Prince of Cups is a card of the Minor Arcana, suit of Cups in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of secret passion, intensity, creativity and reserve. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the sephirah Tiphareth, the element Water and 21° Libra – 20° Scorpio in astrology.
secret passion · intensity · creativity · reserve · depth
What does Prince of Cups mean?
Your deep emotions are a creative force: express them sincerely instead of keeping them under control.
Everyday meaning
A passionate but reserved person, gifted with artistic talent, with volcanic emotions beneath a calm, controlled appearance; or an intense, undeclared emotional situation.
Psychological meaning
The intelligence born of emotion: the ability to turn feelings into art and strategy, but also a tendency to hide what you feel and to use it as power.
Initiatic meaning
Air of Water, the Vau of He, referred to Tiphareth: the vapour rising from the waters. He rules from 21° Libra to 20° Scorpio, between Venusian harmony and Scorpionic intensity.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, he is ruthless, manipulative, calculating, able to wound without scruple.
Prince of Cups reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
Hidden emotions that turn into manipulation; secrets, jealousy, coldness.
Prince of Cups in love, work and spirit
In love
Deep but little-expressed passion; an intense and mysterious lover.
At work and career
Creativity, strategy, the ability to read other people's emotions.
In spiritual practice
Turning passion into awareness, like water becoming vapour and rising.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of Prince of Cups
Tiphareth · Water · 21° Libra – 20° Scorpio
Crowley on Prince of Cups
The Prince of Cups drives a chariot drawn by an eagle across placid waters, holding a lotus and a cup from which a serpent emerges: power hidden beneath calm.
Frequently asked questions
What does Prince of Cups mean in the Thoth Tarot?
Your deep emotions are a creative force: express them sincerely instead of keeping them under control.
What does Prince of Cups mean in love?
Deep but little-expressed passion; an intense and mysterious lover.
What does Prince of Cups mean for work and career?
Creativity, strategy, the ability to read other people's emotions.
What does Prince of Cups mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: Hidden emotions that turn into manipulation; secrets, jealousy, coldness.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of Prince of Cups?
In the Golden Dawn system Prince of Cups corresponds to the sephirah Tiphareth, the element Water and 21° Libra – 20° Scorpio in astrology.
