The Ace of Cups introduces us to the Cups suit in Tarot with open arms. In fact, this card depicts a hand emerging from a cloud, fingers outstretched with a lovely golden goblet balanced on top of the palm. Water – the element ever present in this suit – overflows around the hand to join a serene pond at the bottom of the card where water lilies grow. Above this goblet, a white dove hovers holding a Communion Wafer, a popular image from Medieval times such as the painting by Wilhelm Hauschild called the Temple of the Holy Grail (painted in 1878). Drawing from the myth and legend of the Holy Grail, we can see how the dove represents the descent of Spirit into flesh, of the supernatural manifesting into the natural. Doves are also associated with love Goddesses such as Venus and Aphrodite as well as with gentleness and peace. In Jungian psychology, water often symbolizes the subconscious, which flows over the chalice and comes into the light (or conscious), joining the universal pool of subconscious again below. The lotus blossoms, rooted in deep mud, rise through the waters to bloom in the light of consciousness and keep the water clean, pure and fresh. The image here is an archetypal one – urging us to open ourselves to love, spirituality and beckoning us to blend our more mysterious shadow selves with our more well-known outer natures.
The act of giving and receiving love takes vulnerability, openness and gentle receptivity. When the Ace of Cups reveals itself in a reading, it begs us to soften our hearts. Let us put our Egos and our pride aside to make room for the spiritual nourishment that love brings. Cups often symbolize the Divine Feminine, receptivity and the womb, where life begins and is supported. In the Ace of Cups we see how love is both given and received as watering flowing in a continuous cycle – a reciprocity that deepens us, gives our lives spiritual meaning and purpose and asks us to tap into the lesser known aspects of ourselves, such as our intuition, our passions and our secret yearnings. By doing so we become more fully fledged beings, living to our utmost potential where we can share our gifts, talents and strengths with the world around us.
Opening ourselves to love is no easy task. In many of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Muslim, the lotus flower is associated with purity, spiritual awakening, and rebirth. So let us turn to Lotus Flower Essence (Nelumbo Nucifera), which can help us make room for love by incorporating our shadow selves and by supporting a healthy sense of humility, counteracting the negative effects of our often overactive Egos. Flower essences were first prepared in England in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a physician from the UK who believed that the subtle energy of plants can help balance a person's emotions, which can then lead to mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. Flower essences are liquids that contain the vibrational energy of a flower, and in the case of Lotus Flower, it is believed to provide benefits like promoting emotional balance, enhancing self-awareness, improving focus during meditation, and supporting spiritual growth by addressing energetic imbalances, often used to combat stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.
The lesson of the Ace of Cups and Lotus Flower is one of love. How do we allow ourselves to receive this gift? By returning it tenfold with a deep love of our own. By humbly opening our arms. Devoid of pride, greed, menace or manipulation – we purify ourselves with love, cleansing our spirits in the healing, accepting, nourishing waters of devotion. Diving into love, we discover the true meaning of life.
*Tarot reading is based on the Rider-Waite Tarot Card deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith
References
Carroll, Jenna. “Flower Essence Therapy: What, How and Why?” Endeavour College of Natural Health, 17 March 2020. https://www.endeavour.edu.au/about-us/blog/flower-essence-therapy-what-how-and-why/
Greer, Mary K. “Ace of Cups Symbolism.” Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog, 13 December 2017. https://marykgreer.com/2017/12/13/ace-of-cups-symbolism/
Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. San Francisco, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2007. P206-207
Zwaneveld, Solara Antara. “Lotus Flower Essence.” Nature’s Flowers of Life, Accessed 22 January 2025. https://www.flowersforhealing.com/product/lotus-flower/