We have now gone through all of the Aces in the Minor Arcana of the tarot. Just a reminder that the main difference between the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana is that the Majors speak to the big mysteries, questions, symbols, archetypes, or moments in life.
The Majors are the “umbrella” cards, the arch of energies that speak to the profound mysteries present in our lives, and the journey of life itself. The 22 cards that make up the Majors portray universal themes of self-discovery, spiritual awakening, and the lived experience.
The Minors are the mirrored opposite of the Majors. The Minors are energies of the day-to-day. Also called the pip cards, the Minors in a tarot deck are the energies that are more immediately accessible, understood, felt, or embodied by us. The Minors, not including the Court cards, are the energies and invitations that speak to living our lives within the context of the day-to-day.
We are out of the initiation and beginning with the Aces, and now journey to the Twos in the Minors. Moving in alphabetical order, we will see how to use the Twos as a way to move forward on this new journey that we have begun.
From Numerology.com, it says this about the numerology of Two:
The Numerology number 2 is known to numerologists as a supremely feminine force, one that represents both grace and power. It is cooperative, always aiming to bring peace and balance back to a relationship or situation. This Numerology number is also very sensitive — of all the numbers, it has the strongest intuition. It is able to sense currents and feelings instinctively, then use these clues to connect with others empathically.
At its very core the 2 in Numerology represents partnerships — the coming together or balancing of two individual people, concepts, or things. While it holds great power over any situation, it wields it with such diplomacy and tact that the result is not control and authority, but harmony and teamwork. It is a mediator, able to see two sides of a situation in an unbiased way and guide others down the middle road.
Giving and Receiving from the heart with the 2 of Cups
The 2 of Cups starts our new journey (initiated by the Ace), and now we are in a space to connect, give, receive, and grow from our hearts and our emotional connections. It is important to note here that while we will see a LOT of romantic imagery with this card, it does not have to speak to romantic love or sexual attraction. Just like the Lovers, this suit is about the heartspace, but it speaks to how we move from the heart, connect to the bigger world, and forge relationships with others (including non-human relationships) that deepen us in our hearts.
I think it is important here to mention the differences between this card and the Lovers, because they are not the same. The Lovers speaks to sacred connections, choices that honor our core truths, and emotional alignments that both change who we are and root us more deeply into ourselves. Think of any great love story in a movie or book. The Lovers are changed and made better by this love, because they are more able to be who they are in their core truth. I am personally thinking of Jack and Rose from Titanic. She was able to be the free spirit she was with Jack. She was able to let go, let loose, and have fun. That is the deep, core alignment of the Lovers card, but again, it doesn’t have to speak to romantic love.
The 2 of Cups is the doing of the Lovers. It is the daily action of moving from a place of emotional connection and authenticity. The 2 of Cups speaks to what it means to live our lives from a place of emotional reception. The first way that I read this card is that it speaks to: Being open to receive and flow from the heart with integrity. The 2 of Cups asks us to consider how we are forging meaningful relationships. Are we moving from a space of emotional growth (again, brought on by the Ace)? Are we letting our emotions connect us to things outside of us that encourage more growth? This card is a reminder that we need to allow a give/take from the heart because it colors our world for the better, but there is also a recognition of who or what deserves this part of ourselves.
Main invitations with the 2 of Cups:
1. Being open to receive and flow from the heart with integrity
2. Pivoting between the spectrum of emotions, with self-love as the hinge
3. Radical devotion to wild reclaiming of intuition
The next way that I read the 2 of Cups is that it speaks to: Pivoting between the spectrum of emotions, with self-love as the hinge. This is part of the growth of the journey and how we honor the offering that was given to us by the Ace. The 2 of Cups reminds that when we start to give and receive from the heart space, we are opening ourselves to the spectrum of emotion. To put it another way, re recognize that we can’t have a closed heart that is impenetrable to negative emotions, but also be open to the positive ones. Now, there is a difference between being vulnerable and being a doormat. You are allowed to create boundaries that honor your emotional needs. You are allowed to remove certain people who will not honor these boundaries, but if we wish to grow in the heart, we need to allow the spectrum and vulnerability to be part of our journey.
This card invites us to grow through a willingness to step into situations ore relationship that create equality, but may also push us in ways that we haven’t been before. This push towards growth is where the capacity of our emotions starts to build. This is where we understand what boundaries need to be held constantly, and where we need to grow, maybe even grow up a bit. This card reminds us that we need to have a willingness to grow, to discover, to give, and to deepen if we are going to make anything of this new emotional journey.
