Four of Cups
Four of CupsMinor ArcanaSuit of Cups
- Element
- Water
- Astrology
- Moon in Cancer
- Numerology
- Four: stability that has settled into stillness
- Yes or no
- Maybe
Upright
- apathy
- contemplation
- boredom
- missed opportunity
- introspection
Reversed
- renewed interest
- acceptance
- motivation
- emerging from withdrawal
- new perspective
A gift refused through sheer disinterest. The Four of Cups is the boredom that comes from having enough and wanting something else.
On the card
A young man sits cross-legged and cross-armed beneath a tree on a hillside, staring at three cups lined up on the grass in front of him. From a small cloud at his side, a hand offers him a fourth cup, which he does not seem to notice. His posture is closed and his expression sullen. Every cup is full; the problem is not scarcity but the state of mind that cannot see what is being offered.
Upright
General
You have withdrawn, and the withdrawal has started to cost you. The Four of Cups describes apathy, boredom or a sulk that has outlasted its cause, and it warns that an opportunity is being offered right now that you are too disengaged to see. Some retreat is healthy; check whether yours has become a habit.
Love & relationships
Taking a partner for granted, or being uninterested in someone who is clearly interested in you. In a relationship, the routine has dulled the appreciation.
Career & money
Restlessness at work, a job that no longer challenges you, or an offer dismissed because it did not arrive in the expected form. Boredom is information; act on it rather than stewing.
Reversed
General
Interest returns. Reversed, the Four of Cups shows a person coming out of a period of withdrawal, ready to engage again and finally noticing the cup that has been held out for some time. It can also mark the end of a contemplative phase whose lessons have now been absorbed.
Love & relationships
Renewed appreciation for a partner, or openness to dating after a period of not caring. You are ready to accept what is offered.
Career & money
Motivation comes back and a stale situation starts to move. Reconsider an opportunity you previously dismissed.
Advice
Look up. The thing you are waiting for may already be in front of you, in a shape you did not expect.