I quite like this card from Thoth Tarot. It seems extremely romantic to me, like something you would find in a book of Tennyson.It's a curiosity of this deck that the Knight is the highest of the courts. We have Knight, Queen, Prince, Princess in Thoth, whereas most tarot decks have King, Queen, Knight, Page. As I haven't yet read a book of any use in explaining the structure or background of Thoth, I have no idea why this is. I'm accustomed to looking upon the knight of a suit as its adolescent manifestation, so it's hard for me to think of a knight as 'kingly', ie, the master of the suit. Nevertheless, the Knight of Disks does embody the mastery of the Disks (or Pentacles, or Coins) suit, Fire of Earth.
This card makes me think of something Rachel Pollack said about the Knight of Pentacles at the UK Tarot Conference in October 2012. She suggested that the Knight of Pentacles is serving as the guardian of a city, watching over and protecting it. He is steadfast and slow because it is his steady faithfulness that keeps the city safe. I see some of that same spirit here. The Knight of Disks here looks intrepid, though weary. He looks as if he's taking a slight breather during his vigil of protection. But even though his helmet is pushed back and his weapons are lowered at his side, his shield radiates his goodness and his vigilance across the land, and the horse noses about in the ripened grain which his watchfulness has protected. The people have him to thank for the abundance and safety they enjoy. But even if they never thank him, he will not shirk his duty. Overseeing his realm is what he does. It's what he lives for.
May I be as unstinting in my sense of purpose, and may I find my own meaning in fulfilling those duties that may go unnoticed.
Love your affirmations - really powerful sometimes to pay attention to the little stuff!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Knights/Kings thing, it's my understanding he though a King, as a leader, should be active rather than just sat on a throne. Less charitably, one could say that Crowley himself was an eternal teenager, and so elevated that to being a good thing ;D
Ha ha, yes, I think that second notion is probably 'spot on', as they say!
ReplyDeleteI really like this post on the Knight of Pentacles... I think he's someone who doesn't see his work simply as a task, but rather as mission. He work so diligently because he identifies himself with what he does. i'ts part of his identity. Of course, this can be both good and bad!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very beautiful card. I was never much into the Thoth tarot, but I'm enjoying your posts about it1
I agree with you, his work is his mission. I'm glad you're getting something from these posts, I'm only just finding my way with this deck.
DeleteI also really like this card. I may be wrong, but my half-remembered skimming...kind of the idea of emphasizing the queens/equalizing the genders in the courts, since king always has this implication of supreme power in a way that can outweigh the power of queen when put side by side? i'm sure real books/thothy experts can explain that way better, but for me its one of many things in this deck that speak to my feminist side, a lot. i feel crowley's attitude towards women as seen through this deck (no doubt a function of harris's work as well) is really refreshing, particularly for the time it was made in. I mean, compared to how many decks published today blatantly sexualize/objectify women... yeah, i really like it.
ReplyDeletealso, your post title amused me greatly :]
Oh, that makes sense! It's true a Knight and a Queen sound more like equals than a King and a Queen. (I sometimes wonder if anyone else finds my titles as amusing as I do. ha ha)
DeleteIt can't be an easy job for the knight or his horse so I can understand why he has to take a break. His horse looks like he could do with a pail of water and some straw, a nice card :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the prettiest in the deck, to me. I think it's my favourite.
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