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King of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

One of the most important minor arcana cards, the Kings of Cups tarot card represents emotional balance, generosity, and control. This card appears in your reading when you have all the maturity needed to live a calm and peaceful life. It combines water's positive energy with the king, symbolizing intelligence, calmness, diplomacy, tolerance, and kindness. However, its meaning is not the same for everyone. Therefore, you should go through this article to understand the divine’s message in your specific situation. 

The King of Cups Key Facts 

Below are some important facts and information about the King of Cups tarot card. 

King of Cups Upright Meaning: Compassionate male, sympathetic, faithful, loyal, harmonious, considerate, spiritual advisor, attractive, passionate, simple, dedicated, family-oriented, tolerant, romantic, wise, diplomatic, affectionate, balanced, charming, generous, married man, easy going, good partner/husband/father, and counselor 

King of Cups Reversed Meaning: Overly emotional, emotionally immature, nervous, stressed, unfriendly, indifferent, anxious, overwhelmed, unkind, uncaring, depressed, gullible, withdrawn, repressed, cold, controlling, moody, unbalanced, manipulation, violent, deviance, conman, cheater, affair with a married person, ruthlessness, and restricted creativity


Yes or No Yes
Element Water
Numerology 2
Planet Neptune
Zodiac Sign Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
king of cups tarot card

King of Cups Description

The card shows a king sitting on a throne placed in the middle of a stormy and troubled sea. The king is dressed up in a blue robe, representing his association with water and instinct. Above the robe, we see a yellow cape and a red hem, depicting his authority and power. Moreover, an amulet shaped like a fish adorns the king’s neck, indicating his creativity. 

Furthermore, the king holds a golden goblet in his right hand, symbolizing his thoughts and feelings. He is not looking at the cup. The king is looking somewhere at a distance, signifying inner peace, wisdom, and concentration. 

We also see a wand in the king’s left hand, reflecting his influence and dominance. The scene clearly shows the calmness of the king. He can stay calm even in the midst of stormy waters. 

The king’s throne has a fish depicting his emotions. It signifies that he does not let his emotions overwhelm him; instead, he is the one who controls them. Moreover, the tolerance and wisdom of the king are reflected in the ship rising from the waves. Furthermore, the king has accustomed himself to a lot of foreign people and their traditions as he rules the sea. 

All in all, the King of Cups tarot card depicts the connection between reason and feelings. It shows that you can understand yourself only when you have the capability to control your emotions and balance them. 

King of Cups Meaning (Upright)

The upright King of Cups tarot card meaning is control over creativity, the subconscious, and feelings. This card appears in your reading to indicate that you have mastered your emotions and have become mature enough to not let them take hold of your life. You have the power to act calmly and balance your emotions, even when the universe throws challenges at you. 

Through this card, the divine wants to convey a message that not letting go of your emotional maturity in adverse situations will help you succeed. Another piece of advice from the universe is that you should have firm boundaries to make it clear what you will and will not accept emotionally. 

Like the king in our card, the universe wants you to use your intellect when making decisions, stay true to your feelings, and not let outside circumstances or other people steer you away from your beliefs. 

Another King of Cups meaning is the balance between your heart and mind. You follow a logical approach to evaluate and manage your situation. However, you also use your intuition and understanding of human interaction to arrive at meaningful decisions. 

king of cups tarot card reversed

The card shows that the king keeps his personal goals and objectives aligned with the happiness of others. Whenever there is an imbalance between your emotions and logic, you should try to balance the two, just like the king. 

The king in your card depicts fatherly and masculine energy with an emotional side. He is trustworthy when it comes to taking advice in relation to emotions, feelings, relationships, and creative pursuits. Moreover, the king reflects compassion, understanding, and passion for others, making his relationships strong. 

It is obvious from the card that either you will get a person with the qualities of the king as your mentor, guide, or coach, or you will play this role yourself. 

King of Cups Meaning for Love and Relationships (Upright)

The King of Cups tarot card meaning for single individuals is tolerance. You will be tolerant in your attitude toward selecting a partner. Tolerating other people’s traits will help you uncover qualities essential for a blissful love life. Moreover, the card suggests you should not let fixed dogmas narrow your options. You should be open to different characters to find the best partner. 

Through this card, the universe also indicates that single people may learn a lot from their past relationships to create a beautiful future. You can analyze the past to understand the reasons behind the failure of your relationships and apply the lessons learned to make the future better. 

