You pulled a card for him, looked it up, and found three meanings that don't agree. One site says the Knight of Cups means he's in love. Another says he's all talk. Now you're more confused than before you shuffled.
That usually happens when a card gets read on its own, with no position and nothing to check it against. This guide goes through the "how does he feel about me" tarot cards suit by suit, with what each one can suggest about his feelings and what it can't prove.
How to read "how does he feel about me" tarot cards
Four habits make these readings far less confusing.
Read the position before the card. A card in "what he feels" means something different from the same card in "what holds him back". The Hermit in a feelings position can point to a quiet, inward kind of affection. In a holding-back position, it can mean he needs space. It doesn't automatically mean he doesn't like you.
Let the suit tell you the channel. Cups lean toward emotion, Swords toward thoughts and words, Wands toward attraction and drive, and Pentacles toward practical life.
Let court cards describe style. Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings often describe how someone expresses feeling and how settled it is, not how much of it there is.
Check it against behavior. Write down what he has actually done before you draw. Afterward, ask whether the reading showed you something new or just agreed with what you already hoped.
If you want the position to do some of this work for you, TarotAI's five-card Relationship Cross has a card for the other person's observable state, kept separate from yours.
What each suit says about his feelings
| Suit | What it tends to show | In a "his feelings" position | What to check in real life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cups | Emotion, affection, vulnerability | Feeling is present and active | Does he open up, or keep things light? |
| Swords | Thoughts, words, doubt, conflict | He may be thinking more than feeling right now | How does he communicate? Clearly, or in circles? |
| Wands | Attraction, enthusiasm, initiative | Interest with energy behind it | Does the enthusiasm last past the first week? |
| Pentacles | Practical care, stability, time | Care shown through effort rather than words | Does he show up, help, keep plans? |
| Major Arcana | A bigger theme in the connection | Something larger is in play than a passing mood | What's changing in his life or yours? |
Cups cards: what he may feel
Cups are the suit people connect with feelings first. In a reading about him, the main ones can read like this.
| Card | What it can suggest | What it doesn't prove |
|---|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | New affection, warmth, an honest opening | That it will become a relationship |
| Two of Cups | Mutual interest, people choosing each other | Commitment. Reciprocity over time shows that |
| Four of Cups | Emotional unavailability, or tiredness with the dynamic | That he feels nothing |
| Five of Cups | Regret, disappointment, dwelling on a loss | That the loss is about you |
| Six of Cups | Fondness, nostalgia, comfort | That he wants the past back |
| Seven of Cups | Idealizing, mixed signals, too many what-ifs | That his attraction isn't real |
| Eight of Cups | Withdrawing from something that isn't meeting a need | That he never cared |
| Ten of Cups | Thinking about belonging, a shared home or future | That he's ready to commit now |
Each card has its own page with the full upright and reversed love meaning: Ace of Cups, Two of Cups, Four of Cups, Five of Cups, Six of Cups, Seven of Cups, Eight of Cups, and Ten of Cups.
Court cards: how he shows what he feels
Court cards are the trickiest part of these readings. One way in is to treat the rank as the style and maturity of the feeling and the suit as its flavor. Gender on the card doesn't matter. A Queen can describe him just as well as a King can.
| Rank | Cups | Wands | Swords | Pentacles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page | Shy, tentative affection, small gestures | Fresh attraction, playful, casual invitations | Curious, asks questions, watches closely | Interested but understated, learning about you |
| Knight | Romantic, expressive, courting | Fast, intense pursuit | Direct, says it plainly, can rush | Steady, regular, keeps arrangements |
| Queen | Emotionally attentive, listens well | Warm and open, keeps his independence | Honest, clear about limits | Caring through practical support |
| King | Mature about feelings, reliable | Ready to make plans for a shared future | Calm, prefers explicit agreements | Commitment shown through stability |
Reversed court cards
A reversed court card usually shows the same style turned unhelpful. A reversed Knight of Cups can mean big words while plans keep falling through. A reversed Knight of Wands can point to pursuit and withdrawal. A reversed Page of Swords can mean overanalyzing every message.
Pages vs. Knights vs. Kings
If you're mainly trying to tell how serious he is, the rank matters more than the suit. A Page of Cups is early and gentle. A Knight is moving toward you. A King of Cups or King of Pentacles suggests feeling that has settled into something steady. None of them guarantee what happens next.
