This is the 8th card in the Cups suit and it brings the realization of abandoned success. This is the card that exhibits Mercurial properties in a Water sign.

Eight of Cups [Upright]

In the picture there are 8 neatly arranged cups, 5 are on the ground and 3 are on top of them. Although there’s an even number of the cups, in the upper row the cups are arranged so that the overall image is that something is missing.

The figure in red with a walking stick is walking away from the arranged cups. In the night sky (a darker shade of blue than in other Cup cards) we see a conjunction between the Sun and the Moon, the landscape is rocky with a lot of water, yet the cups are on even ground.

This is a card of abandoning something you worked hard on and for. This is the card of utter realization, inescapable truth and calculated abandon – after you’ve tried everything to make it work, now is the time to let it go.

Eight of Cups Keywords [Upright]

• Abandonment
• Walking away
• Letting go
• Leaving behind
• Laying it to rest
• Search for truth
• The past
• Moving away

Eight of Cups Meaning [Upright]

When the 8 of Cups is upright it foretells the feelings of abandonment whether the reader/asker is being abandoned or he is the one doing the abandoning – the heart is heavy and it’s not a joyous situation no matter how you look at it.

This is the card of separation and longing heartache, it depicts someone who has worked very hard on/for something, gave it his all, but in the end, it didn’t matter, it failed and all that energy and investment went to waste.

It’s a difficult card to see in a reading, especially for people with fixed nature who tend to fixate on things (and people), as the advice of this card is to let it go and forget about it because no matter how hard you tried – it’s not going anywhere.

Key Points – Love [Upright]

• In a love reading, this card is an omen for a breakup and divorce. It’s probably no one’s fault, things just couldn’t work out, and there’s nothing more left to be done about it.
• The best course of action here is to accept the message and search your heart for your next step.

Key Points – Money [Upright]

• When this card shows up in a money reading, the message is clear – forget about the money that was owed to you, let go of a grudge and invest your thoughts, prayers and focus into something more reliable and tangible.
• Adversely, it can signify that you were betting on a “lame horse”, and now you are forced to face your poor decisions regarding finances. Accept the lesson and be wiser for the future.

Key Points - Career [Upright]

• This is not a nice card to show up in a career reading as its message is clear: forget about it, it’s time to move on. It’s time to search your heart and find forgiveness, mostly for yourself. Forgive and forget is the message of this minor arcana when it comes to a career reading.
• Be wise and move on, the future is going to bring new chances and opportunities.