King of Cups
The King of Cups embodies calm mastery of emotion, steady and compassionate like a water-lord amid reeds. He represents empathy balanced with clear boundaries, offering diplomacy, creative flow, and wise leadership. Upright he is the counselor, artist, and healer who responds rather than reacts and creates safe harbors for others. Reversed, his waters turn murky—moods, manipulation, escapism, or caretaking at the expense of self—prompting the need to name feelings, reassert limits, seek counsel, and choose grounded compassion over control.
Keywords
Visual description
An older king with long silver hair and beard holds an ornate silver chalice filled with blue water. He wears a richly decorated brown tunic with turquoise beads and white sleeves, and a crown woven of green reeds set with red accents. Antler-like ornaments and braided cords frame his shoulders. Dense green reeds and cattails rise all around him, enclosing the scene.
Meaning
The King of Cups sits like the Slavic Vodyanoy, the water-lord of ponds and marshes, steady amid reeds and ripples, offering a calm cup to those who approach. He represents mastery of feeling: empathy without drowning, compassion that guides, and diplomacy that cools heated words. Upright, he is the counselor, artist, and healer who knows the tides of the heart and keeps the vessel level, encouraging emotional maturity, creative flow, and wise leadership. He reminds you to respond rather than react, to listen deeply, and to create safe harbors for yourself and others. In relationships and teams, he mediates disputes and sets a tone of kindness with firm boundaries. Reversed, his waters grow murky: moods manipulate, comfort turns to escapism, and hidden resentments or addictions pull like undertow. You may be caretaking everyone else while neglecting yourself, or suppressing feelings until they spill out. The remedy is to name the emotion, reassert healthy limits, seek counsel, and choose grounded compassion over control.
Slavic Legends Tarot
💜 Please support creators. Buy official decks.
ℹ️ Disclaimer
All card images and descriptions are taken from public sources. They are used for review purposes only. All rights to these images and descriptions belong to their creators. If you believe there is a copyright infringement, please contact us at [email protected].