Two children share flower-filled cups in an old garden: a card of memories and past happiness and, reversed, of renewal and what lies ahead.
Card art by Pamela Colman Smith (1909), public domain
Upright
Yes / No: Maybe
The Six of Cups is a card of memories and looking back, perhaps to childhood, and of happiness that belongs more to the past than to the present. Waite also mentions things that have faded away, and notes another reading: new relationships, knowledge and surroundings. Your memories may still have something to offer you today.
memories
looking back
childhood
past happiness
what has vanished
new surroundings
Reversed
Yes / No: Maybe
Reversed, the card turns from the past toward what is ahead. Waite gives the future, renewal and things soon to unfold. Rather than a forecast, take it as a question: what would you like to renew, and how do you hope to move forward?
the future
renewal
looking forward
what comes next
Love & relationships
Upright, the Six of Cups speaks of tenderness, nostalgia and shared memories, perhaps a connection with roots in the past, or one that feels innocent and kind. There may be fond looking back on earlier times together. Do memories of a relationship nourish you today, or do they keep you from seeing the present clearly?
Reversed, the Six of Cups marks a turn from the past toward the future, with renewal, fresh hopes and readiness for a new chapter in love. What would you like to carry forward from earlier relationships, what can you lay to rest, and what could a connection look like on today's terms?
The image
Two children stand in an old garden among cups filled with flowers. One child offers a flower-filled cup to the other, and old buildings rise behind them.
Symbolism
Waite ties this card to memory and times gone by, and the aged garden suits that mood. Cups that hold flowers rather than drink give the suit a gentle, childlike character. He also records another reading in which the children are playing somewhere unfamiliar, which turns the same image toward new knowledge and new surroundings. In a suit Waite links to water and the heart, the card centers on feeling shaped by time.
In a reading
Upright, the Six looks at what the past still gives you, and whether looking back nourishes you or holds you in place. Reversed, it turns to renewal. What do you want the next chapter of your life to hold?
The yes / no answer is our editorial reading of the card’s overall tone, not a prediction.
For self-reflection and personal insight. Not a prediction and not a substitute for professional medical, legal, financial or mental-health advice.
