The King of Cups foretells that emotions, relationships and matters of the heart will be in the foreground. If not ill-dignified, the King of Cups indicates that we have the experience and the maturity to deal with emotional matters efficiently. In his negative manifestation, the King of Cups can become, cold, manipulative, cruel. The Strength card represents courage in the face of something that looks bigger and stronger than us. It's the inner power that conquers fear, it's self-discipline and perseverance. In this combination, the Strength is trying to limit the expression of the King of Cups, telling him that maybe the time is not right to express his full potential and that it would be best if he could hold back for a while.

• Holding back feelings
• Protecting one's feelings
• Unresolved relationship issues
• Being unable to see through another's feelings/intentions
• Emotional manipulation
• Controlling impulse
• A man who's in control of his emotional responses
• Keeping someone at an arm's length
• Being unable/unwilling to express feelings
• Not allowing oneself to feel
• Emotional blockage
• Finding the courage to deal with a difficult situation
• Wrong timing - Hold on a little longer
• A strong person offering his/her protection
• Courage in times of emotional turbulence

The elements of the cards are Water (King of Cups) and Fire (The Strength). Water and Fire fight each other, so with this combination, we should expect an inner or outer struggle or both. The King of Cups may attempt to express himself, but the Strength is putting his expression under restrictions.