Western Tarot symbolism
Two of Cups
The account describes a youth and maiden pledging one another beneath the Caduceus of Hermes and a lion's head between its wings. It calls the emblem a variant found in older examples of the card. Love, friendship and concord appear in the main list. The supplementary reading broadens favourable outcomes to pleasure and business, and separately assigns passion reversed.
Loading your archive…
In the sources
The card account
LiteraryThe account describes a youth and maiden pledging one another beneath the Caduceus of Hermes and a lion's head between its wings. It calls the emblem a variant found in older examples of the card.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryLove, friendship and concord appear in the main list. The supplementary reading broadens favourable outcomes to pleasure and business, and separately assigns passion reversed.
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
above their cups rises the Caduceus of Hemies, between the great wings of which there appears a hon's head. It is a variant of a signOpen 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 118
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-P0118
- Original scan leaf
- 124
- Recorded leaf number
- 124
- Current Reader position
- 118
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
Tivo.—Favorable in things of pleasure and business, as well as in love; also wealth and honor. Reversed: Passion. Ace.—Inflexible will, unalterable law. Reversed: Unexpected change ofOpen 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 Cups
Three fallen cups and two remaining upright make loss and remainder part of one composition.