TAROTKnight of Cups
Upright
Romanticism, charisma, gentle and idealistic. Good news and invitations. Proposals regarding love and life.
Following your heart, tempered with a sense of duty and practicality.
Resolving conflict through diplomacy.
Attraction and romantic love.
Good news and social invitations.
Intuition
The image shows a barren area with a single stream running through it. The water comes from the moon. The knight (the centaur Chiron) either carries a cup of this water or came here for it to be filled.
Reversed
Emotions out of control or suppressed. Bad social news.
Following your heart in a selfish, childish or destructive way.
Overly emotional or jealous behavior.
Moody or withdrawn, or avoiding overdue confrontations.
Bad news and stress around social events.
Astrologia
Intellectually curious and emotionally strong. Good communication. Philosophical and wise and compassionate. Difficulty letting go emotionally or forgiving or holding expectations based on intellectual idealizations rather than hard reality.
Knight of Cups
The Knight of Cups represents the romantic. Strong, compassionate and honest, with a leaning to the Arts
He is socially aware and a great orator and negotiator. This allows his to diffuse situations with words rather than the sword (notice that this knight carries no weapon).
His appearance in a reading means emotions and creative solutions will take a front seat. He symbolizes the need to follow your heart on an issue. You may be thrown into a new romantic relationship and literally swept off your feet! In an existing relationship he represents caring and affection.
He represents good news and positive social events, as well as creative endevours.
Reversed, he is the jealous lover, the sullen child or anyone avoiding emotional conflict through procrastinating or being cold to the situation. He can also represent uncomfortable social events that may even be revoked or result in conflict.
The card is clearly one where the upright and reversed cards are very much a Jekyll and Hyde combination; either very good or very bad!
Chiron
Most centaurs were said to be wild, lustful and uncivilized savages, but Chiron was the exact opposite because of his upbringing. He was instead civilized, intelligent and compassionate.
Chiron is also noted as being abandoned as a child as he was the result of rape (Cronus and Philya) but raised by Apollo and Artemis. Chiron therefore had a strong interest in the arts, music, medicine and the humanities whilst at the same time being an excellent archer, hunter and provider.
Chiron was accidentally struck by a poisoned arrow containing the blood of the Hydra (which is always fatal) but because he was immortal he also could not die. In immense pain, Chiron struck a deal with Zeus where Chiron’s immortality was exchanged for the release of Prometheus (the God who went against Zeus by raising humans up from savages by giving them the secret of fire, and is seen in the Ace of Wands). Thus Chiron sacrificed himself for the good of another.
More than anything though, Chiron’s nature represents the dual nature of the Knight of Cups: the educated and nurturing mind that cares for others (and humanity in general) through empathy for them, vs the raging and powerful emotional animal within us all.
Description and Symbology
We see a single stream running close by and its water appears to be flowing from the moon. Although the stream may be small, it represents the deepest emotions. The water also contrasts with the barren land around it.
The knight holds out a cup. It is not clear if it is full of water or needs to be filled. Sometimes we have emotion to give, sometimes we want it, and sometimes it is both.
The knight moves slower than the Knight of Wands and Knight of Swords (who are almost reckless in comparison!) but is not stood still like the Knight of Pentacles. He takes his time and does not rush. Matters of the heart move slowly but forcefully.
The knight has no weapon and instead holds his cup almost as a shield. He prefers to win through negotiation and diplomacy.
The knight
The knight is calm and not hurried in his actions. He carries a cup, the symbol of emotion. It is not clear if the cup is filled or empty, suggesting that the card can represent either emotion received or emotion sent. Notice also that the Knight hold no weapon. He prefers diplomacy and nurturing to violence.
The landscape
We see mountains behind the knight (and this often means a long and arduous journey to get here in Tarot symbology). The land is barren except for the stream, suggesting that the water/emotion is key here, and a little emotion will change everything.
The water
The water in the stream comes from the moon, suggesting it represents the deepest feelings: love and other attachments, and intuitive skills in judging the emotions of others.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
This card is often called the romance card as it denotes ‘emotion in action’. Existing relationships will get a boost of deeper feelings. Any new relationship will start with honest emotion; always a good sign of longevity!
The card also denotes diplomacy and understanding so you may be called on to resolve matters.
The card can mean social gatherings to do with major emotional milestones: christenings, engagement or marriage.
The card can denote ‘emotion in motion’ in creative work: art, writing or simply thinking up novel idea or way forward.
It is however wise to consider that the card can sometimes denote high emotion. There is a sense of following your heart at the expense of anything else. Make sure all your decisions are well grounded in reality.
There will be emotions out of control or supressed and coming from you or others. This could create arguments where expectations don’t meet reality or childish idealism doesn’t accept that 'maybe other people don’t share the vision'.
It can result in bottling up emotion via moodiness and silences or non-communication, and hiding emotion through passive aggressive behaviour.
You could also see vanity or superficiality when the early romance fizzles and the relationship becomes skin deep. A one night stand or simply lack of communication and ‘ghosting’ after initial attraction. Cheating may also be a factor - following one’s heart selfishly without regard to others and perhaps being controlling.
You will succeed through understanding and navigating office politics and people skills. You will be especially good at resolving issues through diplomacy and a strong creative problem-solving streak that can simmer down arguments before they occur.
Any negotiations will go well.
Anyone waiting for career news may see good news such as a good offer or promotion, and will be down to good people skills. For any job involving emotional intelligence and dealing with people, you will ace the interview and appear as a ‘good fit’.
