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King of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

The final card in the Suit of Cups, the King of Cups tarot card, is all about emotions. It asks us to maintain a perfect balance between our heart and mind. It is a card of calmness, care, compassion and control of emotions, and it teaches us the importance of our feelings when things get tough. This Minor Arcana tarot card also reminds us to use the wisdom of our brains and the compassion of our hearts to make the right decisions.

Main Features of King of Cups

What are the hidden features of the King of Cups tarot card? Let's discover the hidden and main features of the King of Cups via associated planets, zodiac signs, parts, and much more!

  • Parts of King of Cups Card- Upright and Reversed
  • Element- Water
  • Planet- Neptune
  • Zodiac Signs- Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
  • Yes or No Card- Yes
  • Crystal- Emerald

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King of Cups Card Symbol Meaning

Taking a closer look at the image of the King of Cups tarot card, we see a King sitting on his throne. He is wearing a long, flowing robe, usually in shades of blue, red, and yellow and an amulet shaped like a fish on his neck. He holds a wand in his left hand and a cup in his right hand.

Behind him, we see a calm sea, depicting his calm and balanced emotional state. Below is the meaning and the representation of each element in the appearance of the King of Cups tarot card:

  • Calm Ocean: The ocean is seen in the backdrop of the King of Chalices and is calm without any big waves. This is because the calm ocean represents the King’s stable and calm state of mind. Known as the master of emotions, the King has mastered his feelings and knows how to handle any situation with calm and peace.
  • Throne: The throne on which the King sits represents his power, authority, and control. However, his power is not about ruling his people. Instead, it is about controlling his emotions, thoughts, and feelings. This is why he is known as the ‘master of emotions’.
  • Fish: In tarot reading, fish are usually associated with intuitions and the subconscious mind. In the King of Cups tarot card, the fish represents the King’s ability to understand things at a deeper level. He listens to his inner voice and trusts his gut feelings and intuitions.
  • Cups: Cups symbolise emotions and relationships in a tarot reading. The cup the King seems to hold shows his connection with his emotions. Moreover, it shows how deeply the King cares for the people around him and understands their emotions.
  • Robes: The blue robe the King is wearing showcases his wisdom and maturity. It is proof of how mature and experienced the King is. He is no less than a respected leader who has gained experience by learning many lessons in his life.

King of Cups Tarot Card- Upright

The upright position of the King of Cups in a tarot reading represents maturity, care, calmness, wisdom, and emotional intelligence. It says that you are calm, composed, and caring toward others. Learning from past experiences, you have mastered your emotions and know how to handle challenges with grace and peace.

Getting the King of Cups tarot guide you to trust your intuitions and gut feelings and be compassionate towards others and yourself. Seen as a positive sign of emotional stability, you have maintained a perfect balance between your heart and mind and always make the right and smart decisions.

King of Cups AspectsKing of Cups Keywords (Upright)
CareerA respectable career, leadership skills
LoveA caring and loving partner
HealthGood mental and physical health
FinanceFinancial security and stability
SpiritualityA deep connection with the inner self

King of Cups Upright Meaning in Love

The King of Cups love tarot card indicates a loving, caring, and mature partner. The card senses that your partner truly understands you at the emotional level and takes care of all your needs. Your relationship is filled with the energies of love, care, compassion, and passion. However, at the same time, the King of Cups tarot card teaches you to be tolerant towards your partner.

The King of Cups card gives singles a chance to learn lessons from their past. It senses a painful breakup but a beautiful phase after that. You may soon meet your ‘special someone’ and forget about everything. Whether you are single or in a relationship, the King of Cups love card showers its blessings on everyone.

King of Cups Upright Meaning in Career

On the professional front, the King of Cups career revolves around leadership skills and a stable and successful career. Maybe you have a supportive and experienced mentor or superior at work who is guiding you every step of the way. If not, then you are capable of making smart decisions for yourself. Using the power of your mind and heart, you are an expert at making the right choices and handling challenging situations.

This is why the people around you admire and respect your work. This card is also a green signal for people thinking about starting their new business venture. The King Cups tarot card trusts your abilities and encourages you to move forward with courage and confidence. Soon, you will be asked to handle a top position or lead the others around you, the card says.

