Tarot Card Combination
Strength+Five of Cups
力量 & 聖杯五
The alchemical union of Strength's fiery will with the Five of Cups' watery grief creates a transformative crucible. This pairing signifies the profound courage required to face emotional loss or disappointment, not by brute force, but through compassionate acceptance. The resulting 'steam' symbolizes the creative potential released when raw passion meets deep feeling, urging you to channel sorrow into a source of inner power and renewed purpose.
This combination speaks to a critical juncture where inner fortitude is tested by emotional setback. Strength (Fire, VIII) represents the taming of primal instincts through gentle, persistent will—the courage of the heart. The Five of Cups (Water, V) depicts a moment of mourning, fixation on what is spilled rather than what remains. Together, they indicate that your current strength is being forged in the fires of disappointment. The traditional meaning suggests not the avoidance of grief, but the mastery of it. You are called to acknowledge loss fully (Five of Cups) while simultaneously drawing upon a deeper, lion-taming resilience (Strength) to eventually turn and see the upright cups—the opportunities that persist. This is the alchemy of suffering into wisdom.
Elemental Analysis
Fire (Strength) meeting Water (Five of Cups) creates Steam, a potent symbol of transformation and latent energy. Fire's passion risks boiling Water into turbulent, scalding emotion. Conversely, Water's grief can dampen Fire's vitality. In balance, however, Water tempers Fire's rashness, allowing for sustained, warm courage. Fire energizes stagnant Water, preventing despair from becoming permanent. Their interaction here is dynamic tension—the heat of will applied to the cold waters of sorrow, producing the motive force (steam) for movement and change.
Numerology Insights
The sum of 8 (Strength) and 5 (Five of Cups) is 13. In tarot numerology, 13 reduces to 4 (1+3=4), bridging change (13) with stability (4). Traditionally, 13 signifies transformation, death of the old, and revolutionary creativity. It echoes the Death card's energy—not literal death, but the necessary ending that makes rebirth possible. Here, it underscores that this emotional trial (5) processed through inner mastery (8) is a creative, transformative act leading to a new foundation.
Reversal Meanings
Strength Reversed
Strength reversed suggests a depletion of inner resources, where courage gives way to insecurity, raw anger, or a sense of powerlessness. The gentle mastery over one's instincts is lost, potentially leading to coercion, intimidation, or a lack of self-control. The lion of passion is unchained, not through wisdom, but through fear or weakness.
Five of Cups Reversed
Five of Cups reversed indicates a slow, often reluctant, emergence from a state of mourning or regret. It can signify the first conscious decision to look up from the spilled cups, to accept the loss, and to begin moving forward. However, it may also represent a repressed or denied grief that continues to poison from the shadows.
Both Cards Reversed
With both cards reversed, there is a dangerous confluence of inner weakness and unresolved, suppressed grief. This suggests a period where you feel both powerless (Strength Rx) and emotionally numb or in denial (5oC Rx). Actions may be passive-aggressive or self-sabotaging. The warning is against allowing despair to corrode your sense of agency entirely. The path forward requires first acknowledging the depth of the emotional freeze.
Spiritual Guidance
This is a profound lesson in spiritual alchemy: the transmutation of pain into power. The Five of Cups represents the necessary descent into melancholy or disillusionment that precedes deeper awakening. Strength provides the sacred tool for this work: fearless compassion directed inward. Your spiritual path currently involves sitting with emotional or psychic 'loss' without being consumed by it, discovering that within the heart of your sorrow lies an untapped wellspring of gentle, unshakeable fortitude. The steam signifies the rising prayer or insight born from this inner crucible.
Yes/No Reading Guide
The tendency is a qualified 'no,' or 'not yet.' The presence of the Five of Cups indicates a current situation defined by loss or disappointment that must be fully integrated. Strength suggests the outcome depends entirely on your ability to apply compassionate resilience. A 'yes' is possible, but only after navigating this emotional passage with courage.
Historical & Mythological Context
In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, Strength (VIII) was originally Justice (XI), highlighting its deeper link to moral fortitude over physical power. The Five of Cups draws from medieval imagery of mourning, often linked to the concept of 'acedia' or spiritual melancholy. Their combination reflects an esoteric understanding of emotional trial as a test of the soul's virtuous power.
Meditation & Reflection
Visualize the lion of your passions resting its head gently in the lap of your sorrow. Feel the warmth of courage meeting the cool waters of regret. Breathe in, and witness the steam of transformation rising between them. What new shape does this energy begin to form?
Practical Advice
Do not fear the heat of your emotions or the depth of your disappointment. Engage with them fully, but with the mindful restraint of Strength. Your task is not to fight the feeling, but to hold space for it with a heart both brave and tender. Then, consciously turn your gaze from what is lost to what endures and can be rebuilt.
Things to Watch
Beware the temptation to either bulldoze through your feelings with forced optimism (misapplied Strength) or to drown in them completely (unchecked Five of Cups). Either extreme bypasses the transformative work this pairing requires.
Individual Card Meanings
Strength
力量
The Strength card shows a woman gently closing a lions mouth—not through force, but through patience, love, and inner power. This card represents the strength that comes from compassion rather than aggression. It speaks of courage, but the quiet kind—the bravery to face our fears, tame our inner beasts, and handle difficult situations with grace. When Strength appears, you are called to approach challenges not with brute force but with patience, understanding, and gentle persistence. Your inner strength is greater than any external obstacle. Trust in your ability to overcome through love rather than fear.
View full meaning →Five of Cups
聖杯五
The Five of Cups shows a cloaked figure mourning over three spilled cups, while two upright cups stand behind them, unnoticed. This card represents grief, loss, and focusing on what went wrong rather than what remains. It suggests a period of mourning and disappointment, but reminds you that not all is lost—there are still opportunities for emotional recovery.
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