Four of Cups

Four of Cups is one of the 56 minor arcana of the tarot, in the suit of Cups; in the Golden Dawn tradition it corresponds to Moon in Cancer.

The Four of Cups sits under a tree ignoring a cup offered from a cloud. Boredom or withdrawal can hide an opportunity right in front of you.

Symbols on the card

The three cups on the ground

What you already have, no longer exciting.

The cup from the cloud

A new offer not yet noticed.

Crossed arms

Closing off, protecting oneself.

Number and suit

Fours build stability and structure, and sometimes rest or holding still. Cups are water: feelings, relationships, intuition and imagination.

Upright meaning

You may be disengaged. Take time to reflect, but look up before you miss something good.

Love　Taking a relationship for granted, or emotional withdrawal.

Work　Boredom with work; an offer you have not considered.

Inner life　Ask what would make you feel engaged again.

Reversed meaning

You are coming out of a slump and ready to say yes again.

Love　Re-engaging with someone, or noticing what you missed.

Work　Renewed motivation; accepting a new opportunity.

Inner life　Gratitude helps you see what is offered.

In a three-card spread

Situation

You feel flat or withdrawn.

Challenge

Missing an opportunity through apathy.

Advice

Reflect, then look up and accept what helps.

Tarot and astrology

In the Golden Dawn system this card is the decan of Moon in Cancer: the themes of Cancer, expressed the way Moon acts. Cancer →Moon →

Questions to sit with

• What is being offered to me that I have not noticed?
• What has stopped exciting me, and why?

Through the suit

Tarot here is a mirror for reflection, not a prediction. The meanings follow the Waite-Smith tradition and the Golden Dawn attributions, in our own words.