(i) Knight of Cups YouTube Video
My new YouTube channel is : Thoth Tarot Videos. The Court Card videos are yet to be remade.
(ii) Thoth Knight of Cups
The winged Knight of Cups leaps in the opposite direction to the Knight of Wands. He is the ONLY court card figure that does not wear a helmet. He rides a white horse and leaps over a peacock. There is a sea of water below the horses feet. His right arm outstretched contains a cup with a crab visible.
(iii) Knight of Cups: Sub Elements
Fire of water = the element of fire combined with his main element of water gives him a creative and inspirational spark to his nature. The swiftness of fire also means there is not much depth to his personality though he has an attractiveness and charm about him with this combination of elements.
On the other hand Fire and water elementally don’t really mix so he does have angst & conflicts to resolve within him as we will see when we come to the minor arcana cards that make him up as we see from the elemental dignity rules below :
- Fire and Air are friendly and active
- Water and Earth are friendly and passive
- Fire and Water are enemies, they weaken each other
- Air and Earth are enemies, they weaken each other
- Fire and Earth strengthen each other but are neutral
- Water and Air strengthen each other but are neutral
Being fire and water, the inherent nature of the Knight of Cups is one of conflict !
(iv) Tetragrammaton and the Knight of Cups
Corresponds to Yod of the Tetragrammaton. Yod = father, creativeness impulse, initiating action.
Crowley states :
“The Knights represent the powers of the letter Yodh in the Name. They are the most sublime, original, active part of the Energy of the Element; for this reason they are represented on horseback and clad in complete armour. Their action is swift and violent, but transient. .. In the element of water the Knight corresponds to rain & springs”
(v) Knight of Cups & The Tree of Life
Chockmah in Briah. Its qualities are wisdom and in the Knights represents the raw uncompromised power that wants to procreate.
(vi) Astrology of the Knight of Cups
21st degree of Aquarius to 20th degree of Pisces
Aquarius = independent, hard to pin down but humanitarian at the same time
Pisces = his sensitivity , dream like nature, can be unreliable. Has a spiritual side.
(vii) Symbolism of the Knight of Cups
No helmet = openness, a symbol of trust and receptivity. . He does not do battle and he is not around long enough for any commitments and to fight for anything.
Green Suit = creativity , green = growth and renewal.
White Horse = purity. It also symbolises the power he has to have a vision of purity , love and sensitivity which go beyond the ego.
Crab = Cancer = nurturing, sensitivity, home loving. Often retreat into themselves when hurt. Also a symbol for the Goddess ISIS of the sea.
Peacock = a symbol of ego and vanity in the west. In the east its associated with perception & wisdom (Chockmah). Its skin is said to be incorruptible.
Knight leaping over peacock = he is overcoming vanity to something more pure. Has a vision of a more spiritual kind of love and sensitivity.
(viii) Minor Arcana Cards Ruled by Knight of Cups
(i) Strengths
Happiness ( 9 of Cups) = It talks about a sense of inner contentment and great happiness, which radiates outward to enrich those around you. This can come from being able to enrich people emotionally or from their spiritual contentment.
(ii) Weakness
Futility ( 7 of swords): can be uncertain of our self and feel we cannot achieve what we want in love & relationships. Periods of self-doubt and often need reassurance from others.
Indolence ( 8 of Cups) = periods of lacking energy, inspiration. Can seem like laziness but this might also be a necessary respite period between more creative times.
(ix) I Ching & The Knight of Cups
54th Hexagram, Kwei Mei.
Crowley assigns this hexagram due to the association of the conflicting parts of the mix of fire and water and says that this person will forever have conflict within themselves which will never be resolved.
He states : “Often this mental “civil war” ends in schizophrenia or melancholy madness. The abuse of stimulants and narcotics may precipitate the catastrophe.”
To add a lighter note to this hexagram it actually means : SUBORDINATE (The Marrying Maiden) and referred metaphorically to the non privileged concubine who remained subordinate to a marriage. In life we can interpret this as follows:
- If you are in a new job act as a subordinate to avoid error, try to excel in your work
- A time when you are not being heard in a relationship or valued whether in your job or in a relationship.
If we are in love with the prince of cups then there is an element of being a subordinate as he has no commitment ! It is best we learn just to go with the flow.
(x) Divinatory Meanings of the Knight of Cups
(a) Representing Our Self
See information above
(b) Representing Another
This can represent a male or female as we both have qualities of each
At best they are loving, generous with his emotions, supportive and tender. He can be capable of high levels of spiritual development (horse jumping over peacock), strong in intuition and warmly responsive but again they are not in our lives for very long
They are attracted and attractive to the opposite gender, charming but not very deep
Not very practical but actions are ruled by emotions. Will buy to flatter a partner rather than pay the bills
Unfaithful , fickle , shallow , highly emotional, unreliable at worst
Can be open and caring (Pisces) , though this is often misleading; the Knight of Cups is often subject to intense insecurity needing constant re-assurance and attention.
(xi) Celtic Cross Interpretation of the Knight of Cups
1. Heart of the Situation = we have long-term conflicts currently unresolved
2. Possible obstacle = not feeling valued, our voice is not being heard
3 : Subconscious influence = we know deep down that there is someone who is too shallow for us, won’t show commitment but we haven’t faced facts
4 : Recent Past = getting attached to people who don’t commit and are highly attractive to us but a bit shallow
5 : Hopes and Goals = to find someone we can have fun with that we are attracted to. Resolve our conflicts. Gain a sense of purity back in our lives
6 : Near future = periods of inspiration mixed with times of self-doubt and laziness.
7 : Self Image = fun-loving, emotionally doesn’t commit, periods of self-doubt, laziness but also highly inspirational at times. Perhaps a greater likelihood to see your negative points than other people do.
8 : Our Environment = fun-loving, emotionally doesn’t commit, periods of self-doubt, laziness but also highly inspirational at times
9 : Guidance & Warning = need to step back from the type of people you are attracting into your life.
10 : Overall Outcome = an inspirational time ahead. just go with the flow, it will brighten up your life but it is not a long-lasting thing. (draw more cards if necessary).
(xii) Additional Videos
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