Western Tarot symbolism
Five of Cups
A cloaked figure stands beside three prone cups, with two upright behind and a bridge leading to a small holding. The main account emphasises loss with something remaining and an inheritance falling short of expectations. The additional list calls the card generally favourable and includes happy marriage, gifts and enterprise. Its reversed returning relative differs from the broader main list of return and kinship.
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In the sources
The card account
LiteraryA cloaked figure stands beside three prone cups, with two upright behind and a bridge leading to a small holding. The main account emphasises loss with something remaining and an inheritance falling short of expectations.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryThe additional list calls the card generally favourable and includes happy marriage, gifts and enterprise. Its reversed returning relative differs from the broader main list of return and kinship.
Context & interpretation
The active library scan carries L. W. de Laurence’s name and reproduces material associated with A. E. Waite’s Tarot exposition. This entry follows that supplied edition’s card prose and supplementary lists. Historical divinatory assignments and period character labels are distinguished from the pictured symbolism and from independently supported judgements about people or future events.
Original passages
Source 1
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
two others stand upright behind him ; a bridge is in the backgrotind, leading to a small keep or holding. Divinatory Meanings: It is a cardOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; card description, active reader leaf 115
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0115
- Original scan leaf
- 121
- Recorded leaf number
- 121
- Current Reader position
- 115
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
Five.—Generally favorable ; a happy marriage ; also patrimony, legacies, gifts, success in enterprise. Reversed: Return of some relative who has not been seen for long.Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; additional meanings, active reader leaf 151
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0151
- Original scan leaf
- 157
- Recorded leaf number
- 157
- Current Reader position
- 151
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Ace of Cups
A cloud-borne cup, water and a descending sacramental emblem give this Ace several symbolic layers.
Shared source pageEight of Cups
A departing figure gives the Eight an image of leaving an earlier concern behind.
Shared source pageEight of Swords
A bound figure surrounded by swords is expressly described as temporarily confined.
Shared source pageFive of Swords
A figure controlling the field watches two others retreat while their swords remain on the ground.