Nine of Cups Tarot Card Meanings

Nine of Cups Tarot Card Meanings

What does the Nine of Cups card mean in a Tarot Reading?

Nine of Cups is a very simple and enjoyable Tarot card. It predicts positive emotions, pleasure and calmness. Even in a reversed form, the Arcana does not carry a negative meaning.
The Nine of Cups means the period when we experience genuine joy, we bathe in it. Such a period can turn into excesses, the desire to “eat more than you can digest”, but in general the meaning of this card is positive: pleasant events, carelessness, cheerful company, a beautiful life.

Goal: Self-confidence and joy in life.
Element: Water
Planet: Jupiter, Neptune, Moon
Astrological sign: Pisces

Depiction

The drawing of the Tarot card of the Nine Waite Cups is simple and clear. It depicts a middle-aged man sitting in a confident, relaxed position as the owner of the situation. Behind him, on a pedestal covered with a blue cloth, are arranged nine golden cups in a row. The picture gives a feeling of stability and harmony, when a person is completely satisfied with what is happening and is confident in his abilities.
(For a detailed depiction, analysis of the Symbols and all Elements of the Nine of Cups Tarot Card, click here)

The Main Meanings of the Card In an Upright Position

Key Words and Phrases

Pleasure. Satisfaction. Enjoyment. Comfort. Health. Happiness. Abundance. Self-satisfaction. Saturation.

Nine of Cups Tarot Card

Physical pleasure. Material happiness. A job well done. Financial well-being. Self-indulgence. A dream come true. Long-awaited marriage. You will get what you want. If you make a wish on a shooting star, it will come true. Eat, drink, and be merry.

The main meanings of the card in an upright position

material success, prosperity;
emotional and intellectual pleasure;
physical health;
fulfillment of desires;
excesses;
pleasant events, cheerful company, carelessness;
reliable team;
sensual pleasures;
good sense of humour;
warning: beware of excesses;
holiday;
luck;
splendor, celebration, trophies;
agreement, victory, advantage, favorable ending;
success, successful completion of the business, difficulties are left behind;
satisfaction with the situation, harmony with oneself, generosity;
stability in life.

Situation and Advice

Nine of Cups. Witchcraft Tarot by Ellen Dugan
Witchcraft Tarot by Ellen Dugan

When a Nine of Cups appears in the spread, especially if it falls out as a card indicating the result, then you will get what you dream of. The Nine of Cups promises material profit, luxury and prosperity. This is a Tarot card of satisfaction and getting what you want, sometimes even excessive indulgence towards yourself and indulgence of your own desires. The appearance of Nine of Cups may indicate that you have successfully completed an important life stage and can afford a well-deserved holiday before continuing to move on. If your question was about a planned engagement or marriage, then you will marry exactly the person to whom you gave your heart.

Persons designated by Upright Nine of Cups Tarot Сard

Those who get what they want. People who are literally close to luxury. People who are self-indulgent. Having fun. Fabulous “Fairy Godmother” from the Cinderella fairy tale.

The Main Meanings of the Card In a Reversed Position

Key Words and Phrases

Not getting what you want. Unrealistic desires. Too many good things. Hedonism. Excessive passion for sensual pleasures. Complacency. Vanity. Self-indulgence. Extravagance. Small values. Greed. Superficiality. Emptiness. Financial losses. Deprivation. A lack of money. Search for oblivion in alcohol or drugs. Alcohol addiction. Gluttony. Bad attitude towards your body. The culture of narcissism. Masturbation. Hedonistic self-focus. Superficial relationships. Failure to put yourself in the shoes of another. Lack of mercy. Abuse. Mom’s little helper. Can’t get satisfaction. We are all primitive people. Eat, drink, be merry, because tomorrow you may die.

The main meanings of the card in a reversed position

abuse of food and drinks;
until desires come true, but success is not far off;
failure, deprivation;
health problems;
sincerity, truth, reality, honesty, legality;
frankness, naivety, simplicity, open heart, simplicity;
freedom, science, free circulation, familiarity, audacity;
free circulation, disorder (debauchery);
lack of modesty;
frustration, damage, gluttony, greed;
abuse of carnal pleasures (alcohol, food, love);
excessive desire for material goods;
narcissism.

Situation and Advice

You may find that it is not always possible to get what you want, which is good. Sometimes a reversed Nine of Cups can indicate health problems as a result of self-indulgence or disrespect for your body (possibly a change in body weight). It looks like you are too complacent and live mainly for yourself. You may not get what you want. Your greed will lead to problems, the likelihood of financial losses is high.

Nine of Cups. Tarot by Nicoletta Ceccoli
Tarot by Nicoletta Ceccoli

Paying too much attention to your interests can be detrimental to your relationships with others. Maybe you use alcohol or drugs to fill a void in your love life? Maybe your focus solely on your own interests pushes the people you love away from you? Do you ignore the requests of people who are less fortunate than you?
Perhaps your value system is based solely on your own interests? Can you take care of someone other than yourself? Are you able to put yourself in the shoes of another, especially if that person is less fortunate than yourself? What place do others occupy in your life?

