The Four of Cups as Advice: Look at What Is Being Offered

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Four of Cups as advice asks you to notice the fourth cup. Here is how, and what the reversal says about re-engaging.

If you want the short answer, the Four of Cups as advice says: look up. Stop staring at what disappointed you and notice what is being offered now.

What the Four of Cups advises upright

Tina Gong's the Four of Cups guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with apathy, contemplation, disconnection and reevaluation. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Minor Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Four of Cups advises honest reassessment: take a pause if you need it, then look properly at the option you have been dismissing.

What the Four of Cups is not asking you to do

The Four is not asking you to accept everything offered. It asks you to look before refusing.

The Four of Cups reversed as advice

Reversed, the Four of Cups as advice says re-engage. The flat stretch is ending; take the cup. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Four of Cups as advice in love

In love, the Four of Cups advises noticing the person or the warmth you have been taking for granted.

The Four of Cups as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises reconsidering the opportunity you brushed off. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Write down one offer you have turned down recently, and look at it again with fresh eyes.

For comparison, the Five of Cups as advice and the Hermit as advice ask different things of you. The the Four of Cups card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Four of Cups as a yes or no, the Four of Cups as feelings and the Four of Cups as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.