The Knight of Cups is all about romance, desire, and lusty charm. This card shows up as your knight in shining armor, ready to take your breath away as your ultimate romantic hero.
Also, like all the Court cards, The Knight of Cups card can represent a real person. This can mean there’s a strong romantic partner in your life, or maybe you’re the one who needs to step up romantically.
This card can also represent travel or a passionate approach to a new situation. This can mean starting a new creative endeavor and appreciating all the beauty along the way.
When you see The Knight of Cups card reversed, it can mean you’re letting your emotions rule you. You might feel overly sensitive, jealous, or moody.
This reversed card can serve as a warning not to get caught up in negative emotions. Also, be sure to use your head along with your heart when making a change or embarking on a new adventure.
It asks you not to be so overcome with excitement and passion that you ignore the practical aspects of starting something new.
The reversed Knight of Cups card can also show you’re having a hard time bringing your creative vision to life. You might be full of great ideas and passion, but you’re having a hard time making your dreams a reality.
Again, don’t overlook the practical details along the way. Having creativity and excitement is a wonderful starting place, but it’s important to focus on concrete steps as well.
And like all reversed Court cards, the reversed Knight of Cups could represent an actual person in your life – someone who takes the wonderful qualities of the upright Knight and flips them right around. This person could be someone who is overly emotional, jealous, controlling, and moody.
Reading this reversed card using the “blocked/restricted” meaning
Okay, now let’s talk about how you can read your reversed Knight of Cups card.
First, you can use the “blocked/restricted” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards this way, you look for an obstacle standing in front of the card’s upright meaning.
For The Knight of Cups, this can mean something is blocking the romance and charm from your life.
For example, you might pull the reversed Knight of Cups card thinking about your personal life. You went through a divorce last year, and it was ugly.
Your ex cheated, and it left you feeling betrayed and bitter. You feel you can never trust again, and ever since the breakup, you’ve been cynical about finding someone new.
Here, the reversed Knight of Cups card can show that it’s time to shift your perspective. It’s natural to feel jaded after being betrayed by someone you loved, but keeping yourself closed off will not make your life better, safer, or more fun.
This is affecting more than just your romantic hopes. Your bitterness and disregard is bleeding into all your relationships, and it’s not healthy.
Try talking about what you went through with someone – therapy is cheap, especially compared to the alternative of staying stuck and alone forever.
There’s no shame in how you’re feeling, and working through your emotions will help you open up to amazing new adventures in the future, romantic and otherwise.
Reading this reversed card using the “opposite” meaning
Another way to read your reversed Knight of Cups card is using the “opposite” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards like this, you look for the opposite of the card’s upright meaning.
For The Knight of Cups, this means instead of passion and creativity, you have apathy and unoriginality. Your current situation isn’t bringing the best out of you.
How can you change your perspective or look for something better suited to your skills?
Say you pull the reversed Knight of Cups card thinking about your job. You work as a freelance content writer, and it’s your passion in life.
You love writing more than anything and are thrilled you get to do it for a living. But right now, you’re working for a finance company, so you only write dry, factual material about annuities and investments.
It’s not the best use of your creative talents and you feel uninspired most days.
Here, the reversed Knight of Cups card can help you reframe the situation. Even though this isn’t exactly what you want to be doing, you’re still improving your skills and working in the right direction.
Work on creative projects in your free time and make sure you are putting yourself out there to go after jobs that are more aligned with your interests. There is more interesting work out there, just waiting for you to go after it.
Reading this reversed card using the “worse” meaning
You can also read your reversed Knight of Cups card using the “worse” reversed card meaning. When you read your cards like this, you take the card’s upright meaning and put it in a negative light.
For The Knight of Cups, this means you may have romance and charm in your life, but maybe those qualities are hiding some negative things you should pay attention to.
For example, say you pull the reversed Knight of Cups card thinking about your dating life. You have a boyfriend who’s charming and romantic in spades.
He never misses an opportunity to get your flowers and little presents, and he always tells you how beautiful and special you are. But when it comes to the real things, you’re noticing his words don’t line up with his actions.
He forgets important details you share with him and doesn’t consider your needs in the bedroom. He buys you presents, but they aren’t things you want. He takes you out to dinner, but never to the restaurants you like.
He talks a lot about how wonderful you are, but you never really get the feeling like he’s listening when you talk. He’s filled with empty promises, always telling you he’ll change if you give him more time.
Here, the reversed Knight of Cups card tells you not to be fooled by his charm. Anyone can pretend to be your knight in shining armor, but if his actions don’t line up, there’s a problem.
Get clear on what you really want and expect from a partner, and if he’s not able to deliver, give him the boot.
Reading this reversed card using the “no/not” meaning
Finally, you can use the “no/not” card meaning to read your reversed Knight of Cups card. When you read your cards this way, you put a “no” or a “not” in front of the card’s upright meaning.
With The Knight of Cups, this can mean “no emotions” or “not passionate.” You’re dealing with a situation that requires you to use your head over your heart.
Say you pull the reversed Knight of Cups card thinking about your child and their temper tantrums. You have a seven-year-old daughter, and she’s always been pretty well-behaved.
But lately, she’s been throwing a lot of temper tantrums when you’re out in public. You’re a single mom, and putting your foot down has never been your strength.
It hurts you to be tough, so you usually avoid it. But things are getting so bad now that it’s time to try a fresh approach.
Here, the reversed Knight of Cups card tells you there is a time to be sensitive and a time to be firm, and this is the latter. Your daughter needs healthy boundaries to learn how to behave when in public and at home.
Consider counseling for the both of you – individually and together. She may be experiencing deeper problems that she doesn’t know how to communicate, or she may just be testing her boundaries.