Minor Arcana, Cups
King of Cups
composure, fairness, responsibility, creativity
Upright
A crowned figure sits on a stone throne floating on rough sea, holding a cup and calm among the waves, with a ship and a leaping fish nearby. Waite names law, art, science and creative intelligence, with responsibility and fairness.
This card suits anyone who must keep a steady head while feelings run high, such as a manager in a dispute or a parent in a crisis. Hear everyone out, take a breath, and decide by what is fair.
Reversed
Reversed, the calm becomes a mask. Waite lists double-dealing, injustice, scandal and considerable loss, pointing to someone using a respectable position for private gain.
If an adviser or boss seems smooth and the numbers stay vague, ask for details in writing. The card forecasts no financial loss, so take real money concerns to an independent qualified professional and keep your own records.
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: Fair man, man of business, law, or divinity; responsible, disposed to oblige the Querent; also equity, art and science, including those who profess science, law and art; creative intelligence.
Reversed: Dishonest, double-dealing man; roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss.
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.