Card Meaning

The King of Cups represents emotional maturity, balance, and leadership through compassion. He reflects wisdom and the ability to navigate turbulent waters with grace. This card encourages staying centered and offering support but cautions against emotional detachment or manipulation.

Card Themes

  • Emotional Maturity
    Reflects balance and mastery over emotions.
  • Compassionate Leadership
    Encourages guiding others with wisdom and care.
  • Stability in Relationships
    Highlights trust and emotional security.
  • Creative Authority
    Represents controlling emotional expression effectively.
  • Emotional Detachment
    Warns against becoming too reserved or manipulative.

Card Symbolism

  • The Figure
    A calm king sits on a throne surrounded by water, symbolizing mastery of emotions and compassion.
  • The Throne
    The throne appears to float, signifying balance amidst emotional challenges.
  • The Symbols
    A fish and a ship in the background symbolize adaptability and exploration.
King Of Cups

UPRIGHT

King Of Cups

REVERSED

Upright Meaning

When drawn upright, The King of Cups represents emotional maturity, balance, and leadership through compassion. He reflects the ability to navigate turbulent emotions with grace and wisdom, offering support and stability to others. This card encourages you to lead with empathy and maintain a calm, composed demeanor, even in challenging situations. The King of Cups reminds you to trust your intuition and make decisions that align with your emotional well-being and values. It speaks to the importance of fostering harmony in relationships and creating a nurturing environment. However, it cautions against emotional detachment, manipulation, or suppressing feelings.

Upright Keywords:
Emotional balance, Diplomacy, Compassion, Counseling, Wisdom, Art, Balance, Calm, Control, Leadership

Reversed Meaning

When drawn reversed, the King of Cups represents emotional detachment, manipulation, or instability. It reflects difficulty managing feelings or using emotional intelligence effectively. This card warns against suppressing emotions, using them to control others, or avoiding vulnerability. It may also indicate a lack of empathy or an inability to connect with others on a deeper level. The King of Cups reversed invites you to confront your emotional challenges with honesty and maturity, ensuring that your actions align with your values. It cautions against relying solely on logic or allowing unresolved emotions to undermine your relationships.

Reversed Keywords:
Emotional manipulation, Coldness, Moodiness, Emotional instability, Withdrawal, Depression, Volatility, Excess, Unreliability, Loss of control

Tarot Reading

Love & Relationships

Upright Meaning:
The King of Cups upright in a love reading signifies emotional maturity, balance, and compassion. If you’re single, it suggests the arrival of a partner who is emotionally available and supportive. For those in a relationship, it indicates a steady, nurturing connection built on mutual respect and understanding. The card encourages leading with emotional intelligence and fostering love that feels safe and secure.

Reversed Meaning:
The King of Cups reversed in a love reading represents emotional detachment, moodiness, or manipulation. If you’re single, it suggests difficulty connecting with someone who is emotionally available or trustworthy. For those in a relationship, it indicates struggles with emotional control, lack of empathy, or unresolved conflicts. The card encourages fostering emotional intelligence and honest communication.

Money & Career

Upright Meaning:
In a career context, the King of Cups upright symbolizes emotional intelligence, leadership, and compassion. It suggests achieving success by balancing logic and emotions, especially in leadership roles. This card encourages you to lead with empathy, foster a positive workplace, and maintain a calm and composed demeanor in challenging situations.

Reversed Meaning:
In a career context, the King of Cups reversed represents emotional detachment, manipulation, or poor leadership. It suggests struggling to manage emotions or dealing with an unsupportive work environment. Financially, it warns of poor financial judgment or being misled by others. The card advises leading with integrity, fostering emotional balance, and making informed financial decisions.

Health

Upright Meaning:
For health, the King of Cups symbolizes emotional mastery, stability, and compassion. It suggests achieving a balanced approach to your well-being by managing stress and emotions effectively. This card encourages leading with emotional intelligence, fostering a sense of calm, and making decisions that support long-term health.

Reversed Meaning:
The reversed King of Cups in health readings represents emotional detachment, lack of balance, or difficulty managing stress. It suggests that suppressing emotions or avoiding responsibilities related to your well-being may be causing health issues. The card advises fostering emotional stability, seeking help if needed, and addressing health concerns with a balanced approach.

Spirituality

Upright Meaning:
In spirituality, the King of Cups upright represents emotional mastery, wisdom, and spiritual leadership. It suggests that you are in a place of balance and strength, able to guide others while maintaining your own spiritual alignment. The card encourages you to lead with compassion, trust your intuition, and inspire those around you on their spiritual journeys.

Reversed Meaning:
In spirituality, the King of Cups reversed warns of emotional detachment, imbalance, or misuse of spiritual authority. It may indicate suppressing emotions or struggling to lead with compassion. The card advises cultivating emotional intelligence, reconnecting with your heart, and leading with empathy and integrity in your spiritual pursuits.

Tarot Cards

Arcana Type

King Of Cups is part of the Minor Arcana.
The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards that represent everyday events, challenges, and influences. Divided into four suits—Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles—these cards focus on the practical, emotional, mental, and material aspects of life. While the Major Arcana reflects overarching themes, the Minor Arcana delves into the details of daily experiences, offering insight into decisions, relationships, and actions within specific situations.

Suit Type

King Of Cups is part of the Suit of Cups.
The Suit of Cups symbolizes emotions, relationships, and intuition. It governs matters of the heart, such as love, friendships, and emotional well-being. Cups also represent creativity, inner reflection, and the flow of feelings in both personal and spiritual contexts.

Suit of Cups Keywords:
Emotions, Feelings, Relationships, Intuition, Dreams, Inner-world, Love, Healing, Spirituality

Court Personality

King Personality:
Authority, leadership, mastery, control, power, and stability - A figure who has achieved a significant level success and offers guidance or influence.

Zodiac Signs

Cancer:
Deeply intuitive and nurturing, Cancer prioritizes emotional connection and creating a safe haven for loved ones. Their determination is fueled by their protective and empathetic nature.

Scorpio:
Charming and fair-minded, Libra seeks harmony in relationships and environments. They are natural diplomats, valuing balance and a sense of beauty in all things.

Pisces:
Compassionate and intuitive, Pisces has a deep connection to emotions and the unseen. Their creativity and empathy enable them to dream big and offer support to others.

Tarot Mystic

Element

King Of Cups is associated with the Water element.
Grounded and stable, Earth embodies practicality, security, and the material world. It is connected to growth, perseverance, and the foundations of life.

Chakras

Heart Chakra:
Loving and compassionate, the Heart Chakra bridges the physical and spiritual, focusing on relationships, forgiveness, and unconditional love.

Sacral Chakra:
Creative and sensual, the Sacral Chakra governs emotions, pleasure, and creativity. It encourages flow, passion, and the joy of experience.

Duality

King Of Cups has the duality of Receptive.
Open and intuitive, receptive energy embodies adaptability, understanding, and the willingness to embrace new ideas and possibilities.

Season

King Of Cups is associated with the season of Autumn.
Reflective and transformative, Autumn signifies harvest, change, and letting go. Its a season of gratitude, preparation, and turning inward.