← Encyclopedia of Tarot · lesson 50/121
King of Cups
The King of Cups is the suit of Cups in its mature, responsible form: feeling that is understood and held in balance. He can describe a person who is kind, diplomatic and calm under pressure — a mentor, a counsellor, someone whose care shows in what they do — or a situation that asks for emotional steadiness rather than either coldness or upheaval.
The image
A king sits on a stone throne that floats on a restless sea. He holds a cup in one hand and a short sceptre in the other, and wears a fish-shaped amulet. On one side a ship sails; on the other a dolphin (as Waite calls it) leaps from the waves. The rough water is usually taken as the emotions; his stable throne as composure amid them; the ship and the leaping creature as the worlds of practical affairs and of feeling, both within his reach.
Upright
Emotional maturity, generosity and counsel. Waite describes a man "responsible, disposed to oblige the Querent", connected with law, art and science, and "creative intelligence". The card can point to wise advice, a fair-minded person in authority, or one's own ability to stay calm and caring at once.
Reversed
Waite's reversed list is severe: "dishonest, double-dealing man", injustice and loss. Modern readers often see feelings held down until they erupt, moodiness, emotional coldness presented as calm, or care used to control. Some readers do not use reversals.
Correspondences
A court card of the suit of Cups, element water. In the Golden Dawn system, which most English-language decks follow, the RWS King corresponds to the Prince — the Prince of the Chariot of the Waters — and his elemental pairing is Air of Water: feeling given perspective by thought.
In a reading
As a person, he can describe a trusted adviser or a steady partner. In the advice position, he suggests responding with calm rather than reacting. As an outcome, he tends to read as a situation handled with wisdom. Beside the Queen of Cups he often describes a caring, balanced partnership.
In astrology
The Golden Dawn's correspondences, which most English-language decks follow (French, Marseille-based tradition differs for some Major Arcana).
Element: Water — the element of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces