Three of Cups Description and Symbolism

Three women gather outside to celebrate, dance and enjoy the abundance of autumn’s cornucopia of earthy pumpkins and ripe grapes. Grapes in tarot symbolize riches and large quantities. Think about how lush and fertile a vineyard looks. To start a vineyard, you must have patience and money saved. It takes years to ferment the grapes into wine. I know a couple who wanted to start a vineyard. He was a doctor and she was his beautiful wife. She wanted to ride horses all day, but when she got tired of that she decided to buy a vineyard. They planted and bought the crops, but had to wait a few years to actually sell their own grapes. Meanwhile, they were selling a wine that comes from the vineyard where they bought their crops. They had to have the money, land and resources to start the vineyard. Owning a vineyard is not just symbolic of wealth, you have to be rich into order to have one!

The three women wear white, yellow and red dresses. White indicates purity and innocence, yellow is intelligence, and red is desire. The wine probably brings out a playful banter between the women.

The harvest around them indicates some kind of apex or culmination. This could be an equinox, graduation, birthday party, or baby shower.

Three of Cups Interpretation and Divination

The Three of Cups is the surest sign of a celebration. It can mark any big event such as baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, equinox and solstice celebrations, Christmas and Easter holidays.

You might be going out dancing with friends for a night on the town. It could be a late-night thing at the night club or a house party. Everything around you will be bountiful and fun!

The Three of Cups doesn’t have to be the biggest party or even a party. It is also about friends hanging out together whether it be the movies, shopping or restaurants. Emotional and social bonds are strengthened.

Three of Cups in Love

If you are already in a relationship, the Three of Cups indicates you might be celebrating your love with a bridal shower or have one final bachelor party. You and your spouse could even be welcoming in a new baby with a christening or baptism.

If you are asking about a possible romance, the Three of Cups indicates that they just want to be friends. This isn’t the worst position, but not the most desired. Be careful with your heart. Don’t enter into a sexual liaison with someone who doesn’t share your relationship goals. The Three of Cups can sometimes indicate a libertine attitude towards sex. On rare occasions, I got this once to show a couple who liked to go to swinger’s clubs and mingle….

Overall, the Three of Cups in love indicates a fun, carefree feeling or event. Whether the carefree attitude comes from a celebration from an already established relationship or a romantic encounter.

Three of Cups as Feelings

If you are asking about how someone feels towards you, then they feel a great friendly vibe from you. This is the friendzone card.

If they are your feelings, you will be feeling joyous, happy and celebratory.

Three of Cups as Advice

As advice in love, the Three of Cups asks you to go out with friends and express your freedom. Don’t get bogged down focusing on one person. If you are looking for love, the best way to meet people is to get out and about.

Three of Cups as an Obstacle

There could be some addictions to drinking or drugs that is blocking a union or opportunity. You might want to sober up or help someone else sober up.

You might not be very focused on work and this could lead to a job loss. Your job could be very difficult and hard on you, so it might be time to find a new one.

There could be a woman who is blocking you in some way. She wears the guise of a friend.

Three of Cups in Business

In business, the Three of Cups can indicate group projects, corporate fund raisers and holiday parties. It can be a time of achievement and celebrations.

Three of Cups Professions

Party Planner, Wedding Planner, Event Manager or Coordinator, Social Butterfly, Interior Decorator

Three of Cups Reversed

The Three of Cups Reversed and the Seven of Swords are both the thief cards, so theft of important items may take place.

The Three of Cups Reversed can indicate a woman with loose moral values and a libertine way of thinking about things. She may take advantage of innocent people.

The symbolism to the reversed Three of Cups is important and you have to take into account the cards were made in 1911 and back then it was a taboo for a woman to dress in red. Let’s take a closer look:

There are three women celebrating, but one of the women has her back faced to us. We might not think this is an important detail because people gather in circles all the time, but there are other ways to draw three women celebrating without seeing the back of someone. When someone has their back turned to us, we can’t see what they are doing. Words like “backstabber” and “he/she went behind your back” come to mind.

The woman in question is wearing a large red dress. The sheer size of her coat compared to the other coats is a signal. One could fit many pilfered items into it.

During Waite’s period in the turn of the century, red was a color that women, especially unmarried women, should not wear. Respectable women should not wear red. Red wasn’t always the power suit color that it is today.

There was a Bettie Davis movie called Jezebel where she is forced to wear a red dress during the American antebellum period (mid-1800s). She is shamed and eventually loses her innocence, no one will talk with her and her engagement is broken off. All over a red dress!

Three of Cups Tarot Card Combinations