Persons designated by the Reversed Nine of Cups Tarot Сard

Smug people. Narcissists. Playboys. Hedonists.

In the Spreads

The meaning of the Nine of Cups can be broadly described as a period of happiness and contentment. Everything is going well. Plans come true, dreams come true, you can relax and enjoy life.
The appearance of this card in the spread means happiness and dreams that come true. The first impression is gluttony, which is accurate, but the Nine of Cups is a celebration, not a warning. In the Minor Arcana, her role is to highlight the ways in which gluttony or feasting expands both the mind and the body.
The Arcana has a positive meaning in all directions of the card. But if in its upright form a person can enjoy what he has, then in the reversed form he lacks something.

In an Upright Position

Since ancient times, the Nine of Cups Tarot card has been known as the “wish card”. This name is not accidental, it presents the gifts of fate, everything is embodied even more successfully and luckily than the questioner could have dreamed of. The Nine of Cups means the opportunity to have a good rest in mind and body, to do something pleasant for yourself, to relax, letting go of worries about the future.
If there is a feeling of anxiety now, it means that a happy ending and a solution to the problem are near. All worries and difficulties will soon be left behind, a new stage will come, full of joy and light. The Nine of Cups is a very powerful sign of a bright future and prosperity, it means protection from twists and turns and trials of fate.
The Nine of Cups of the Tarot in the upright position is a very good card. The person is waiting for a period of prosperity, contentment, happiness, fulfillment of many desires. This time is conducive to creativity. The person will reap the fruits of the work he begun earlier, which are nearing the successful completion. The Man has something to be happy about, and he wants to share his happiness with other, less fortunate people.
The upright Nine of Cups indicates the period when everything is perfect. A bright streak has come in life, when everything works out, dreams come true, the plans come true. You can relax and have fun. This is a time of harmony and happiness.
When the Nine of Cups Tarot card appears in fortune telling in an upright position, it signifies a period when we experience genuine joy and deep peace, resulting from a feeling of complete security. This security may be the result of a long-awaited solution to financial problems, getting your own living space, absolute faith in the reliability and loyalty of your partner, etc. Arcana also speaks of the end of a certain difficult period, which will necessarily be marked by a worthy and very pleasant reward. It predicts happiness and the end of undeserved deprivation.
Nine of Cups Tarot card in the spread means that the fulfillment of desires and abundance will benefit you. You will be able to gratefully accept this gift from fate. It will not make you greedy or arrogant. On the contrary, it will cause a desire to share your joy and well-being with people close to you.

In a Reversed Position:

The reversed Nine of Cups means the ability to accept the rejection of superficial pleasures and benefits in favor of fidelity and simplicity, which, when combined, constitute a deeper level of pleasure. For example, Arthur Waite himself believed so.
But most modern interpreters emphasize the selfishness of the reversed Nine of Cups – interest in exclusively one’s own affairs and indifference to others, self-pity, shifting one’s problems onto others.
Interpretations for the reversed Nine of Cups Tarot card vary. Some point to truth, freedom and devotion, others to disappointment due to imperfection and error. A number of interpretations include both. Basically everything is going well, but you can still screw things up if you try hard to do it.
The reversed card differs from the upright card in that despite the fact that everything is wonderful, the person cannot be happy with what is. Either he is too spoiled or ambitious, and everything is not enough for him, or achieving what he wants does not bring the joy that he expected.

Nine of Cups. Illuminati Tarot
Illuminati Tarot

In a reversed position, the Nine of Cups does not lose its positive qualities, its only “minus” is that success, luck and happiness become somewhat delayed in time, and the person must fight for their implementation. Sometimes Arcana tells that everything unpleasant, which has so far been hidden from view, may soon open up and be in plain sight.
The reversed Nine of Cups Tarot card speaks of smugness and complacency. At first glance, the Man is happy and reliably provided for, but everything may not be at all what it seems. He ignores some hidden problem, which he will regret in the future. The reversed Nine of Cups also indicates that vanity and self-admiration for one’s own good fortune greatly devalues ​​all of a Man’s achievements in the eyes of other people.
In a reversed position, the Nine of Cups means that the querent’s business is going uphill, but he can harm himself with his emotions. If you got this card, it means that you are overwhelmed by not the best feelings associated with material benefits and the success you have achieved.
It can be an obsessive desire to have even more wealth or a condescending, arrogant attitude towards those who do not have them. The reversed Nine of Cups can mean qualities such as narcissism, bragging, arrogance, greed, envy, vanity. All this affects the relationship of the querent with other people and actually makes him lonely, nullifying all his achievements and successes.
The Nine of Cups marks cases when something that was so desired (money, power, love, whatever) was received and it did not bring the expected happiness. The man got what he dreamed of and found that he is not happy with it.

In the Spreads for Different situation

In an Upright Position:
For a specific situation, Nine of Cups means a favorable solution to the problem. Successful completion of the case, getting what you want.
In a Reversed Position:
You may not really need what you think you are. This may not bring the desired joy. Another option is that you put sticks in your wheels yourself, your plan may not be achieved due to indulging your own whims.

