Symbology, Meaning and Interpretation
Upright
Emotional Balance, Diplomacy, Good Leadership.
The King of Cups is a diplomatic and wise man with a sense of social responsibility and accomplishment.
His maturity and high communicative abilities reveal a great leader or effective manager of interpersonal relationships. For that reason, he shows up as a charismatic figure with strong social skills and is usually surrounded by people.
The upright King of Cups is an indicator that you are mastering your emotional side and have accepted your feelings by also gaining control over your impulses. Symbolising the Fire of the suit of Water, it means a balance between the mind and the heart has been achieved, culminating in the emotional maturity we need to succeed. He is a respectful and sympathetic governor who inspires us and makes us feel comfortable and welcome.
On the other hand, he holds his cup vigorously in order to keep it in its structure, directing all creativity into responsible achievement. We can see the water flowing behind him; however, he does not touch it. Instead of shaping his imagination and poetic sensibility, he opted to separate himself from these aspects. For him, responsibility comes before self-expression.
Reversed
Pessimistic, Selfishness, Immaturity.
The reversed King of Cups may suggest that you embodied a negative personality. He uses his creativity and talents in a very corrupted way, far from his social responsibilities, which makes him a bad leader, someone abusive and focused on himself.
He is not emotionally balanced and consequently takes a dominant position to fill up that unstable side of him. His lack of maturity drives him to act harshly, manipulatively, and sometimes dishonestly.
On the contrary, the inverted King might represent someone too sensible and emotional due to his immaturity and insecurity. That makes him an easy target for those who want to take advantage of him.