Swords cards: thoughts, doubts, and what he isn't saying
Swords show what's going on in someone's head. In a feelings reading, that can be the part he hasn't said out loud.
Ace of Swords: clarity, or a moment where he sees the situation plainly.
Two of Swords: avoiding a decision. He may be holding two options and refusing to look at either.
Three of Swords: hurt or grief, possibly from something earlier than you.
Four of Swords: needing rest or space to think.
Eight of Swords: feeling stuck, overthinking, seeing fewer options than there are.
Nine of Swords: anxiety, worrying at night.
[Queen of Swords](/cards/queen-of-swords#love) and [King of Swords](/cards/king-of-swords#love): clear thinking and honest boundaries. Not cold, just careful.
A lot of Swords in a feelings spread doesn't mean he doesn't care. It can mean he's in his head about it.
Major Arcana in a feelings reading
When a major card lands in a feelings position, it usually points to something bigger than a passing mood.
[The Lovers](/cards/the-lovers#love): attraction and a wish to define things. Also a choice.
[The Star](/cards/the-star#love): hope, openness, trust rebuilding.
[The Moon](/cards/the-moon#love): mixed signals and uncertainty, on his side or yours.
[The Hermit](/cards/the-hermit#love): a need for space or quiet thought.
[The Sun](/cards/the-sun#love): easy, open affection.
Does he love me or just like me?
This may be the real question underneath. Tarot can't measure the difference. What you can do is compare card signs with behavior.
As a loose rule, Pages and Wands lean toward interest and energy, the kind of attention that can come and go. Queens, Kings, and Pentacles lean toward steadier effort: plans that happen, care that shows up in practical ways. It's a tendency, not a test. His actions over a few weeks will tell you far more than any card.
A realistic example reading
This example is invented to show how the pieces fit together.
You've been seeing someone for two months. He's reliable about plans but rarely talks about feelings. You draw three cards: what he may feel, how he shows it, and what may hold him back.
What he may feel: Ace of Cups. New, real affection.
How he shows it: King of Pentacles. Through practical things. Showing up, helping, planning.
What may hold him back: Two of Swords. A decision he's avoiding, maybe about how serious this is.
Read together, this is warm. The feeling is new, and he shows it the way the King of Pentacles does, by being dependable rather than saying much. The Two of Swords suggests he hasn't decided what this is yet. So you don't need to decode him further. The practical care is already a kind of answer, and one gentle question about where things are going would cover the rest.
How accurate are "how does he feel" tarot readings?
There's no good evidence that tarot can reveal what someone else feels. A card that seems to describe him perfectly may be landing because it matches what you already sensed, or because the meaning is broad enough to fit most people.
That doesn't make the reading useless. Sorting his behavior into feeling, expression, and hesitation can help you see a pattern you were too close to notice. The evidence, though, is still his words and actions over time.
Related readings
For a full spread rather than single cards, try What Does He Think of Me?, which separates his thoughts, feelings, and actions, or the Does He Love Me spread. If he's an ex, Will My Ex Come Back? looks at what has changed since the breakup. And if you'd like to know which cards readers treat as the strongest love cards, see best tarot cards for love.
Frequently asked questions
How can I interpret tarot cards to understand his feelings better?
Read each card in its position, use the suit as a clue to the kind of feeling (Cups for emotion, Swords for thoughts, Wands for attraction, Pentacles for practical care), and treat court cards as his style of expressing it. Then check the reading against what he has actually done.
Can tarot tell if someone loves me or just likes me?
Not reliably. Tarot can't measure another person's feelings. Compare the cards with behavior instead: liking often stays light and occasional, while deeper feeling usually shows up as steady effort over time.
What may he be hesitant to express?
In a feelings spread, Swords cards are the usual place to look, especially the Two of Swords (an avoided decision) or the Eight of Swords (feeling stuck or overthinking). A reversed Page of Cups can also suggest feelings that haven't been said yet. Treat the card as a prompt for a gentle conversation, not a diagnosis of what he's hiding.
What are their feelings toward me?
A tarot reading can suggest themes, like warmth, hesitation, or distance, but it can't confirm what someone feels. Use the cards to decide what to pay attention to. Then look at their actions, how they communicate, and how consistent they are over a few weeks, which is much stronger evidence than any card.
Does The Hermit mean he doesn't like me?
No. The Hermit usually points to a need for space or quiet thought. In a feelings position it can describe an inward, private kind of affection. Look at whether he explains his need for space or just disappears.