The Eight of Cups tarot card is one of the Minor Arcana of a traditional tarot deck, and is generally viewed as an omen of disillusionment. In the Rider-Waite deck, the most popular tarot deck in the English speaking world, the Eight of Cups is full of compex imagery and meaning. It is one of the most touchingly illustrated cards in a common tarot deck.
The Eight of Cups of the Rider-Waite deck reveals a solemn and poignant image. Eight Cups in two rows sit in the foreground of the tarot card illustration. Behind them, a frigid and unforgiving body of water fills the background, and a few barren-looking islands rise out of the water. A person. cloaked in a red cape, carries a walking stick as he turns his back and walks away from the Eight Cups. High above, a combination sun-and-moon image looks down with a somber but unfeeling expression.
The imagery of the Eight of Cups tarot card could move someone to tears, especially when it appears in a personal tarot reading. Symbolically, the character in the tarot card and the subject of the tarot reading are turning their back on something that once seemed to be of value. Alone in a desolate wasteland, they have abandoned posessions that, at one time, seemed to be important. The person is venturing onward, but feels alone and unloved.
The Eight of Cups illustrates and symbolizes the act of moving onward, often away from something shallow or material, and toward a more spiritual path. Many tarot readers interpret the Eight of Cups as a signal of leaving the "rat race" of a consumerist lifestyle, or moving away from a relationship or career path because it became apparent that efforts were meaningless and futile.
When the Eight of Cups appears in a tarot reading, the subject of the tarot reading is likely to be feeling disillusionment and disappointment after recognizing the futility of a path that once seemed all-important. While there is light in the future, the path toward a different lifestyle or decison may feel lonely and empty.
The reversed Eight of Cups carries a different, but equally profound, message. It may indicate that the previous goal that has been abandoned was dropped unnecessarily. The querent of the tarot reading should consider his values carefully before determining whether or not to pursue an alternate path. It should be assured that the previous goal was left because it was truly unimportant or fruitless-- not because of laziness or apathy. The path ahead will provide equal resistance.
