Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain/CC0)
TL;DR: According to Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), the King of Cups upright is a fair man, one who works in business, law, or religion, responsible and willing to help; reversed, a deceitful, two-faced person, injustice and loss. In current Tarot reading, the upright card indicates calm amid emotional storms, wisdom, and tolerance; reversed, hiding true feelings, coldness, or emotional manipulation. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: recognize emotions before responding, and view the card as material for reflection rather than a certain prediction.
What card is the King of Cups?
The King of Cups is the last card in the Cups suit of the Minor Arcana, usually associated with the image of a king seated on a throne in the middle of the sea. In the 78-card deck, the Cups suit speaks of emotional life and intuition, while the King of Cups is the most mature of the four King-level cards in this suit. The card appears in many different Tarot decks, of which the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith and first printed in 1909, is the most popular.
What is in the image on the King of Cups in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck?
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork drawn by Pamela Colman Smith. On the King of Cups, Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): the king holds a short sceptre in his left hand and a large cup in his right; his throne is set upon the sea; on one side a ship is sailing, on the other a dolphin is leaping. Waite also notes that the sign of the Cups suit is bound up with water, and this shows in every court card.
It should be noted that Waite's description in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) includes only those details. Some other details often seen when looking at the artwork, such as the posture, the facial expression or the secondary ornaments, are not part of Waite's description, so one should not attribute to Waite meanings he did not write.
What did Waite in 1911 say about the King of Cups?
Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), in the Divinatory Meanings section for the King of Cups, with two sides, upright and reversed. He lists the following meanings:
- Upright: a fair man, a 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: a dishonest, double-dealing man; roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss.
Waite writes both sides and does not merge them into a single meaning. This means Waite's divinatory meaning is fairly broad, covering both the image of a trustworthy man and a negative side when the card is reversed. The divinatory meanings Waite sets out in the 1911 book are often different from modern meanings.
In today's way of reading Tarot, what does the King of Cups mean?
In today's way of reading Tarot, the King of Cups is usually understood as calm before emotional storms, wise and forgiving when the card is upright. When the card is reversed, today's reading usually understands it as hiding true feelings, being cold or manipulating others' emotions. Common keywords include calm, wise, forgiving.
A clear distinction is needed: this is the meaning according to today's way of reading, which is also the meaning the site's card-drawing tool uses, not the divinatory meaning Waite sets out in the 1911 book. Waite's meaning and the modern meaning are often different, so when reading a spread, users should know which system they are following.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the King of Cups is a card that evokes the image of a person who has been through many emotional storms and has learned to sit still amid them. The king in the artwork is not someone without emotions, but someone accustomed to observing his own flow of emotion instead of being swept along by it. The image of the throne set upon the sea, a ship on one side and a dolphin on the other, can be understood as two sides of inner life: the visible part and the submerged part, the moving part and the still part.
This understanding is not Waite's official divinatory meaning, nor is it the popular meaning in modern Tarot books, but a contemplative angle. Readers can use it as material to compare against their own circumstances.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion for today
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if today you meet a situation that makes emotions rise strongly, try to spend a few minutes recognising that emotion before responding. At work, listening carefully before giving an opinion can help reduce tension with colleagues. In love, saying what you truly feel calmly can be more helpful than keeping it inside. As for finances and health, this is not a card that forecasts specific outcomes, so every decision still needs to rest on real information and on consulting a professional when needed.
Quick reference table: the King of Cups upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Suit | Minor Arcana - Cups |
| Number | 14 |
| Main keywords | calm, wise, forgiving |
| Meaning upright | Calm before emotional storms, wise and forgiving. |
| Meaning reversed | Hiding true feelings, being cold or manipulating others' emotions. |
| Waite's 1911 divinatory meaning (upright) | 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. |
| Waite's 1911 divinatory meaning (reversed) | Dishonest, double-dealing man; roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss. |
Reading the King of Cups in a specific spread
When the King of Cups appears in a spread, how to read it depends on the card's position and the specific question. In today's way of reading Tarot, if the card is upright, it usually points to a person or a situation that needs calm and forgiveness. If the card is reversed, it usually points to emotions being hidden or being used to influence others.
This card should not be seen as a certain forecast of the future. Tarot cards are usually used as tools for reflection and suggestion, not as a substitute for practical decisions or professional advice.
Is the King of Cups a card of love?
In today's way of reading, the King of Cups is usually tied to mature feeling and understanding, but not every card speaks only of love. The meaning also depends on the question and the surrounding cards.
Is the reversed King of Cups a bad sign?
Not necessarily. In today's way of reading, the reversed side usually points to emotions being hidden or manipulated, but that is a signal to look again at the situation, not a verdict.
Did Waite say the King of Cups is a fair man?
Waite writes in the 1911 book that the upright side includes "fair man, man of business, law, or divinity" and related meanings. This is Waite's divinatory meaning, not the meaning popular today.
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards And The Meanings Of The Major/Minor Arcana
