Eight of Cups card

Letting go paves the way for destiny.

Supporting / Blocking Tarot Card

support

The card supports a querent who knows how to let go and understands that not everything is within their control; there are situations where they must allow things to unfold naturally. The card becomes a blockage when the querent tries to control the situation. The message lies in the quiet within the heart, in the ability to view the situation from an outside perspective.

Relationships

Career

Finances

Relationships

Career

Finances

The Meaning of The Card

Eight of Cups is a card of departure and relinquishment. Entering the underworld after Psyche has succeeded in all previous tasks brings her to a place where she must let go of the struggle and allow things to unfold. No one enters the underworld and emerges alive, so relinquishing internal and external struggles allows things to happen, not necessarily as one would wish but as they need to. Once the querent lets go of desire and trusts, the desired change will come and bring balance and wholeness.

Eight of Cups card: The Meaning of The Symbols

Card Symbols	Symbol Meaning
Solar Eclipse	Darkness, loss, death.
Light Blue Background	Symbolizes potential, opportunities, optimism, freedom of expression, independence, and hope. The sky, spirituality, infinite possibilities, and eternity.
Yellow Background	Represents intellect, diligence, strength, and self-image. These are the forces present in the figure dressed in red and ready for action.
Mountains	The rocky mountains that the person faces symbolize major obstacles or challenges in life. The mountain also symbolizes strength.
Figure Dressed in Red	The figure, with their back to the reader, is moving toward a decision, toward challenges. They are determined to reach the place that is right for them.
Staff	Authority, support, spiritual power, desires, initiative, a tool for realizing ideas.
Sea	The force of life, feminine energy, many possibilities, danger, emotional world.
Cups	The cups form a wall, symbolizing the boundary between what was and what will be in the future that the person is moving towards. The wall of cups symbolizes the blockages hindering the development present within the person. Since the wall is behind the figure, it suggests that the figure has given up on the blockages out of a desire to grow. The cup represents the element of water; water is an emotional component and a feminine symbol. The cups resemble the nurturing feminine womb.
Sun	The sun symbolizes optimism, a positive outlook, confidence, and hope. The sun represents a state of mental calm, enlightenment, and motivation to succeed.
Moon	The moon, symbolizing the subconscious, covers the sun, which will reappear in full glory when the person relinquishes control and allows what needs to happen, to happen.

Mythology

Venus, frustrated, sends Psyche on one last task: to descend into the Underworld and borrow Persephone’s powder of eternal youth and beauty. No one has ever entered the Underworld and returned. However, Psyche, believing in her love, allows things to unfold. The card represents the cessation of struggle; both Psyche and the querent understand that there is nothing more to be done and must let go. It is said that when a woman releases a man who loves her, he will return if he is meant to; if he does not return, he was never truly hers. The same applies to a man releasing his beloved. The need to relinquish is not a defeat; sometimes, giving up or remaining silent is the correct response.

Representation of the Card in a Reading

In the reading, the Eight of Cups integrates spirituality with practical ability. The person has undergone a process of development and has reached a stage where they need to take one more step to move to the next phase. It represents a stage of completion and new beginnings, a process of transition and change. After taking that step, the person will achieve balance and harmony in their life. Letting go of control will enable the person to make the crucial move that will bring them balance. The card symbolizes situations in life where one must release or let go of a partner or a job.