The Eight of Cups represents the sphere of intelligence on the creative level of human expression. Eight of Cups upright: deliberation. Eight of Cups reversed: rationalization.
The respective faculty is making choices. Remember that the Six of Cups signifies decisions? While decisions keep us on our life path, choices help us make progress on our life paths.
Decisions are a matter of the heart. Choices are a matter of the head (intelligence). Choices entail weighing the pros and cons, identifying opportunities, considering risks, and discussing those with friends and family.
Choices can turn into crises. There are three types of crises:
- The lesser-evil choice: choosing between two bad options
- Choosing between two good options of which we can realize only one, like choosing between eating pizza or pasta
- Choosing between ambiguous options of which we don’t know the consequences
Here is a choice between two good options: Shall I prioritize family or work?
Here is an example of a lesser-evil choice: Shall I work with a reliable, expensive vendor, or a inexpensive, unreliable vendor?
Ambiguous choices are the most stressful ones, like shall I accept a job offer in Switzerland or Dubai? Mind that an ambiguous choice may be actually a pending decision (Six of Cups). In this case, we need to decide which option harmonizes with our life path.
We dislike choices, because choices make us accountable. That’s where the secondary meanings of abandonment, withdrawal, escapism, walking away, and withdrawal come from.
An auspicious Eight of Cups calls for moral integrity in fulfilling wishes, meaning looking for a win-win. This is where the secondary meaning of honor comes from. An inauspicious Eight of Cups may indicate that the querent is tempted to justify means with ends.
An inauspicious Eight of Cups may also indicate that the querent’s intelligence is at the whim of her wishes. This is where the secondary meanings of change of mood, unsteady emotions, and over-impressionability come from. An inauspicious Eight of Cups may even signify a borderline personality disorder.
Last but not least, an inauspicious Eight of Cups may indicate the fear of making choices. Choices make us accountable and expose us to criticism and blame. Not making a choice can be as bad as making bad choices. We reap karma from what we do and what we fail to do.
Eight of Cups Symbolism
The eight cups in the picture form an eight-spoked wheel.
Think of this wheel as a symbol of moving along your life path paved by good choices.
In Buddhism, the eight-spoked wheel symbolizes the noble eight-fold path. The eight virtuous practices prevent the intellect from bending or breaking rules.
The eight practices are: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi (receptivity to the higher self).
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Eight of Cups
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life. In the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Eight of Cups represents Hod of Netzach, i.e., intelligence on the creative level of human expression.
Every Tarot card represents a faculty or power of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively, which produce either a fortunate or an adverse state of mind. Hence, every Tarot card has five core meanings.
These are the five core meanings of the Eight of Cups:
- Power of consciousness: Choice-making
- Constructive use: Deliberation
- Unconstructive use: Rationalization, vindication
- Auspicious state of mind: Decisiveness
- Inauspicious state of mind: Indecisiveness
Reflective Questions
If the Eight of Cups appears in your spread, it may be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions:
- What choices are you currently avoiding because you worry about accountability or criticism?
- Can you recall a time when you made a decision between two favorable options and why did you choose what you chose?
- Can you recall a time when you made a lesser-evil choice and why did you choose what you chose?
- Can you recall an ambiguous choice where the consequences were uncertain and why did you choose what you chose?
- Reflect on a time when you justified means with an end and what creative win-win situation could you have established instead?
Eight of Cups Summary
The Eight of Cups calls for understanding the three kinds of crises, embracing accountability in making choices, and choosing the right thing.
Where Do Tarot Card Meanings Actually Come From?
The meanings of Tarot cards come from various sources. The most common are:
- The position of the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life
- Astrological correspondences (signs, planets, & houses)
- The symbolism of Tarot cards
- Intuition
- Meanings that pertain to fortune-telling
Most of the Tarot card meanings you can google are astrological correspondences and go back to the Golden Dawn and Arthur Edward Waite. Astrological meanings dominate at present because Astrology is a divination tool and favors fortune-telling. But these meanings are unsuitable for (psychological) Tarot readings.
If you are interested in an overview of the astrological correspondences, you can download a high-resolution chart by subscribing to the Enlightenment Tarot.
Tarot card meanings are a bit of a mess since the meanings that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life mingle with astrological correspondences, symbolic interpretations, and fortune-telling connotations. That’s tedious to memorize. Further, tarotists’ opinions, knowledge, and linguistic backgrounds shaped some of these interpretations. Last but not least, many meanings are fuzzy, contradictory, and overlap. If you want to understand why they overlap, read the article How to Deal With the Overlapping Meanings of Tarot cards.
The meanings of the Enlightenment Tarot are based on an objective and holistic framework: the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. The resulting meanings are transparent and logical, and hence, easier to memorize.
What do Various Tarotists Say about the Meaning of the Eight of Cups
Let’s explore what different tarotists wrote about the Eight of Cups.
Tarotists emphasize the astrological significances of Tarot cards, since these lend themselves to fortune-telling. The Eight of Cups relates to the first decanate of Pisces, ruled by Jupiter and Neptune. Jupiter exudes a benevolent influence, and the respective Tarot card is Cycles/Wheel of Fortune. Neptune promotes psychism and a sense of connectedness with the world. The respective Tarot card is Sacrifice/Hanged Man.
The basic Piscean vibes are occult, benevolent, and sacrificing. The first decanate adds the following vibes to the mix: benignant, hospitable, and philanthropic.
