Page of Cups
Suit: Cups
Element: Water
Function: Emotions, love, spirituality, imagination
A young man stands along the shoreline, dressed in fine clothing is holding a cup with a fish in it, which appears to be talking to the young man. The young man appears to be listening. He wears a fancy blue hat, the color of spirit and the mind, that itself looks like a little like a fish. He wears a floral tunic with red flowers, symbolizing magic, red stockings, and yellow shoes, symbolizing intellect. He appears to hold up the cup in a toast, but right now, he’s engaged in conversation with a fish that just happened to show up in his cup.
The fish has long symbolized the beginning of creation, where the divine meets the material to create something new. There is no creativity without imagination. The fish in the cup symbolizes the creative and imaginative side of every person, popping up in an otherwise ordinary moment.
And this is perhaps the way that inspiration and creativity works: it comes when we least expect it, from the least likely of places. The page, however, is wise, and he takes time to indulge himself the moment to take the inspiration and listen to what the universe tells him. This isn’t too unlike artists and other creative people, who tend to see the world differently than the average person. They see things differently, and they can behold in a new way what we take for granted or assume can only be seen one way.
The Page of Cups is imagination and creative inspiration personified. There is something to the fact that the scene is a little ridiculous. For all we know, the fish isn’t a real fish, but a manifestation of the page’s thoughts. Either way, this doesn’t bother the page himself. For those on the outside, imagination and creativity can seem like madness or silliness. To be creative and imaginative, one may have to be alone in order to fully realize their vision.
The Page of Cups reminds people that inspiration is nothing unless it is seized, and unless the page listens to the fish, then it won’t learn what the fish has to say. Thus, listening to inspiration also means walking away from conventional voices and those who may tell you to be rational (and to stop wearing big, silly hats).
When the Page of Cups is Reversed:
When the Page of Cups is reversed, the querent may feel that their creativity or imagination is blocked. This card reversed can also indicate a querent who places too much value on the dreams and ideas than on making them reality. Or, they may be focusing their imaginative side less on productive manifestations and more on destructive ones, like drugs, alcohol, overeating, overspending, and other compulsive or addictive behaviors. They may also be sex or love addicted, wasting all their creative energy on relationships that are more distracting than fulfilling. The querent may thus be abusive or exploitative, expecting others to give them the best of themselves without giving much, if any, in return.
In a three-card reading, this card means…
Past: In the past, the querent was struck with inspiration and followed it, which has led them to the present moment.
Present: Currently, the querent is taken with inspiration and focusing their desires and mental energy on making their visions a reality.
Future: In the future querent will find inspiration and a renewal of their imagination and creative energy.