King of Cups Upright Meaning in Health

Pulling a King of Cups health card is a sign of relief for people suffering from physical health issues. The card says that soon, your healing process will gain momentum. However, just like a king, the power or control is in your hands to heal from the health issues you are currently dealing with. It totally depends on what kind of healing process you want to opt for.

You can seek relief through yoga or meditation or by trusting old remedies. Moreover, the King of Chalices card wants you to prioritise your mental health along with your physical health. Therapy sessions and groups can help you achieve inner peace and harmony. If something is draining you emotionally, it is better to talk about it with your loved ones or therapist.

King of Cups Upright Meaning in Finance

Regarding finances, the King of Cups tarot card is all about enjoying financial stability and security. The only reason you are enjoying a comfortable financial life right now is the sound financial judgements made in the past. However, right now, the King of Chalices tarot card urges you to make logical and practical financial decisions to enjoy this financial stability in the future as well.

You should be careful while making big financial or investment decisions. If you wish to enjoy your ‘kingdom’ in the future, you must learn to play safe in finances. This is why the King of Cups as advice asks you to make a proper budgeting plan to avoid mistakes. At the same time, the tarot card guides you to take care of others around you with financial aid.

King of Cups Upright Meaning in Spirituality

In a spiritual context, the appearance of the King of Cups in tarot is no less than a good sign. Just like your emotions, you have mastered your intuitions and psychic abilities. As a result, you find no difficulty connecting with your inner self. The tarot card senses that you are intact in your gut feelings and use them often to make smart decisions.

However, getting the King of Cups tarot card in a spiritual reading is also a sign of understanding the message of the spirits. Using your intuition and psychic powers, pay attention to what your guardian angels are trying to say to you. Maybe your spirits want to make you aware of the upcoming challenges and want to see you prepared.

King of Cups Tarot Card- Reversed

The King of Cups, in reverse position, is all about emotional detachment and instability. It means that you have no sense of control over your emotions and feelings. Maybe you have become too emotionally sensitive or are hiding your true emotions. Getting the King of Cups reversed as feelings indicates that maybe you or someone in your life is controlling, manipulative and emotionally unavailable.

Along with this, the King Cups tarot comes as a sign to pay attention to the people around you and avoid unnecessary drama or conflicts. In this case, the King of Cups tells you to address the emotional turmoil going on inside you first to restore balance and harmony in your life.

King of Cups AspectsKing of Cups Keywords (Reversed)
CareerMisuse of power, Lack of satisfaction
LoveManipulation and selfishness in love
HealthPsychological Issues and Physical Health issues
FinancePoor financial decisions, Financial fraud and cheating
SpiritualityBlocked psychic powers, Lack of inner peace

King of Cups Reversed Meaning in Love

The appearance of the King of Cups reversed love is not at all positive for love relationships. On one hand, the King of Chalices senses the energies of deceit, manipulation, and selfishness. On the other, emotional instability creates problems and conflicts in love relationships. Either you or your partner are completely selfish, ignoring the desires and wants of the significant other.

However, the other King of Cups meaning in love relationships is abuse, cheating and emotional manipulation. You seem to be in love with a person who is not honest with you, has cheated in the past and plays with your mind using his manipulative powers. For singles, the card hints at emotional struggle.

Maybe you desire a happy and healthy relationship, but your emotional turmoil stops you from achieving that. Whatever the situation you are dealing with currently, the tarot card meaning King of Cups, asks you to prioritise your emotional well-being and move away from the things draining you emotionally.

King of Cups Reversed Meaning in Career

On the professional front, the King of Cups career is all about a person sitting at the topmost position. This person could be your boss, who has made it almost impossible for you to work using your full potential. The Reverse King of Cups reveals that the situation has become so bad that you no longer want to continue your job. Your authority or boss’s misuse of power and manipulation are the major factors responsible for your disturbed emotional state.

However, on the brighter side, the King of Cups reversed in a career tarot reading brings a green signal to switch jobs or careers. It is also seen as a sign of encouragement for people working in the creative industries. Moreover, the King of Cups as advice talks about addressing these dishonest issues, manipulations and power games at your workplace and stabilise your state of mind.

King of Cups Reversed Meaning in Health

Health-wise, Reversed King of Cups health highlights the psychological and emotional issues you are dealing with. All these psychological issues, such as stress, anxiety or even depression, have taken a huge toll on your mental health lately. For you, the only escape to this situation is alcohol consumption and drug intake. The card senses that taking the help of alcohol and drugs is your only coping mechanism.

