Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Card Definitions & Meaning

Five of Cups

Five of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot card.

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play Tarot card games[1].

In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes[1][2].

Divination Usage
This card often carries the meaning of emotional dejection, disappointment and sorrow over past events. There may be a tendency to "cry over spilt milk". It can also represent the failure to see the good in a given situation. Although the figure represented on the card has lost three of his cups, two still stand, yet he fails to appreciate what he has left.

References
1. a b Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd.. ISBN 0-7156-1014-7.
2. Huson, Paul, (2004) Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage, Vermont: Destiny Books, ISBN 0-89281-190-0 Mystical Origins of the Tarot