King of Cups
Secret whisperHis throne floats on restless water; the calm one steers the tide.
Upright meaning
Upright keywordsemotional balance, diplomacy, wisdom, generosity
Emotional maturity and calm leadership. Keep heart and head in balance, and others will trust your steadiness.
Reversed meaning
Reversed keywordsmanipulation, moodiness, coldness, volatility
Emotions are being bottled up or used to control. Stay grounded and honest about what you feel.
About the suit of Cups
Cups belong to Water: feelings, love, friendship, intuition and the imagination. They show what is happening in the heart and in your relationships.
Reading the Kings of the tarot
Kings hold the suit outwardly: authority, responsibility and leadership in the world.
In Waite’s own words (1910)
From A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, public domain. Original English text.
Divinatory meaning: Fair man, man of business, law, or divinity; responsible, disposed to oblige the Querent; also equity, art and science, including those who profess science, law and art; creative intelligence.
Reversed: Dishonest, double-dealing man; roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss.
The picture
He holds a short sceptre in his left hand and a great cup in his right; his throne is set upon the sea; on one side a ship is riding and on the other a dolphin is leaping. The implicit is that the Sign of the Cup naturally refers to water, which appears in all the court cards.