In the Spreads for Relationship

In an Upright Position:
The value of the card in the area of ​​love and relationships is predictable. This is a time of emotional and spiritual closeness, happiness and understanding, passion, harmony, cordiality, warmth, emotional and physical satisfaction and deep feelings. Now you don’t have to worry about your union, everything is stable and reliable. Enjoy each other. Fantasies, previously realized only in dreams or on a short vacation, become reality. Relationships are built on mutual love, common interests, respect and honesty towards each other. Sometimes the card informs about the imminent wedding.
In a Reversed Position:
The reversed Nine of Cups for love indicates a certain dissatisfaction on the part of either one of the partners, or both at once. It can be satiety when you are already tired of everything. Or the absence of the expected happiness from the conquest of the chosen one, or selfishness and the desire to only receive emotions from the relationship, without giving anything in return.
The reversed Nine of Cups may indicate a delay in personal happiness, or that partners are a little tired of each other.

In the Spreads for Dates

In an Upright Position:
The meeting you dreamed of is coming soon!
In a Reversed Position:
You may be feeling lonely right now, whether you are dating or not. Remember, it’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love themselves. Do you love yourself?

In the Spreads for Family

In an Upright Position:
Family celebrations are likely.
In a Reversed Position:
The family situation is depressing for you. Find a place for yourself to take a break

In the Spreads for Friendship

In an Upright Position:
There are many invitations to parties and celebrations ahead. Enjoy life!

Nine of Cups. Union of Goddesses Tarot
Union of Goddesses Tarot

In a Reversed Position:
Give yourself pleasure by any means possible, but be careful not to overdo it. For example, do not overeat, and a hangover is not really pleasant.

In the Spreads for Money

In an Upright Position:
In monetary matters, indicates good profit, perhaps even more than expected.
In a Reversed Position:
In finances, this Arcana means frivolous spending or certain monetary losses.

In the Spreads for Education

In an Upright Position:
You may or may not have been awarded an award for academic achievements. Either way, you are very happy with your accomplishments over the past year. Teachers and parents are happy for you too.
In a Reversed Position:
You’re doing well, but don’t let your studies fill your mind. There is much in the world besides exam marks, and some things are more important than them.

In the Spreads for Career

In an Upright Position:
In working matters, the Nine of Cups of the Tarot means successful solution for issues, effective activity, implementation of projects. Things are going well, so now you can afford to take some rest.
A good and reliable team also play an important role. Emotion and good mood help to forget about the difficulties and conflicts of the past. The card speaks of the extremely successful development and course of business (especially in the field of trade), high profits, significant career advancement.
In a Reversed Position:
The reversed Nine of Cups for work issues means that a project or business will be completed, but it will not bring the expected joy.
The reversed Nine of Cups speaks of abuse of authority, a tendency to shift one’s responsibilities onto others’ shoulders, about doing work “slipshod”, disagreements between business partners. Self-indulgence and greed can lead to financial and monetary problems.

In the Spreads for Health

In an Upright Position:
Excellent health, high energy levels. In case of illness, complete recovery of the patient.
In a Reversed Position:
In the case of health, it can indicate hidden diseases that have not yet manifested themselves in any way. However, most often the card means satiety with something like food, alcohol, energy drinks, etc., which can lead to malaise. Poisoning is possible.

Answer to Yes / No Tarot Spreads

In an Upright Position:
For any question – always “yes”!
In a Reversed Position:
Yes, a little later

Self-Development Lesson

While this card is primarily concerned with material happiness, it is important to remember that true happiness means satisfying our emotional and spiritual needs. Keep communicating with your intuition, stay calm and relaxed, and open to the positive and creative potential that unfolds in front of you in the present moment.

Type of person in an upright position:

The card means a kind, generous, cheerful person. Likes to receive guests, drink and have fun, in which sometimes he does not know the measure. He is loving, loyalty is too tough for him to keep. On the negative side, he lacks the understanding that for everything in life you need to work, and luck alone is not enough.

Nine of Cups. Tarot. Mirror of Fate
Tarot. Mirror of Fate

Type of person in a reversed position:

The card means a kind-hearted, honest, a little naive person. Capable of deep feelings, but hides them under feigned gaiety. He strives to live in harmony with himself and others, avoids idle communication. In love he is faithful, expects the same from the partner.

Arcana’s warning

Make sure that your vacation does not spill over into laziness. Pamper yourself in moderation.

Final Advice of Arcana

Now you can relax and enjoy life. Things are good.

In an Upright Position:
Enjoy your vacation and don’t worry about anything. Your wish will certainly come true soon!
In a Reversed Position:
Pay attention to eternal values. Keep it simple and people will be drawn to you.

Conclusion

The Nine of Cups Tarot card has no negative interpretations. This is a card of triumph, full of success, almost satiety. Everything that you hoped for and planned, has come true or will come true very soon. All this will be even better than you dreamed.
Sometimes the Nine of Cups of the Tarot is called a “wish card”: it promises the fulfillment of desires, harmony and success in matters that are described by other cards in the spread. If there are unfavorable cards in the spread, they will postpone ultimate success, but these obstacles will only be a temporary nuisance. Now you have done everything right, and people and / or events are also in your favor. This is your time.

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