The last way that I read the 2 of Cups is that it speaks to: Radical devotion to wild reclaiming of intuition. This means that when this card comes forward, we are being asked to wildly reclaim our intuition. Instead of being told that we need to be nice, to placate, to “go along” with things, we are now given the invitation to deepen in our intuition and to move from a place of emotional integrity, authenticity, and intuitive understanding. The 2 of Cups comes forward when we need to be reminded that everything we wish to experience or do in the external world must be done within the self, and from a place of emotional integrity and intuition. This is how we keep going forward on our journey of discovery and how we deepen our emotional capacity.
Symbolism and Imagery of the 2 of Cups
Let’s take a look at the depictions of this card from my deck collection so that we may learn how to read this card intuitively and symbolically. Starting at the very top we have:
- Tarot of Dragons: One of my favorite depictions because it shows two blue dragons meeting from across a body of water. The mutual connection is in this liminal meeting space of water, and both dragons will grow in the heart because of this mutuality.
- Rider-Waite: A man and woman exchange cups within a celebration, symbolized by their clothes and laurel wreaths. The red lion with wings symbolizes elevation in strength and, within the context of alchemy, symbolizes the transformation sought through the work of alchemy by combining different elements to create something better (the philosopher’s stone).
- Bird King Tarot: This is another of my favorite depictions of this card! It shows a ghost and a stag who have found connection and devotion to each other, highlighting the need for authenticity. If we try to “be” something other than who we are, we will never have the emotional experiences that we seek because we are only connecting to others who want the fake us.
- The Wild Unknown: The rose is the most iconic symbol of deep emotional reception, love, and beauty. Often given and speaks to this emotional feeling in a way that words simply can’t.
- Hush Tarot: Two harpies embrace each other as they are. Another reminder here of authenticity, but we also see the binary. Young and old. Life and death. Beauty and destruction. The harpies are powerful enough to sink ships and were personifications of the wind. This is a reminder, too, of the power of the heart and a need to stay unified with intuition and keep your purpose in this emotional situation clear.
- Guardian of the Night Tarot: The elephants symbolize one of the most beautiful things about the 2 of Cups, the ability to not only follow our own intuition, but to use it to attune to the energies of another. Elephants also symbolize the harmony that comes when we let our hearts lead from a place of softness, connection, and mutual reception.
- Shadowscapes Tarot: Opposing tree spirits come together and weave themselves together, bringing harmony not only for them but for others as well. Harmony can be felt by all!
- Fantastical Creatures Tarot: Two mer-people are harmoniously intertwined. Together, they reach for the cup of spiritual love while pearls of wisdom adorn their body. The ruins behind them represent past lives or situations that mark chapters of how we became who we are. The bubbles that rise are a rising of consciousness, breath, and truth.
- Spirit Animal Tarot: The Dolphin encourages play, connection, and a need to explore the capacity of our emotional ocean within. This card symbolizes a need to move through rigid or hard emotions with a sense of grace so that we move towards elation, connection, and harmony.
- Herbcrafter’s Tarot: Mallow has both sturdy stalks but delicate flowers that bring pollinators, who elevate the whole garden. As an herb, mallow helps heal dry, brittle wounds. Mallow softens both physically and spiritually. Aphrodite is seen at the base of the birdbath, which is a reminder to be radical in love and attaction.
Our last four!
- Ostara Tarot: Two birds embrace within a space that is both safe and comforting. Within this tiny universe, lit with their own night sky, they are able to give and receive freely.
- Tarot of the Sorceress: Our 2 of Cups is depicted here as twilight, which is another reference to both/and, or the binary. Here, the binary is light and shadow. The liminal space suspends us into the preciousness of the present moment, which is a beautiful reminder to take from this card.
- Dark Wood Tarot: The archetype of this card is recognition. Two wild horses bring tenderness to the other because they recognize the wild in the other. The horses use scent to identify, and now time stands still as they embrace each other completely. There is a beautiful theme with this card of recognition and witness: seeing someone or something for who they are completely, and knowing that they see you.
- Tarot of the Woodland Wardens: Two beavers embrace in celebration. Beavers represent home, teamwork, and resourcefulness. As a keystone species, they bring harmony to others through their authenticity and hard work. Through the creation of dams, they reroute rivers, strengthen waterways, and symbolically encourage a strong flow from the heart.
Thank you for reading!!! Let me know your thoughts on this card, or any depictions that I have included. Perhaps you have a depiction of the 2 of Cups that you would like to share.
Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
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