Four of Cups Tarot Card Meaning

This tarot card portrays a glum young man sitting under a tree in a closed posture, with crossed arms and legs. It's hard to tell whether he is tense or indifferent, but his gaze clearly expresses disapproval. The cups before him arouse his discontent, and the chalice appearing out of a cloud, he prefers not to notice at all.

The picture perfectly conveys the core message of the Four of Cups: we tend to disparage all the good things in our lives, steadfastly overlooking the opportunities that Fate provides.

Perhaps you've overindulged in amusement, reveled too much, and lived a hectic life? Or you might have become fixated on past achievements, desperately clinging to the past and failing to see the joys and prospects of the present?

In any case, the appearance of the Four of Cups tarot card indicates that you've succumbed to an inexplicable apathy, melancholy, and boredom. You are experiencing dissatisfaction and irritation, behaving like a spoiled child, vexing your loved ones with whining, complaints, and whims.

The Four of Cups card in a spread testifies that even new opportunities presented by Fate fail to stir your former enthusiasm—you prefer to dismiss them as unworthy of attention. Work has become tedious, professional achievements no longer bring joy, and what once endeared you to your loved one now merely evokes muted irritation. This tarot arcana indicates a crisis in your life, signaling an urgent need for change.

The Four of Cups card showing up in your spread suggests you take a thorough inventory of your life—return to your roots, to your true "self", contemplate eternal values, readjust personal goals, and stop being a harsh judge of those around you. After all, even the sun has its spots! Perhaps by taking this advice, you will overcome the negative prediction of the Four of Cups tarot and rid yourself of emotional stagnation, rejuvenating your interest in life and finding a new impetus for talent development.

Key meanings of the upright Four of Cups card

• Saturation, stagnation, melancholy, habit, disappointment, dissatisfaction, indifference.
• Fatigue, unwillingness to change the status quo, resistance to the new.
• Critical mindset, discontent, irritability, sour mood.

The inverted Four of Cups tarot card has a positive tone. In this reversed form, it symbolizes an emotional renewal, opening prospects, the realization of dreams, and enjoyable and inspiring events in life. As if a warm wave is taking you, a whirlwind of happy changes lifts you on the wings of new opportunities to coveted heights in love, career, and creativity!

If the Four of Cups tarot falls inverted, in personal life it promises a romantic encounter, a restoration of relations with a loved one, or an invitation to a party where you can make a pleasant acquaintance. In the business sphere, the card promises a successful job change, a new interesting position, a salary increase, recognition of your merits.

All the auspicious events predicted by the inverted Four of Cups tarot are suddenly granted by fate, like a pleasant surprise. In short, seeing the inverted Four of Cups card in a divination, prepare for pleasant surprises!

Key meanings of the inverted Four of Cups card

• Positive changes, good news, improvement of all current affairs.
• New opportunities and ambitions, freshness of emotions and feelings, a surge of enthusiasm, motivation for new achievements, relief from routine.
• Acquaintance, date, falling in love, restoration of relationships.

In love spreads, the upright Four of Cups card speaks of disappointment and sorrowful memories of past happiness.

A negative emotional state and skepticism surround you like impenetrable armor, hindering the initiation of new acquaintances and relationships. You shun people, guard peace, and conscious solitude, while life's joys pass you by.

What's needed is a jolt, new experiences—a change of scenery can help break free from this oppressive confinement and fill the internal void with vibrant colors. Fate is already prepared to offer you a cup filled with love, sincerity, and happiness!

In a reversed position, the card's meaning flips to the opposite, predicting a new encounter and an upcoming romance.

When divining about an admirer, loved one

In a reading about an admirer or partner, the upright card indicates that your chosen one is experienced in love—it's difficult to surprise them. They don't rush to make the first steps towards new feelings, waiting for someone else to do it for them.

The reversed card testifies that your chosen one is someone with whom it's fun and interesting in love. Even if you've been together for a long time, they always manage to come up with something new to pleasantly surprise you.

In business readings, the Four of Cups Tarot card speaks of a state of dissatisfaction and professional burnout. Everything seems too ordinary and stable, inevitably leading to stagnation in one's career.

Things have come to a standstill, and you might feel like a fly trapped in honey - paddling in one place and getting more entangled in the routine. What you need is a desperate leap that will allow you to break free from captivity and feel the joy and inspiration in your work. The "remedy" can be different - for some, it's enough to reconsider their attitude towards work, while for others, a complete change of field is necessary.

