Minor Arcana, Cups
Four of Cups
boredom, apathy, reflection, weariness
Upright
A youth sits under a tree with folded arms, ignoring three cups on the grass and a fourth held out from a cloud. Waite writes of weariness, disgust and vexations that are partly imagined.
When a good job or steady relationship has begun to feel flat, boredom can hide an offer right in front of you. Look up for a moment. Write down what you have turned down lately, and ask which of those refusals came from tiredness.
Reversed
Reversed, the sitter starts to look around. Waite names novelty, new instruction and new relations, a sign that interest may be returning after a dull period.
A class, a club or an introduction from a friend could be the small change that helps. Say yes to one thing you would have skipped last month, and give it a fair try before judging.
A card is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
In Waite's words
Upright: Weariness, disgust, aversion, imaginary vexations, as if the wine of this world had caused satiety only; another wine, as if a fairy gift, is now offered the wastrel, but he sees no consolation therein. This is also a card of blended pleasure.
Reversed: Novelty, presage, new instruction, new relations.
From A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), Part 3, on Wikisource. The meanings above are by Cast & Chart.
Card art by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.