The Knight of Cups A knight in armor of blue, wearing a winged helmet, sits atop a white horse lifting its feet proudly as it calmly walks. His surcoat is covered with red fishes and in his extended right hand he holds a chalice. The sky is blue and there are bluffs in the background. Meandering through the card is a river.
The Knight of Cups

Overview  and common meanings of The Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups is open hearted, impulsive, and in love with love. He leads from his heart, is eager to jump in with both feet and surrounds himself with beautiful things that strum those heart strings and inspire joy and creativity.  He is inspired to take actions to see his dreams come to fruition, whether they be dreams of a project or, since cups deal with emotions, in a great love.  As previously mentioned, Pages and Knights, no matter the suit, can represent either people or influences.  In each reading, your intuition will tell you which it is. 

In varying decks, the Knight of Cups is also known as charm, passion, son of water.

Impulsiveness can be charming, but deliberation can have an appeal, as well

Sarah Dessen

Common Meanings

Every knight has a quest, and, as cups represent emotions, the quest of the knight of cups is love.  Influence – emotional time, seeking or being drawn to other sweet things that have a love vibration. 

If the Knight of Cups represents a person in the reading, it is indicative of an idealist and true romantic.  Be careful of this romantic being too carried away at the idea of love and the preconception of what love should look like, so much so that they do not show you their true self; their actions do not match their words. The Knight of Cups is often representative of a person with great intention without a lot of follow-through. 

In a work or career related reading, the Knight of cups can show up to indicate a new creative project.  It is important to anchor these new ideas with measurable steps to bring this idea into fruition.  Another work aspect of the knight of cups can be indicative of a workplace romance, or a new financial opportunity.  In both, make sure to trust your intuition while also taking the practical steps to research both.  In other words, marry heart AND head.

The Many Faces of The Knight of Cups

The shadow side – or reversal – of the Knight of Cups indicates disappointment.  An offer that was originally seen as amazing turns out to be a letdown, or doesn’t materialize at all, leaving you baffled and feeling abandoned.  If the Knight is representing a person, it can indicate a person who is so enraptured with the ideal of being “In love” and that giddy honeymoon phase of a relationship that they have no intention, or, indeed, ability to move beyond. 

This is oftentimes a lover with commitment and intimacy issues, that when confronted, will attempt to turn the tables, and claim that it is your issue (gaslight, anyone?).  Unfortunately, the solution is often to walk away from this drama and see it for what it was – an illusion, beautiful perhaps, but illusion, nonetheless. 

Description of the knight of cups card

A knight in armor of blue, wearing a winged helmet, sits atop a white horse lifting its feet proudly as it calmly walks.  His surcoat is covered with red fishes and in his extended right hand he holds a chalice.  The sky is blue and there are bluffs in the background.  Meandering through the card is a river. 

Themes of The Knight of Cups

  • Adoration
  • Artistic
  • Charm
  • Imagination
  • Impulsiveness
  • Intuition
  • Jealousy
  • Moodiness
  • Open heart
  • A Proposal
  • Romance
  • Wearing your heart on your sleeve

Court Cards – Knights

Knights are known as prince, warrior, seeker.  They are action, often impulsive action.  They charge forward with the enthusiasm of youth that has not yet learned the benefits of wisdom and taking one’s time to give measured thought to the situation before taking action that we see in the more “mature” tarot cards of King and even queen. 

Since Cups are all about creativity and emotions, we often see the Knight of Cups diving headfirst into new relationships or creative endeavors without taking the time to see whether either of them has legs.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes, not so much.  But, like any youthful person, the way we learn in life’s journey is through taking those risks and making those mistakes. 

Elements of the Card and Associated Symbolism

  • Blue armor – truth
  • Empty cup – the quest for love
  • Meandering River – following your feelings
  • Red fish on armor – passion and faith
  • White horse – white: purity and spirituality; horse: power and drive
  • Winged helmet and boots – communication, creativity, imagination  

Herbs for The Knight of Cups

  • Ashwagandha – calms the mind and lowers cortisol levels.  Helps with mental fatigue, stress, and exhaustion
  • Reishi- balance body and mind stress, adapt and find greater purpose in living, build willpower, and, as a result, help build wisdom
  • Rhodiola – memory, concentration, burnout
  • Rosemary – remembrance, steadfastness
  • Sarsaparilla – improves cognitive function and focus

Questions that the Knight of Cups asks us

  • If you are embarking on a new relationship or new creative venture, have you taken the time to carefully consider whether this is the best thing for you?
  • What kind of beauty can you bring to your world, not just for today, but for every day?

That is the Knight of Cups – Impulsive action that can be brilliant with the balance of forethought. Wishing you a week filled with creativity and love, and discernment. Please join me next week for the Queen of Cups!