In the reversed position, the meaning of the card changes to its opposite, indicating luck and sudden improvement in affairs.

In divination for a person, the upright card is interpreted as someone to whom many things come easier than to others. It's challenging to captivate them with anything, let alone surprise them!

In the reversed position of the card, it represents a person who is open to everything new. They know how to listen, catch opportunities on the fly, and make an effort not to miss the chances generously offered by fate.

In the upright position, the card advises you to run away from the routine of life as if fleeing from fire, bringing as much variety into your life as possible!

Appearing in the reversed position in the spread, the card advises you to take advantage of the emerging new perspectives - it's a true gift from fate.

If the card appears upright, the forecast for your situation is ambiguous. As a result, you are capable of achieving everything you desire, but emotional fatigue and laziness might hinder you.

In the reversed position, the forecast for your situation is positive. Consequently, life will delight you with new experiences, pleasant surprises, and gifts from fate.

With the 0 card Fool – Payback for foolishness, hangover, love disappointment.

With the 1 card Magician — Scatter-brain, lies, new acquaintance, emotional burnout.

With the 2 card High Priestess — Denial of the obvious, double game, being led by someone.

In combination with the 3 card Empress — Deep resentment, hidden disagreements, transitional age.

With the 4 card Emperor — Losing interest in work, lots of minor offers, no time for personal life.

With the 5 card Hierophant — Facing hypocrisy, public condemnation, sanctimoniousness.

With the 6 card Lovers — Living by someone else's dictation, self-deception, awakening of independence.

With the 7 card Chariot — Influence of otherworldly forces, prophetic dream, minor disorder.

With the 8 card Strength — Forgive debts, empathize with someone's situation, renounce patronage.

With the 9 card Hermit — Church rites, new look at spiritual upbringing, unpleasant duty or act under pressure.

With the 10 card Wheel of Fortune — Temporary depression, reason to think, boredom.

With the 11 card Justice — Being inconsistent, selfishness, bias.

With the 12 card Hanged Man — Refuse help, contempt for sympathy, withdrawal from social interaction.

With the 13 card Death — Business failures, empty efforts, failed attempts and disappointment.

With the 14 card Temperance — Sadness, gloom, fatigue or inner resentments without reason.

With the 15 card Devil — Obvious disgust, dependence, mischief or bad temper.

With the 16 card Tower — Alcohol dependency, drown sorrows, refuse help or fear pity.

With the 17 card Star — Desire for change, to fall into dependence on the environment, desire for solitude.

With the 18 card Moon — To detach from the world, to forget troubles for a while, rest in solitude.

With the 19 card Sun — Fleeting sorrow, minor depression or cooling of relationships.

With the 20 card Judgement — Boredom or routine, automatism, desire for rest or change of scenery.

With the 21 card World — Mild melancholy, need for a breather, overload of emotions or impressions.

With the Ace of Wands — Lose enthusiasm, lose motivation, emotional overload.

With the Two of Wands — Suspicion, sense something fishy, avoid rushing into action.

With the Three of Wands — Reassess priorities, look at the situation from a different perspective, experience disagreements with a loved one.

With the Four of Wands — Be tired of socializing, exhausted from family life, feeling routine or lacking motivation.

With the Five of Wands — Engage in arguments out of inertia, stuck in a repetitive cycle, prolonged conflicts.

With the Six of Wands — Engage in arguments out of inertia, stuck in a repetitive cycle, prolonged conflicts.

With the Seven of Wands — Prejudices, discontent, and dissatisfaction, having a negative mindset.

With the Eight of Wands — Feeling undervalued, giving in to pressure, agreeing to unfavorable conditions.

With the Nine of Wands — Past bitter experiences, receiving questionable advice, feeling perplexed about decision-making.

With the Ten of Wands — Pitying oneself, being needlessly offended, feeling unsatisfied or attempting to elevate one's status.

With the Page of Wands — Losing interest in what's happening, feeling disappointed in the learning process, experiencing melancholy.

With the Knight of Wands — Fading interest or feelings in a relationship, loss of enthusiasm, cooling off emotionally.

With the Queen of Wands — Limited perspectives, seeing things in black and white, being uncompromising.