Pisces rules the 12th house of subconsciousness, aka the house of privacy. The 12th house governs everything that happens in our subconsciousness like memories, wishes, dreams, hopes, fears, drives, needs, and addictions. Since Pisces is the last of the twelve zodiacs, this house also governs endings and conclusions. It is also the house of the things people devote themselves to. Some call this house the house of undoing/ruin. This includes imprisonment — actual incarceration or mental imprisonment by fears, drives, and addictions.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Eight of Cups
For the Eight of Cups, Paul Foster Case offered the keyword instability. This keyword refers to the instability of an unguided intellect that makes arbitrary choices.
Paul offers the following auspicious interpretations: momentary success, but nothing lasting, renunciation of material success for something higher, interest in psychic and spiritual things, potent emotions, charity and helpfulness, love of travel and of scientific investigation.
His inauspicious interpretations are abandoned success, the person to whom the card applies is over-impressionable and erratic and unsteady in his emotions, meaningless change of mood, purposeless journeying, and whiny disposition.
The meanings momentary or abandoned success pertain to a lack of emotional and desirous intelligence (), which resides on the other side of the . Such lack destabilizes the intellect, which is volatile by nature.
The meanings of momentary and abandoned success pertain to a lack of desirous intelligence, which the Seven of Cups provides. The Seven of Cups resides on the other side of the creative Tree of Life and balances the Eight of Cups. A lack of desirous intelligence destabilizes the intellect, which is volatile by nature. The following meanings continue this line of thought: the person to whom the card applies is over-impressionable, erratic and unsteady in his emotions and meaningless change of mood, and whiny disposition. Mind Pisces is the most sensitive sun sign, and Piscean natives tend to possess strong emotions.
The interpretation renunciation of material success for something higher goes back to the Piscean house of devotion.
Interest in psychic and spiritual matters is typical for Pisces. Charity and helpfulness are also distinct Pisces characteristics.
Why Paul proposed the meanings love of travel/scientific investigation and purposeless journeying is unclear. Short journeys are matters of the third house (Gemini) and long journeys are matters of the ninth house (Sagittarius).
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Eight of Cups
Arthur Edward Waite proposed that this card signifies great joy, happiness, perfect satisfaction, and feasting. These meanings pertain to happy endings (the 12th house).
To this, Arthur adds the meanings of mildness, timidity, and modesty, which are Pisces character traits.
He also offered the meaning of honor, which is a result of making noble choices.
In practical matters, this card may herald the decline of a matter or that an apparently important matter will turn out insignificant. These are examples of unhappy endings.
On the fortune telling side, he suggests this card predicts a marriage with a pretty woman.
What Etteilla Said About the Meaning of the Eight of Cups
Etteilla, a French occultist and the first known professional tarotist, offers the meanings of sincere girl and happiness.
Sincere girl pertains to fortune telling, so no comment. Happiness is an emotional reaction to a favorable outcome.
What Papus Said About the Meaning of the Eight of Cups
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, suggests the meanings of jealousy and trouble.
Jealousy is a strong emotional reaction and falls under the category of mental instability mentioned above.
It is unclear how Papus arrived at the meaning of trouble. The meaning of trouble is too general for the context of this card. Except he meant emotional trouble.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meaning of the Eight of Cups
Gregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, suggested that an auspicious Eight of Cups signifies a fair girl, friendship, attachment, tenderness, gaiety, feasting, joy, and pleasure.
Gaiety, feasting, joy, and pleasure are along the line of Arthur Waite’s interpretation, pertaining to happy endings.
Friendship, attachment, and tenderness are Pisces characteristics.
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meaning of the Eight of Cups
Mme. Le Marchand, a 19th century celebrated Parisian fortune teller, divined the Eight of Cups as follows: parents and children live together in unity and love and the parents will receive birthday gifts from their children.
Living in harmony is a Piscean virtue. Birthday gifts pertain to fortune telling, so no comment.
The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot
Every Tarot card represents a faculty of consciousness. We can use a faculty of consciousness constructively and destructively. This produces favorable and adverse experiences.
We can express faculties of consciousness on four levels:
- The spiritual level (wands/fire/intention)
- The creative-feely level (cups/water/imagination)
- The intellectual level (swords/air/intelligence)
- The bodily level (pentacles/earth/bodily action)
The four tools on the magician’s table symbolize these four levels:
- The wand (spiritual)
- The cup (creative-feely)
- The sword (intellectual)
- The pentagram (bodily)
These tools correspond to the four so-called elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
For this reason, the Enlightenment Tarot wands are made of fire, the cups consist of water, and the pents are composed of earth. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to illustrate something made of air, since air is invisible. For that reason, all swords are made of crystal to show at least transparency.
The Enlightenment Tarot derives its meaning from the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. This is an objective, holistic framework that reveals the psychological imports of Tarot cards and their faculties of consciousness. Read more about this framework in the article The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot.
The Enlightenment Tarot project attempts to rediscover the original meanings of the Tarot cards that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life. These meanings are simple, clear, and easy to memorize.
*This framework is compatible with Paul Foster Case’s qabalistic system.
Do you want to Learn more About The Enlightenment Tarot?
If you want to delve deep into the psychological meanings of Tarot cards, read the book Tarot of Life.
If you are curious about how the Enlightenment Tarot came about, read this article.
If you are interested in learning how to perform psychological Tarot readings, subscribe to receive a free copy of a guide on how to perform psychological Tarot readings.
If you are looking for a psychological Tarot deck, you have come to the right place. The Enlightenment Tarot derives the cards’ meanings from a holistic and transparent framework that is easy to learn and memorize. All major and minor arcana carry psychological titles, and the court cards display psychological profiles. Have a look at the Enlightenment Tarot deck here.
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