Tag: 4 of cups meaning

Four of Cups

EleanorLeave a comment

Keywords for the Four of Cups

BOREDOMDISINTEREST
APATHYREJECTION
DISSATISFACTIONBOUNDARIES
LOST IN THOUGHTDECLINING AN OFFER
INTROSPECTIONSAYING NO

In this card, we see a young man sitting by himself underneath a tree. He appears to be lost in thought, caught up in his own internal world. Perhaps he is daydreaming, indulging in idle fantasies of what he hopes could one day be. 

What seems more likely is that he is reflecting on the past, deeply focused on the moments of his life that have come before this one, and which still affect him now. In this case, the three cups laid out before him could very well stand for the emotional memories he holds within himself, which perhaps he has not yet become willing to let go of. 

This could explain why he seems so disinterested in the cup being offered to him from a floating cloud (likely from the very same hand which we saw in the Ace of Cups). This hand is attempting to offer him the gift of a new experience, one which could potentially bring a change to his circumstances, which holds the possibility for new happiness and satisfaction.

However, it seems that the youth’s attention remains focused on his internal world so much that he now rejects the present and all the gifts it offers us. 

4 of Cups Interpretation

When the 4 of Cups comes up in a reading, it sometimes means that we have lost our connection with the outer world, and turned our focus inward instead. 

It can speak to being caught up in our own thoughts, and perhaps ignoring the reality that exists outside of ourselves.

The 4 of Cups can also refer to a sense of dissatisfaction with our surroundings, as well as a potential rejection of the opportunities which are currently available to us. 

This card can also indicate an inability to think creatively, to come up with new and different solutions to our problems that may be unfamiliar to what we have done in the past.

At times, the 4 of Cups in a reading can also point towards an area where we need to have stronger boundaries. 

Just as the young man in the card says “NO” to the cup being offered by the cloud, we ourselves may need to decline what is being offered to us. 

The 4 of Cups reminds us that sometimes we are better off rejecting something that is not suited to us, in order to make space for what we truly deserve.