The Four of Cups is primarily a card of apathy, stagnation and boredom. If you receive this card in your reading, the message is that the situation you have found yourself in is no longer appealing and that you are mulling over your options. This apathetic attitude can manifest itself in procrastination and being somewhat antisocial.
In the Rider Waite deck, the image displays a figure with three cups before him and one entering the scene on a cloud from his right to present him with another option.
The three cups in the foreground of the card represent the options which the figure has already exhausted and the fourth heralds another opportunity making itself known. One interpretation of the fourth cup is that it is a message from the spirit world since the hand holding the cup emerges from a cloud, symbolic of the more etheric realms. The problem, however, is that the seated character is not readily willing to accept this new opportunity, demonstrated by the fact his arms are crossed and his head is turned downwards. His entire posture is one of self-protection and not openness and a willingness to engage with the world.
With such imagery, the Four of Cups can also signify ingratitude in the sense that you have a plethora of options available to you and yet none is enough to satisfy your desires. It is also a card which can warn the querent that they are envious of what other people have and are not satisfied with their own life.
In a love reading, the appearance of this card is somewhat negative. It reveals that either you or your partner have a sense of disenchantment about the relationship and you are merely staying with one another out of habit. It can also show that neither one of you is taking pains to ensure that you experience new things as a couple. This card also sometimes appears when an old fling has reared their head after a long absence. In this instance you are being warned that they are not contacting you because they have realised the error of their ways. On the contrary, they quite simply do not have anyone else to call. The message is clear: do not allow yourself to be used as someone’s pastime. Alternatively this card can also show that attempts to make contact with the object of your affections have been unsuccessful as they are taking their time to think things over and are not currently emotionally open to you.
In a work reading the Four of Cups warns the querent that their job is no longer fulfilling them, that they have felt as though they have outgrown the position and are seeking opportunities with greater potential. In a different vein this card can signify that your work colleagues are not quite to your taste and that you resent having to mingle with them.
Positive Aspects: Message from your spirit guide, unexpected communication
Negative Aspects: Discontent, apathy, boredom, stagnation, reluctance to communicate, ingratitude, envy
