Four of Cups

Meanings according to Rider-Waite:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Mars in Cancer as a symbol of vexation and resentment.

FOUR OF CUPS The mood of this card is best defined by the notions of "satiety" and "excess." Remember the inconstancy of our feelings: we desire something with all our soul, yet upon attaining it (and even more than we wished for), we suddenly realize that we do not need it, and we are seized by despondency, resentment, and disgust. This may be expressed in grumbling, indifference, or, conversely, in irritation, despair, and an urge to destroy everything. In any case, this card serves as a warning: do not let your foul mood grow into apathy, lest you miss a favorable opportunity and push away a helping hand.

From the book: Hajo Banzhaf. THE TAROT HANDBOOK. Translated from German by E. Kolesov. Publisher: Center for Astrological Research, 1999.

FOUR OF CUPS Luxury The third decan of Cancer, from July 12 to 22. Astrological equivalents: Cancer, Jupiter in Cancer, Moon, Neptune. The third decan of Cancer is ruled by the Moon and symbolizes the spontaneity and simplicity of emotions expressed outwardly. This decan possesses a rich imagination and is inclined toward contemplation and dreaming. If the second decan is occupied with developing the mechanism of switching from inner perception to outer, then the third has a well-established system of communication channels between the inner and outer worlds and is maximally engaged in the process of transmitting its impressions and emotions to others. The foundation of the wealth of inner sensations here is the outer world. Emotions correspond to objectivity and are positively perceived by others. Life is conveyed as an inexhaustible source of feelings, and their endless flow allows a person to sense the continuity and eternity of life. This decan carries the idea of unknown possibilities hidden in the depths of life itself, which must be seen and understood. The TAROT card depicts a young man sitting beneath a tree, with three cups standing before him. A hand from a cloud offers him a fourth, but the young man does not notice it. This gift from above may be lost to him. Dreaminess makes him too inert, and his notions too vague. At the stage of the FOUR OF CUPS, desire takes on concrete forms, though these forms do not yet fully correspond to our imperfect world — they are somewhat idealized and not concrete, yet at the same time sufficiently material. In its highest manifestation, the FOUR OF CUPS symbolizes all-forgiveness, yet it may also signify disappointment in the object of love, in the people around one, as well as weariness, disgust, and a feeling of being unhappy. The acquisition of bitter experience, the beginning of an empty, stagnant period in life. In some way this card is consonant with the sign of Cancer. He crawled out of his shell, was wounded yet again, and crawled back in. The Moon and Saturn resound within this theme, and this card will play out especially strongly for those people in whose horoscopes these planets are strongly expressed. On the whole, the FOUR OF CUPS always points to certain difficulties with emotional openness. The trap is to reject the offer of heaven if at first it arouses ambivalent feelings. Blindness to opportunities that have opened up.

UPRIGHT POSITION In the upright position, the card symbolizes a certain grace, a giving, even if it evokes mixed feelings or confusion. A gift from heaven. A gift of fate, a certain offer that arouses anxiety, confusion; a person cannot make sense of their feelings.

REVERSED POSITION If in the upright position the FOUR OF CUPS is a rather critical card and may be regarded as more unfortunate, in the reversed position it appears in directly the opposite quality. These are new opportunities, new connections, new acquaintances, new approaches to old problems, new knowledge. And if the upright card correlates with recurring situations and chronic problems, then the reversed indicates yet another attempt to resolve these problems.