King of Cups

Minor Arcana · Cups · number 14 · Re di Coppe

King of Cups, plate by Pamela Colman Smith
Pamela Colman Smith, 1910

Upright

The King of Cups sits on a throne in the middle of the sea, calm while the waves move: a responsible man, of business, law or faith, willing to help you. Waite sees in him equity, art and science, creative intelligence. He may be a professional lending you a hand, a doctor, a lawyer, a mentor, or your own ability to stay serene while everything around you rocks. If these days you need wise advice, it is no accident that this figure appears. The practical advice: turn to someone with experience, without shame, and in strong emotions do as he does: feel everything, but hold the rudder.

Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
«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

Reversed, the King of Cups is a dishonest, double-dealing man: roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, and a considerable loss. It is the harshest warning in the suit. If these days a person in authority, an adviser, a boss, a partner, asks you for blind trust and money, it is no accident: the card tells you to look closely. Beware of anyone using their position to charge for favours, and of feelings used as bargaining chips. It is not a sentence, it is an alarm. The practical advice: pay no advances, sign no powers of attorney, and have the documents read by a neutral third party.

Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
«Dishonest, double-dealing man; roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss.»

Source

Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) Part III, § 2, The Lesser Arcana, King of Cups https://archive.org/details/a.-e.-waite-the-pictorial-key-to-the-tarot