By Isabella Vale, Founder of Tarot Masters
When I first began reading tarot, I was drawn to the Cups like a moth to candlelight. I didn’t always understand them, but I felt them. These were the cards that made my chest ache, my throat catch, my eyes soften.
To me, the Suit of Cups is the heart of the deck. It speaks the language of emotion, intuition, relationships, and the quiet undercurrents that often guide our lives more than logic ever could.
Cups remind me that vulnerability is strength. That love isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth listening to. That our feelings are messengers, not inconveniences.
What the Cups Speak To
The Cups belong to the element of water, which means they move like tides. Gentle, powerful, sometimes overwhelming. They show up in readings when something matters. When a question isn’t just mental or practical, but rooted in feeling.
When I see a Cup, I listen for what is not being said out loud. I ask,
“Where is the heart in this situation?”
“What are you feeling beneath the surface?”
Often the person I’m reading for will try to explain or justify something logically. But the Cups are never interested in spreadsheets or rationalizations. They want to know what’s really going on inside.
They hold space for grief. For longing. For connection. For softness. For healing.
A Few Cards I Read a Little Differently
Five of Cups – Grief and Grace
This card is often seen as a symbol of loss or disappointment. And yes, that’s true. But I’ve always seen it as the card of unfinished mourning.
The Five of Cups reminds us that we’re allowed to feel sad, even when we have things to be grateful for. That healing doesn’t always mean moving on. Sometimes it just means letting ourselves feel what’s still sitting heavy in the heart.
Knight of Cups – The Romantic Dreamer
People often see this card as a suitor or love offer. But I also see it as an inner part of us. The part that wants beauty. That craves meaning. That longs for magic.
When this card shows up, I ask,
“Where are you craving deeper connection in your life?”
Not just in romance, but in how you move through the world.
Queen of Cups – The Sacred Listener
I’ve always resonated deeply with this card. She feels like an emotional anchor. The one who feels everything but doesn’t let it drown her. The one who holds space, not just for others, but for herself.
I often pull this card when someone needs to be reminded that their empathy is a gift, not a burden. That being sensitive does not mean being weak. It means being alive.
My Personal Connection to the Cups
There were seasons in my life when I felt too much. Motherhood cracked me open. Heartbreak humbled me. Long-distance friendships and family shifts stirred the tides. During those times, I pulled from the Suit of Cups almost daily.
Sometimes the Three of Cups reminded me I wasn’t alone. Sometimes the Four called me out on emotional numbness. And sometimes the Ace landed like a soft miracle, telling me it was okay to begin again. To open my heart, just a little.
The Cups helped me reclaim softness without shame.
Final Thoughts From My Reading Table
When the Cups appear in a reading, I breathe a little deeper. I know we’re not just skimming the surface. We’re diving in. We’re tending to something sacred.
This suit reminds me that love is not weakness, that emotional truth is spiritual truth, and that water, even when messy, always knows the way home.
With full heart and gentle hands
Isabella Vale