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The Five of Cups is the card of trouble, pain, grief and melancholy. It shows that something that was very valuable to us has suffered a shipwreck. It also means that we are not alone with our pain, we can count on our friends' understanding and compassionate help. These consoling messages of the card should not be misunderstood, the cause of our pain is not only apparent and the feeling of cheerfulness does not come back soon. Often the tabernacle refers to our own covetousness, something that has been downgraded and destroyed. It always shows that there is a way out of the situation. He calls on us not to be unnecessarily long in this dark wilderness.

FIVE OF CUPS : DISAPPOINTMENT

In the “Naples arrangement”, the introduction of the number Five shows the idea of motion coming to the aid of that of matter. This is quite a revolutionary conception; the result is a complete upset of the statically stabilized system. Now appear storm and stress.

On the other hand, the Five of Cups is called Disappointment, as is only natural, because Fire delights in superabundant energy, whereas the water of Pleasure is naturally placid, and any disturbance of ease can only be regarded as misfortune. 

This card is ruled by Geburah in the suit of Water. Geburah being fiery, there is a natural antipathy. Hence arises the idea of disturbance, just when least expected, in a time of ease.

The attribution is also to Mars in Scorpio, which is his own house; and Mars is the manifestation on the lowest plane of Geburah, while Scorpio, in its worst aspect, suggests the putrefying power of Water. Yet the powerful male influences do not show actual decay, only the beginning of destruction; hence, the anticipated pleasure is frustrated. The Lotuses have their petals torn by fiery winds; the sea is arid and stagnant, a dead sea, like a “chott” in North Africa. No water flows into the cups.

Moreover, these cups are arranged in the form of an inverted pentagram, symbolizing the triumph of matter over spirit.

Mars in Scorpio, moreover, is the attribution of the Geomantic figure Rubeus. This is of such evil omen that certain schools of Geomancy destroy the Map, and postpone the question for two hours or more, when Rubeus appears in the Ascendant. Its meaning is to be studied in the “Handbook of Geomancy” (Equinox Vol. I, No.2).

THE FIVE OF CUPS - DISAPPOINTMENT

Astrology: Mars in the 1. decan of Scorpio Tree of Life: Geburah through Water

The Five of Cups stands for an emotional crisis. It might be that unconscious fears come true, it could tell that feelings are disrupted or wasting away, the soul is empty and unfulfilled. 

In the sequence of the cups, the Five is the logical consequence of the Four. The grey tristesse that was lurking behind the luxury's glamour is now exposed, the 'truth is out'. 

The Five of Cups implies the loss of illusion, the realization of a deception. It hurts, but is necessary when we don't want to spend the rest of our lifes with our heads in the sand. The 5 is the quintessence, the power that exceeds the 4 - Geburah is motion and changing, the power of destruction. 
To put it plain: we have to learn how to crawl before we can learn to walk.

Drive: Disillusion, pain, loss, sadness 

Light: Sobering, realisation, separation as a consequence 

Shadow: Bitterness, emptiness, treachery, deceit, detraction

THE FIVE OF CUPS - Disappointment - Saturn - Venus / Moon - Grief

Keywords: Mars in Scorpio, unfulfilled hopes, lost sense of balance, problematic relationships, old wounds

Advice: Either some of your over-ambitious hopes have collapsed, or your fear of disappointment lies deep within you. It's time to learn the lesson.

Questions: In what areas of your life do you fear disappointment? What have you learned from the disappointments that you have experienced so far? How can you prevent disappointment?

Suggestion: Draw one card for each of the above questions.

Revelation: By seeing where I trick myself, where I deny my inner voice, I begin to know my own inner reality.

Analogies:

Ji-Ching: 54. Kuei Mei (The Married Girl)

Mythology: The Mourning (Psyche)

Keywords: farewell, anxiety, pain, grief, grief, melancholy

Every port we leave has a port to which we return.

FIVE OF CUPS

General Meaning

The Five of this suit traditionally portrays the mess that is left after an emotional upheaval, such as a tantrum or fit of rage. Consequences run the gamut from a hangover and lost wages, to abuse and ruined relationships.

This card is also sometimes called Inheritance, suggesting the cross-generational legacy of such tragedies. Violent family patterns magnified to a much larger scale can become war.

In the Reversed Position

The Five of Cups reversed represents a paradoxical situation wherein what seems like the worst thing that could happen actually creates a better circumstance.

Any incoherent fear, once expressed and faced, can be transformed into a manageable issue. Then you are liberated from the dread of negative anticipation, wondering if the situation will blow up in your face. You are freer to act authentically as a result of this energy turn.

In the Advice Positon

The Five of Cups in this position advises you to tighten your belt, make do with less and show more appreciation for the things you do have. If something is truly yours, it cannot be lost. When you are experiencing feelings of loss, it may be because of an inappropriate emotional attachment. If you promise things that you cannot deliver, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment to follow. In overestimating our abilities, we are forced to face our limits.

Be grateful that as the cups fell, you lost only three of the five. Two are still intact, pristine and full of sacred energy. Do not cling to the setback. Focus on the potential.

Read more:

• » The Book of Thoth - A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians by Aleister Crowley.
• » Liber LXXVIII - On the Tarot - A complete treatise on the Tarot giving the correct designs of the cards with their attributions and symbolic meanings on all planes. - A description of the Cards of the Tarot, with their attributions, including a method of divination by their use.
• » Manuscript N - The Tarot - A Golden Dawn Manuscript - A Theoricus Adeptus Minor Paper.