With the King of Wands — Being dissatisfied with one's own work, self-criticism, desiring more.

With the Ace of Swords — Miss out on a great idea, stay on the sidelines, fail to meet expectations, or act maliciously towards others.

With the Two of Swords — Pessimism, unwillingness to learn or change for the better, fear of seeking help or treatment.

With the Three of Swords — Fail to notice betrayal, extreme selfishness or naivety, living off of others' success.

With the Four of Swords — Unfounded pride, rejecting help from professionals, experiencing nervous disorders.

With the Five of Swords — Carrying the burden of someone else's secret, knowing and concealing the truth, covering up someone else's wrongdoing.

With the Six of Swords — Making an unwise real estate purchase, engaging in foolish thrift or engaging in dishonest dealings.

With the Seven of Swords — Refusing a shameful proposal, being principled, idealism, and non-acceptance of established rules.

With the Eight of Swords — Suffering for an idea, being backed into a corner, feeling trapped with no way out and forced compromises.

With the Nine of Swords — Mourning one's own stubbornness, regretting the past, feeling ashamed of one's behavior.

With the Ten of Swords — Ignoring a warning and facing unpleasant consequences, suffering due to foolishness, neglecting safety measures.

With the Page of Swords — Considering oneself the smartest, being lively and maximalistic, having a sharp tongue, engaging in journalism.

With the Knight of Swords — Working alone, having unconventional ideas, attracting attention and criticism, sparking intense discussions.

With the Queen of Swords — Living according to one's own convictions, denying societal norms of behavior, making sharp statements.

With the King of Swords — Engaging in blackmail or extortion, attempting to control others, promoting an obsessive ideology or cult.

With the Two of Cups — Relationship conflicts, dissatisfaction, grievances, or differences in perspectives.

With the Three of Cups — Withdrawal from others, isolation, feeling tired of hypocrisy, need for rest.

With the Five of Cups — Tired of disappointments, naivety, and protest, learning from one's own mistakes.

With the Six of Cups — Not fitting in with the past, hiding one's biography, being dependent on others' opinions.

With the Seven of Cups — Rejecting unrealistic dreams and desires, being a realist or pessimist, narrow-mindedness.

With the Eight of Cups — Predictable behavior, acting out of habit, facing societal disapproval.

With the Nine of Cups — Becoming conceited, distorting concepts, self-admiration.

With the Ten of Cups — Rejecting commonly accepted values, protesting against norms, yearning for independence.

With the Page of Cups — Returning to a previous stage, going in circles, being late to implement an idea.

With the Knight of Cups — Missing a good opportunity, not taking an offer seriously, refusing promising romantic relationships.

With the Queen of Cups — Not listening to good advice, considering oneself smarter than others, becoming a mentor to an immature individual.

With the King of Cups — Engaging in heavy persuasion, offering peace or cooperation, ending hostilities.

With the Ace of Pentacles — Self-reliance, private capital, ability to survive alone, rejection of conventional earning schemes.

With the Two of Pentacles — Risky investment, playing on the stock market, high probability of losing savings.

With the Three of Pentacles — Creative approach to business, first steps in entrepreneurship, not relying on others' experiences.

With the Four of Pentacles — Having savings for a rainy day, not yielding to persuasion, careful fact-checking.

With the Five of Pentacles — Finding oneself in restrictive conditions, underestimating the problem, ignoring what is happening.

With the Six of Pentacles — Pride preventing asking for help, living on the edge of financial resources, facing a crisis.

With the Seven of Pentacles — Investing money independently, hidden income, ability to save.

With the Eight of Pentacles — Understanding earning schemes, refraining from indulgence and entertainment, practicing asceticism.

With the Nine of Pentacles — Self-sufficiency, not chasing public recognition, not flaunting one's wealth.

With the Ten of Pentacles — Refusing help from family members, living modestly without relying on family wealth, rejecting family recommendations or connections.

With the Page of Pentacles — Turning down a relationship or job offer, a persistent girl, an unwanted connection.

With the Knight of Pentacles — Focusing on a career, desire to earn significant money, hesitancy in starting one's own business.

With the Queen of Pentacles — Loveless marriage, courting a wealthy lady, being dissatisfied with one's financial situation.

With the King of Pentacles — Not obeying a boss or mentor, conflicting with a superior, leaving a job.