As a result, along with psychological issues, you seem to suffer from physical health disorders such as immune system disorders and stomach and heart-related issues. How badly or deeply affected your health is, the appearance of the King of Cups health card is here to make you aware of your actions. It is a sign of encouragement, asking you to take immediate action and start paying attention to your health.

King of Cups Reversed Meaning in Finance

Financially, the King of Cups in reverse position will do you no favours. Termed as a not-so-positive card, King of Cups in Finances highlights your poor financial decisions and emotional instability. Currently, you seem totally unaware of the concepts of savings, financial security, and stability. Your current favourite thing is to spend your hard-earned money on unnecessary expenses without giving it a second thought.

The King of Cups reversed feelings sense that maybe your emotions are out of line, and spending your money continuously is one way of bringing them under control. If this were not enough, the King of Cups reversed, revealing that someone could take advantage of your emotional instability and try to fool or fraud you. This is why the King of Cups advice you not to trust anyone regarding your finances. Start paying attention to your finances and look at how you can overcome the current situation.

King of Cups Reversed Meaning in Spirituality

Spiritually, the appearance of the King of Cups reversed means that all your psychic powers and abilities are blocked. As a result, you are not able to use your psychic powers. The King of Cups tarot card senses that no matter what you do, finding inner peace and comfort seems like a struggle. There could be two reasons behind your blocked spiritual energy: involvement of dark powers and not sufficient efforts towards spiritual practices.

Starting with the dark powers, the King of Cups reversed reveals that for quite some time, you have been taking the help of dark powers or magic to make your desires fulfilled. Remember that the energies you send out in the universe will return to you sooner or later. This is why you are not able to use psychic powers currently. If this is not the case, another King of Cups reversed meaning is that you are not putting enough effort and hard work into your spiritual growth and development.

King of Cups Yes or No Meaning

In a yes-or-no tarot reading, the King of Cups is seen as one of the strongest and most positive tarot cards, solving problems with ease, no matter how tough they seem. Usually, this card's appearance is no less than a green signal, but sometimes, its reverse position can change the whole meaning and interpretation. So, let us look at the different meanings of the King of Cups yes or no tarot reading.

  • Upright: Yes—In an upright position, the King of Cups gives the individual a ‘green signal’ to move forward with his situation without any second thought. This is because the individual seems confident and fully controls his emotions. He is well aware of the path ahead and is not afraid of facing the upcoming challenges. Using a perfect balance between wisdom and emotions, the individual can make the wisest decision for himself.
  • Reversed: No—Pulling a King of Cups reversed yes or no is a ‘clear no’. There are two major reasons why acting on the situation right now is not a good idea. Firstly, the King of Cups reversed card senses that the individual is not being completely honest with the people around him. Moving forward with the current situation will be no less than inviting his bad karma. Secondly, the card hints that the individual is not in a clear state of mind to make decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The very last card in the Suit of Cups, the King of Cups, revolves around emotional balance, control, and leadership. Pulling this card in a tarot reading clearly indicates that the individual has perfectly controlled his emotions. Moreover, he is someone who knows how to balance his heart and mind.
In a tarot reading, the King of Cups card is associated with the dreamy and intuitive Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. All these zodiac signs are emotionally sensitive and creative in nature, just like a King of Cups tarot card.
In a yes or no tarot card reading, the King of Cups is a ‘yes card’ indicating the individual to proceed with the situation he is dealing with currently. Getting this card means the individual has maintained a perfect balance between his mind and heart. He is clearly aware of his next action plan.
The King of Cups as intentions means that the individual is extremely supportive, caring, and helpful towards his loved ones. They would go the extra mile just to help others in need. Pulling the King of Cups as intentions in reverse position indicates feelings of anger, jealousy, stress, and anxiety.
In an upright position, King of Cups future means that the individual will soon witness a situation where his leadership skills will come in handy. In the reversed position, the King of Cups future reveals a period of emotional dissatisfaction.
The King of Cups in love relationships advises the individual not to take their partner for granted. The card reveals that the person they are dating truly loves and cares for them. They are not the ones who will leave once the relationship starts hitting ups and downs. Instead, they are going to be in for the long run.
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