King of Cups

XIX The Sun Sets a Holiday Table

November 13, 2014
141127 XIX The Sun Leaves
Tarot Leaves

Since XIX The Sun insists on dominating this month, let’s let it host a Thanksgiving feast.

As you remember from Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think – as well as the recent XIX The Sun posts – the Sun is self-actualisation. Those three dots under the sun on the maple leaf of Tarot Leaves bring to mind body, mind and spirit fully engaged in living and growing.

Who else shall we bring to bask in the life-giving energies of the self-actualised Sun? How about the varied lot that we’ve met over the past couple of months.

How would XIX The Sun interact with the welcoming XXI The World? And how are the Father of Water (King of Cups) and XIX The Sun getting on at their corner of the table? How about the anxious 9 of Swords and the wise IX The Hermit? What do XIX The Sun and XXI The World have to offer 9 of Swords?

XIX The Sun seated the Ace of Cups on the other side of the Father of Water. How are the beginning and end of that suit getting on together? The volatile Knight of Wands is next to XII The Hanged Man. Who’s likely to be most influential in that pair?

Imagine as many combinations as you can at the Thanksgiving table. How do the cards help each other? Where do they clash? The discoveries you make will help you when reading multiple card spreads.

Enjoy the full spectrum of energies available to you through the tarot this week!




I’m grateful to all the students and blog readers for your part in my professional life this year. May you have much to be grateful for in the coming year.

Weekly Card King of Cups Under Alias

November 13, 2014
141120 Father of Water Spirit King of Cups
Tarot of the Spirit

What’s the deal with King of Cups? This is the second time we’ve met him and he’s still not showing up under his most traditional name. This time, it’s as the Father of Water from Joyce and Pamela Eakin’s Tarot of the Spirit.

That deck uses Father, Mother, Brother and Sister instead of King, Queen, Knight and Page for the Court Cards.   Makes them more like family than removed royalty, doesn’t it? And it uses the elements associated with each suit, rather than the “traditional” suits. Earth corresponds to Pentacles, Air to Swords, Fire to Wands and Water to Cups. So Father of Water is King of Cups.

What if your Dad were someone who couldn’t get enough of the sea? What if he loved to play in the ocean? Imagine a father who would actually stay out in a stormy sea. And, as if that weren’t enough, he’d ride a horse in the midst of all that active sea. And it’s a white horse. That turns around to talk to him.

Other than Wilbur and Mr Ed, who is that guy?

Your Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think crib sheet describes the King energy as constant and robust. Because he’s the King of Cups, he’s that way about emotions, relationships and creativity.

This is a Father who dives right into the thick of emotions. Even the scary ones don’t stop him. So this Dad didn’t even leave when you had temper tantrums. He’s the master of his animal side, but it’s a give and take relationship, so he listens to that side of himself. He isn’t going to flip out with you when you’re in the midst of your temper fits.

He knows how to stick it out when creative projects are up against unsympathetic critics. He’s there when relationships hit the rocks. Can you say “unconditional love”?

What would you be like if you’d been raised by a father like that? How do you interact with people like that in your life now?   Are you ever like that yourself?

Love and create unconditionally and constantly this week!

 

 

If you’re looking to learn more about Tarot, I’ll be teaching level 2, Tarot 2 . . . We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, on Friday, 12th December, through the Berkeley County Adult Ed program.  Call 304-267-3585 for more information and to register.

And you know where to find me for phone, email, or in-person tarot counseling.

Weekly Card King of Cups

November 26, 2013
131205 Ceremonial Magick king-cups
Tarot of Ceremonial Magick

How fitting that the King of Cups would show up on St Nicholas Day eve!

131205 RWS King of Cups
Rider Waite Smith Tarot

King of Cups is the compassionate father, kind and generous.  As a ruler, he is the benevolent, cooperative authority.  The Rider Waite Smith deck even includes a ship, connecting to St Nicholas as the patron saint of sailors.

No, I’m not making a case for King of Cups being a representation of St Nicholas.  But St Nicholas is a good mnemonic for the King of Cups personality.

By now, you’ve probably noticed that the card from the Tarot of Ceremonial Magick is titled Knight of Cups.  And I keep talking about the King of Cups.

As if there weren’t enough complexity in Tarot, there are some decks that use Court ranks of Knight, Queen, Prince and Princess.   Ceremonial Magick is one; the Golden Dawn Tarots are others.  In that line up, the Knight is equivalent to the King in decks like the Rider Waite Smith. I’ll warn you that there’s some controversy over that assertion, but I work within that view.

So, to know whether the Knight is a Knight (air) or a King (fire), you need to know a little about your deck’s lineage.   Aeclectic Tarot is an excellent resource to find what you need to know.

As fire of water (Kings = fire, Cups = water), the King of Cups has the ingredients for creativity.  And his is the kind of creativity that leads to achievement.

So, he’s great news for artists who are looking to channel their emotions into something salable.

King of Cups also has lots of depth.  There’s attention to emotional content in there, connections to the subconscious and spiritual concerns.

You can ask yourself questions about all those aspects when King of Cups appears.  And there’s one more question you want to be sure to ask . . .

What will give the most pleasure, most consistently?

May lasting pleasure be yours!

 

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