Be wary of misreading signs when it comes to people-politics within the office.
Your expectations may not meet what it going on (because others have hidden agendas or you are simply being too idealistic), or you may have become too emotionally attached to a project or result. Be careful in keeping your emotions bottled as they may not help you in a difficult conversation. In extreme cases, this may lead to a job loss.
Keep an eye on the intentions of others as they may be against you: shallow promises, lack of clarity or even a fraudulent deal are all possible. Stop following your heart and engage your mind because emotions and intentions will not be clear to you.
There may be bad news when it comes to negotiations or offers. A ‘no’ on either will be caused by not reading the room or a setup that was against you from the start.
Your social connections will be good: good news, good relationships or being creatively fulfilled.
All of this will channel into your mental health and how you see yourself.
The only thing to bear in mind is letting your emotions get ahead of reality. Keep strong emotions in check because flesh and blood wounds are often caused by a hot head or when over-idealism hits hard reality!
Anger and a sense of injustice (either personally or when you feel it is against a wider group) can be a good thing to bring attention to a problem, but can also lead to bad outcomes especially if you look for quick emotional fixes.
It can lead to anger as a destructive force, depression or using alcohol or narcotics as an emotional crutch.
This card suggests being wary of letting your emotions lead you in health. It never leads to a good outcome!
An exceptional sense of people and their motivations, and a better understanding of your own emotions will serve you well.
Humanitarian love, charity, or simply helping others closer to home will reap dividends to your own well-being.
Your idealism, emotions or search for social perfection vs the reality may cause feelings of frustration or anger.
On a more personal level, failed relationships may lead to living in a dream-world or attempts to control situations through coercion or emotional blackmail.
In the worst cases the anger or frustration may lead to choosing emotional crutches such as alcohol or drugs.
It is time to step back, get off your high horse and pause. Time is the greatest healer and its rarely as bad as your heart tells you it is once you engage your brain!
Although this card is not specifically related to finance, your ability to read people’s motivations and act diplomatically to resolve issues will help in all financial transactions.
A bigger issue to look out for is leading with your emotions. Money and emotion do not go well together. Be careful of wishful thinking and happy-ever-afters in any financial dealings!
Extremes of emotions do not go well with finances and you (or someone close) are susceptible to such extremes right now.
Extreme confidence based on wishful thinking followed by moodiness, anger or disconnection when the deal turns sour are all likely!
The card warns about being too emotional or controlling when it comes to finances. A more level-headed and pragmatic approach is needed.
Yes through being in control of your emotions and creativity.
No through being overly emotionally involved, and/or having clouded judgement.
Reading the Card
Like all court cards, the Knight of Cups can represent people or things other than yourself:
- An emotional attachment or relationship
- The Knight of Wands is a strong card in emotional matters and can represent romance and love.
- Unexpected social events including marriage, engagement, christenings.
- A romantic or idealistic person.
- A leadership figure. This person will be diplomatic and able to resolve problems through listening and agreement rather than conflict
- A new love interest who comes into your life, sweeping you off your feet with romantic passion and sex, but may also (depending on the orientation of this card) be jealous and perhaps even controlling.
- When reversed the card can represent ‘running away from the situation’. Disengaging or becoming moody, or failing to pull up others through avoiding confrontation.
When reading the ‘upright card’ and ‘reversal’ sections below, note that although the text refers to you it could actually be any of the above. The question being asked (or your first thoughts when you see the card) will suggest who or what the card refers to.
The upright card
The upright Knight of wands defines actions by a person who is in full control of their emotions and creative side. They are forthright with their emotions whilst being diplomatic when required, and ready and willing to pursue ideals they really care about
In relationships the card points to romantic love. For those looking for love, expect to be swept off your feet!
It can also refer to social gatherings representing events reflecting engagement, marriage, births and other potentially emotional life events.
Outside relationships and love, the knight represents the diplomat; someone who can bring people together through agreement, common aims or mutual understanding. In business relationships it reflects working together as a team that is built on common aims and respect and a strong implication of loyalty.
More generally the Knight of cups represents genuine emotion. If you are unsure about someone or something then this card indicates true feelings and acting from the heart rather than from ulterior motives.
The Knight of cups represents genuine emotion. If you are unsure about someone or something then this card indicates true feelings.
The reversal
The knight is represented as a centaur as a graphical indication of the two sides of the same person. The noble knight and the powerful beast are two sides to the same being. Unfortunately, the reversed knight of cups gives us the beast, or emotion out of control!
It points to emotional manipulation or insincerity. The romantic meeting that ends in a one night stand, superficiality or vanity. It can represent a rocky patch within an existing relationship, full of disagreement and high emotions.
The reversed card can also represent a block of the upright card. This will be seen as an inability to pursue your ideals. It can point to an inability to express your true emotions, instead displaying moodiness, non-commitment and superficiality, jealousy or vanity. In extreme causes it can bring out the negative aspects of the inner emotional child: emotional outbursts and a self-centered world view.
Card Design Process
Like all the knight cards, this card was designed on the basis of named archetypes rather than the vague ‘action card of the suit’. In this case the name Chiron came up quickly. Like the Magician card, a dual upright-reverse that represents controlled-uncontrolled aspects is graphically represented by a chimera; half human, half beast.
Final Words
The Knight of cups represents ‘emotion in motion’. It points to a deepening of emotion within relationships, creativity and diplomacy, as well as good news when it comes to social events and occasions.