The appearance of the King of Cups love spread for those in a relationship wants you to follow a solution-oriented approach to fix the problems in your connection. You should not be overly emotional and act diplomatically to solve the issues and be your partner’s role model. 

Another message the universe wishes to convey is that you should be tolerant toward your partner. Instead of trying to change your partner, you should accept their small flaws with an open heart. 

King of Cups Meaning for Career (Upright)

The King of Cups tarot card implies diplomacy in a professional situation. It suggests you act diplomatically to solve workplace conflicts. Moreover, the card shows that your colleagues will value your opinion, respect you, and like you. Furthermore, the universe advises you to keep your life balanced. You should give your work due attention. However, it should not be the only thing you think about. 

For those looking for a job or career change, the card predicts that a profession like therapy, energy therapy, healthcare, etc., will work best for you. Moreover, you should be tolerant of various personalities and work styles at your workplace. You can expect an older male to provide you with the necessary help and guidance on the work front. 

King of Cups Meaning for Health (Upright)

Healthwise, an upright King of Cups tarot spread is a good omen for those struggling with an illness. It indicates that healing is on the way. Moreover, it urges you to allow yourself appropriate rest periods to recharge your body for the day. Furthermore, you should focus on keeping your mind relaxed and stress-free for a healthy life. 

The card also suggests that old remedies, such as herbal compresses, will help you a lot to fight health issues. 

King of Cups Meaning for Finance (Upright)

The King of Cups tarot card meaning is financial security. However, it also reminds you to act cautiously when it comes to undertaking any investments or making any expenditures. You will be financially stable only when you are careful in your financial decisions. The card suggests that you should balance emotions and logic to make the correct decisions. 

Symbolizing a sound financial situation, this card indicates that a loving, sensible, and experienced mentor can help you bring stability to your finances. 

King of Cups Meaning for Spirituality (Upright)

The King of Cups is a great card when it comes to spiritual reading. It denotes a high level of intuitive ability or a significantly developed psychic skill. This card signifies receiving and understanding the spirit’s messages to help other people overcome their problems. Moreover, this minor arcana card urges you to believe in your intuition and abilities. 

King of Cups Meaning (Reversed)

A reversed King of Cups tarot card meaning indicates that you are concentrating on your inner feelings. You are trying to understand the feelings and emotions stored deeply in your unconscious mind and the way they affect your life. Understanding your emotions helps you control them better. Emotions should be controlled to live a well-balanced life. To exercise emotional control, you can take help from self-help books, hypnotherapists, or trained counselors. 

Another indication of the King of Cups in its reversed state is emotional drama and unrest. The people around you may trigger your emotions and push you to the brink of emotional tantrums. Due to emotional worries, you may become moody, unpredictable, anxious, and depressed. You may also lack self-compassion and blame yourself for everything that goes wrong in your life. If this is your current situation, you should find the problem’s root cause and practice emotional balance. 

The card also indicates that you fear confronting your feelings. You try repressing or withdrawing from your emotions. However, bottled-up emotions are doing more harm than good. Hence, you should try consulting a therapist to help you deal with your feelings in a better way. 

king of cups tarot card reversed

We also feel vindictive energy in a reversed King of Cups tarot reading. It depicts a person who is revengeful and uses emotional manipulation to punish others. Emotional blackmail is his key weapon to get what he wants. He makes you feel unsure, and you start blaming yourself for all the wrong that has happened. It makes you emotionally unstable. If this person sounds like someone from your past, you should try releasing yourself from his control. 

King of Cups Meaning for Love and Relationships (Reversed)

The reversed King of Cups tarot card meaning for single individuals is the feeling of agitation and struggle. You may be struggling with a wave of emotions storming inside you. These unbalanced emotions are making you look unapproachable to other people. 

You should try to find the possible reasons behind your emotional turmoil and take active measures to relax your emotions. Well-tuned emotions are the only key to unlocking a fulfilling relationship in your life. Hence, you should not let your feelings become overwhelming. 

Another revelation is that you may be following a very calculative approach in searching for a partner. You should not base your selection of a partner solely on factors, such as a specific profession. Instead, you should search for a partner on an emotional level. You should look for trust, security, and compassion in your partner. 

For those in a relationship, the reversed King of Cups' meaning can be deception and manipulation. You or your partner may manipulate the other, i.e., put their needs before their partner’s requirements. 

Moreover, trust may be lacking in your relationship, leading to serious problems. The card suggests you should confront your partner if you feel they are manipulating you and not wait for the situation to get worse. 

