The Card of the Day: The King of Cups (Reversed)
“Get your house in order.”
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Everybody likes the King of Cups. He is kind, affable, and forgiving. He has nothing left to prove to the world, which makes him unpretentious. This is because he is completely at peace with his own feelings. The King of Cups has experienced both stormy seas, and still waters that run deep. Water and cups represent feelings in the tarot, and the King of Cups is perfectly at home in the realm of his emotions. He tells us, "You are always going to have feelings, why not channel their power into something constructive?"
Are you comfortable in your skin right now? Were you taught sensitivity makes one weak? Are you sometimes so ruled by negative past emotions that you are left feeling sad, unmotivated, and depressed?
The King of Cups knows that emotions can buoy us or sink us. Feelings can be helpful or destructive, just like the ocean. Emotions aren't good or bad, they are energy. The mind filters where feelings flow. Once unleashed, emotions can create a powerful current that manifests results, either positive or negative. Therefore, you want to keep our feelings flowing amid currents of joy and happiness… so they don’t work against what you are trying to manifest.
Two symbols appear the background of the King's card. The whale and the ship. The whale is the record keeper of the ocean.[1] They are the ancient giants that remember all the way back to a time when they used to live on land. The whale symbolizes the ability to access old memories from the depths. Whales breathe air, giving them the ability to bring old, memories and feelings to the surface for understanding and healing. By making peace with the past you don’t have to work so hard to resist it.
The floating ship represents the power of the mind to invent solutions to harness the water (feelings). The seas and oceans used to be large barriers before humans could build ships. After people started inventing boats, the waters became super highways. Ideas were exchanged, and trade increased. The waters were channeled into a positive result.
The King's stable throne remains above the waves. He is not ruled by his feelings but governs them. He stays in contact with his deep emotions and memories (the whale), but he is not overcome and submerged by them (the ship). He can focus on a goal and then summon the powers of his emotions as a propellent to achieve it.
When the King of Cups appears, you can choose whether to sink or swim in the realm of your emotions. Heed the King's advice and make peace with the past. Forgive yourself for whatever was keeping you stuck. Forgive others who have hurt you, or they will continue to rule the direction of your feelings.
The King of Cups can also signify a kind-hearted person that you can trust.
When the King of Cups appears reversed, he advises you to stay calm despite stormy seas. As you can see, the King is surrounded by waters making great waves. Water signifies feelings in the tarot, and reversed cups cards can indicate an intensification of emotional turmoil. The King of Cups is seated on a firm stone platform, unaffected by the swirling waves around him. This indicates that the King can remain centered when situations that elicit strong emotional reactions.
The King of Cups is also associated with the astrological sign of Cancer, which is concerned with home. If you wish to reclaim stability amid stormy waters, get your own house in order (literally and figuratively). Throw out things you don't need anymore. Remove clutter. The more you clean out your personal environment, the less heavy and stressed you will feel internally. You may also see external conditions improve. Your environment has the power to unconsciously affect your mood and self-esteem. If you have a stable base of operations where you feel centered, you can handle any waves headed your way.
*The King of Cups (Reversed) in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
The King of Cups reversed can represent someone who appears adrift in life. He (or she) is not anchored to a particular person, purpose, or place. This can be difficult because the King of Cups, (upright or reversed) can connect powerfully with others without even trying. You may want to “rescue” this person, but he will only swim to shore when he is ready.
Long Term Partnership
The King of Cups reversed can represent an emotionally brooding partner. He may keep replaying a past slight in head over and over, constantly surrendering himself to the raging storms of his past. Time may not heal all wounds, but it will lessen their sting. The King of Cups reversed has a hard time letting the past go.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the King of Cups reversed advises you to remain anchored during emotionally tempestuous times. Shelter your heart in environments that feel safest and most supported. Although you may feel like your heart may never open again, this is an illusion. The storm will pass, and the seas will be calm once more.
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*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
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[1] Jamie Sams and David Carson, Medicine Cards: Revised, Expanded Edition (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), 201.
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