you are being invited to reach out and drink from it. This is a representation of fulfilment, not just emotionally but also spiritually. The possibility for fulfilment is there – will you take it? No matter whether you are going to reach out now and embrace this possibility will depend on just how much you need emotional and spiritual fulfilment in your life at the moment.
The Ace of Cups is a manifestation of the start of love, contentment and compassion. It can indicate the start of a new relationship, be it a friendship or a romance. This is one of those connections where you experience butterflies in your stomach and you are so glad to have met somebody with whom you can have a special connection. The water in the card suggests the flow of emotion and thus the Ace of Cups implies that positive emotion and energy will be formed between two people in a way that leaves you feeling good about yourself and life in general. You need to experience the feeling of new love or of giving and receiving unconditional love. Extend and allow love on a new level and open up your heart to what is around you. Your caring ways will bring love to you.
The Ace of Cups frequently suggests that love is the heart and soul of the situation. It may or may not be romantic love. Look for ways in which you can start to connect with other people. Do you have somebody to forgive, or do you want to obtain forgiveness? Can you put aside your frustration and acquire balance? This is a restful period in your life so take advantage of it and make peace with family and friends or yourself.
The Ace of Cups is also about artistic expression, particularly where there is an opportunity to allow for your emotions to shine through. You are very open to exploring your inner feelings and sharing them with other people. You may be moved to set forth a brand new creative undertaking, participate in an art course or two, or even engage in interpretative dance. You are at that time in your life where you feel happy with your identity and what you genuinely feel and you are not afraid to share that aspect of yourself to other individuals. You realize new potential in encouraging your artistic juices to flow and therefore, you are amenable to new prospects and stirring your imagination to help your gift to unfold.
There is certainly a generous, sympathetic component to the Ace of Cups. This is a period of giving, not taking, and presenting yourself to a new possibility to help other people. You have the potential to bring great pleasure to other people and to share your delight and upbeat energy. You will also notice that the more you give, the more you receive on different levels.
This card sometimes suggests fertility. From a very literal standpoint, this usually means that the Ace of Cups can signify conception, pregnancy or birth. Look for other cards in the reading to confirm that there is indeed a chance of new life (frequently the Empress and Page of Cups). On a more metaphorical level, there might be the ‘birth’ of a new understanding or a spark of new inspiration. It can symbolise the outset of a plan in which a lot of compassionate and artistic energy is devoted.
Learn more about the Ace of Cups Tarot card meanings.