Furthermore, emotional fluctuation is another disturbing factor we notice in a reversed King of Cups love spread. These fluctuations can take the form of heated conflicts in your relationship. Hence, you should follow amicable conflict resolution practices and refrain from aggressive communication. 

King of Cups Meaning for Career (Reversed)

The reversed King of Cups tarot card in a career reading strongly reflects manipulation at the workplace. Someone at work wants to take advantage of you, without worrying about the negative consequences you may have to face. He could be a cruel, cold-blooded, or emotionless male. Hence, you should refrain from doing someone a favor if it could harm you. Also, the universe suggests you should not indulge in any open conflicts. 

Moreover, a lack of teamwork is another reversed King of Cups’ meaning in a career reading. Everyone at your workplace thinks only of themselves and puts their interests before those of their colleagues. If you think this person sounds more like you, it is high time you start supporting your coworkers. 

Furthermore, the card recommends switching jobs if your current job does not bring you joy and fulfillment. For those working in creative industries, the card shows a loss of touch with creativity. Thus, you should try to rediscover your artistic side to work creatively. 

King of Cups Meaning for Health (Reversed)

There is a strong reflection of drug and alcohol abuse in the reversed King of Cups tarot card. The king uses it as a mechanism to cope with emotional stress. It indicates that something in your environment is negatively impacting your well-being and health. Moreover, the card shows that you may be feeling agitated, restless, and experiencing mood swings, or insomnia. 

Here, the advice from the universe is to perform relaxing exercises and activities to restore your inner calmness, accept responsibility for your life, and try to make it better. Also, this card suggests counseling for the management of your addictions. 

King of Cups Meaning for Finance (Reversed)

Generally, a reversed King of Cups tarot card is not a positive omen when it comes to a financial reading. It alerts you against mindless spending, which may make you quickly lose all your money and be unable to afford anything. 

Hence, the advice from the universe is to control your buying impulse, list your important wishes, and make a foolproof savings plan. Moreover, it is recommended that you make a purchase decision only when it is absolutely necessary to do so. 

Additionally, the King of Cups in its reversed state appears as a warning that someone is using emotional manipulation to snatch your money. Hence, the universe advises you to be careful of such people. 

You should not fall for those “emergencies” that keep occurring in the lives of your acquaintances. Help only those who really need it and can pay your money back. 

King of Cups Meaning for Spirituality (Reversed)

Spiritually, a reversed King of Cups tarot card meaning indicates blocked psychic abilities or intuition. It also implies that you are making the wrong use of your powers. Moreover, you might be engaged in dark activities to control or manipulate others for your personal gain and not do things with the best intentions. 

Here, the spirit wants to remind you that life is a boomerang. What you give comes back to you. Hence, you should send only positive energy of love and light to receive the same in return. 

Another meaning of the reversed King of Cups is you are waiting for the spiritual gifts to come to you without making any effort. The divine here suggests you should work hard for your spiritual development. 

King of Cups Tarot Card: Yes or No?

Yes or no, tarot readings are an excellent way to make the correct decisions in tough situations. They help you overcome an emotional dilemma. You can use a one-card pull or yes/no reading to get a straightforward answer to your question. The tarot answers your question with a yes or no, depending on your energy when you asked it and whether you receive an upright or reversed card. The following is a yes or no answer for an upright and reversed King of Cups. 

Upright: The upright King of Cups card urges you to trust your soul’s wisdom when making a choice about anything in life. Presently, it indicates that you are going in the right direction and leading a peaceful life with "Yes" as an answer to your question. 

Reversed: The matter is soul-stirring. It is difficult for you to evaluate the situation and the results of your actions in the case of a reversed King of Cups tarot card. Hence, the universe is answering your question with a "No" to give you time to relax your mind before taking any action. 

King of Cups Meaning in Numerology 

The King of Cups tarot card is related to the number 2. It represents the Moon’s intuitive creativity. When combined with cups and water, this energy reflects emotional balance. 

King of Cups Meaning for Timing 

When emotions and intuition are converted into action, something significant happens, as indicated by the King of Cups. The desired event will happen surely but gradually. You can expect it to happen sometime during the next few weeks or months. 


Let us now conclude our King of Cups tarot guide. We hope you found it useful in making sense of your tarot reading and deciding your future course of action. You can contact our experts for guidance if you still have questions, feel confused, or are stuck with a problem. Our expert tarot readers will be happy to help you.