King of Cups: tarot meaning, upright and reversed

A king holds cup and sceptre on a throne surrounded by moving water.

Upright

composure · care

Hold deep feeling with enough steadiness to respond responsibly.

Reversed

manipulation · suppressed emotion

Emotional control may hide volatility or be used to influence others.

In a reading

The position gives this card a particular task: a description of the situation, a challenge, or guidance. Read its image and meaning alongside the other cards and the question that brought them together.

Golden Dawn correspondence

King (mounted): Fire of Water. 20 degrees Aquarius to 20 degrees Pisces. Court naming differs between decks; this identifies the Book T rank explicitly. This is the attribution in Book T.

Sources

A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. These notes are original interpretations of the Waite–Smith imagery, informed by that text.