Five of Cups

“Loss and regret, unable to see what remains because your eyes stay fixed on the spilled cups”

Keywords

• Loss
• Regret
• Sorrow
• Disappointment
• Mourning
• Lingering attachment
• Self-blame
• Depression
• Parting
• Remaining hope
• Change of perspective
• Possibility of recovery
• Looking back
• Beginning of healing

Symbols in the picture

1. 1
   Three overturned and spilled cups

   Three chalices lie overturned before the rabbit, their water flowing onto the ground. They signify what has already been lost and an irreversible disappointment, symbolizing how sorrow has captured your entire gaze.

2. 2
   Two cups standing behind

   Two chalices still remain upright behind the rabbit. Visible if you only turn around, these cups symbolize the hope that still remains amid loss and what can be recovered.

3. 3
   Profile of a rabbit with its head bowed

   The rabbit clasps its paws and lowers its head, looking only at the spilled cups. This posture, bound to what was lost and turning away from what remains, signifies sorrow seized by regret.

4. 4
   Dark cloak wrapped around the body

   The rabbit is heavily wrapped in a deep blue cloak patterned with stars. Like mourning clothes, the cloak’s dark hue symbolizes a heart immersed in sorrow and a state of closing emotions away inside.

5. 5
   Bridge leading across the river

   A sturdy stone bridge spans the river in the distance. The bridge symbolizes a path out of this place of sorrow and back to a safe home—in other words, the possibility of healing and moving forward.

6. 6
   Lotuses and wildflowers remaining by the water

   White lotuses and wildflowers continue to bloom beside the spilled cups. They signify that life and beauty have not disappeared even amid loss, and that the seeds of healing remain nearby.

7. 7
   White pavilion in the distance

   A quiet pavilion stands across the river. Like a peaceful place of rest you can reach after passing through sorrow, it symbolizes that a refuge for your heart awaits beyond your present pain.