Twos symbolize formation, polarity and the coming together of opposites.  Cups are associated with the element of water, with emotions, love, pleasure in life, matters pertaining to the unconscious, intuition and inner planes.  The 2 of Cups offers a message of joining, an emotional relationship, being part of a couple.

Gail Fairfield:  You are validating or claiming a psychic or intuitive experience.  You are choosing to open up to that inner part of yourself and accept your own psychic talents.  You could also be connecting with some private feelings or choosing a secret relationship.

Artist's Inner Vision (AIV):  "On the negative side, this card can represent the end of a relationship, a lack of trust between two individuals.  Or it could be fear of taking the risk that a new relationship brings to you.  You see there is no net on the reverse side of the card; the position is insecure.  This can also mean saying one thing and doing another, not being true."  The movies The Goodbye Girl and Say Anything are suggested as representing the energy of this card.

On the Fairy Tale 2 of Cups, Lisa Hunt uses a German folk tale called Brother and Sister to illustrate the nature of this card.  The tale shares the fate of a brother and sister who suffer at the hands of a evil stepmother.  The brother finds himself transformed into a roe and the sister cares for him.  One day a king hunting the roe learns its secret and trick the sister into opening the door for him.  The king falls in love with Sister and they marry.  She and the roe go to live at the palace.  The stepmother is furious that they have survived and plots to change this.  She sneaks into the castle after the queen has given birth and suffocates her, replacing her with her daughter who she enchants to look just like the queen.  Eventually they are found out and the king brings his queen back to life by embracing her ghost.  Once the stepmother is vanquished, the brother is returned to his true form and they all live happily ever after.

Both cards reinforce the idea that the emotional bond between two people, whether it is romantic or not, can be sustaining and nurturing in our lives.  When I read the story associated with the 2 of Cups in the Fairy Tale Tarot I was reminded me of the movie Ladyhawke.  In this magical love story, Rutger Hauer plays a knight who is cursed to wander the earth as a wolf when the sun goes down because of his love for Michelle Pfeiffer.  She, in turn, transforms into a hawk during the daylight hours and resumes her human form at night.  The two stay together but are never able to actually be with each other until the spell is broken (which of course it eventually is).  It is touching to see how they stay together despite the challenges that face them.

How often do we take for granted those in our lives who love us?  I know that I sometimes take my hubby for granted, something I am trying to rectify.  I have also noticed that a lot of married couples seem to lose sight of their own relationship once children come along.  It's as though they put the marital partnership on hold and by the time they get back to it there is nothing left.  I think the 2 of Cups is a reminder that we need to occasionally go off and share a special moment or two with our partners.  We need to let them know that we appreciate them and love them.  When we lose sight of that bond between us we also risk losing the relationship.  I think this card is reminding me that I need to recognize how much I rely on my hubby and how much he relies on me for emotional support and love.  We are both lucky we have each other.