Earth of Water - Ten of Cups

Tarot of the Hidden Realm (Llewellyn 2013)

I've drawn Ten of Cups today from Tarot of the Hidden Realm (Llewellyn 2013). We see a faerie in her crone years, passing her hands through the smoke of something. She's working some sort of magic.

I am not easily reconciling the image with the meaning for this card. The book says she has lavender and frankincense in the bowl and the wisps rising up are steam. The card is meant to represent 'moments of love and connection', 'wisdom and experience' and a time to 'create ties as well as celebrate them.' I gotta tell ya, I would have gleaned none of that from looking at this image. I'm sitting here staring at it, and I'm still not getting it. Now I know the back story, that she's sending out blessings to her family, I kind of do, but before reading that, no.

The element of the suit of Cups is Water, associated with feelings, relationships. The elemental affinity of the number 10 is Earth, corresponding to stability, the material plane, and resources. Thus the 10 of Cups is Earth of Water, which would suggest a grounded and practical approach to dealing with emotions and relationships.

This is why in the RWS card, we see relationships fulfilled in the material realm -- land, a cottage, children, a spouse. This card from Tarot of the Hidden Realm misses out the material aspect of Water. Perhaps it is there in the transformation of water to steam, but surely that is leading water to an even less substantial state rather than a more stable, grounded one.

If we look at Water as the inner and Earth as the outer, then the 10 of Cups could represent inner peace being reflected in outer manifestation. It is not prosperity; although the RWS image is idealized it does not represent prosperity so much as deep joy in having all one's basic needs met. What else could one wish for than home, health, a beautiful day, and the knowledge that the wolf is kept firmly from the door (even if it isn't the grandest door ever made)?

That's not to say the 10 of Cups card focuses exclusively on happiness being based on material comfort. Just that the inner and outer are reflections of each other. Wanting what you have and having what you want, that's pretty much the definition of happiness in this life.

Good card for a Friday!

Page of Cups

The Lovers' Tarot (Connections 2005)

Today's card from my new deck, The Lovers' Tarot by Jane Lyle, is Page of Cups. The image makes very clear reference to the RWS Page of Cups: The figure is facing to the left side of the card, red and blue clothing, standing on the edge of water, and most curiously, there is a fish emerging from the cup. The creator of the Rider Waite Smith deck,  Arthur Edward Waite, provides only this explanation in his Pictorial Key to the Tarot: 'A fair, pleasing, somewhat effeminate page, of studious and intent aspect, contemplates a fish rising from a cup to look at him. It is the picture of the mind taking form' [italics mine]. Now, that's interesting. Many contemporary tarot readers, if they mention the fish at all, talk about the Page of Cups' imagination and sense of wonder being symbolised by the fish emerging from the cup. That may be quite valid. But Waite's explanation, brief as it may be, seems perhaps to go a bit further. 'The picture of the mind taking form' is a very big picture indeed! It is the awakening of consciousness, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness, is it not? The fish is a fitting symbol for these things...a creature that is foreign to us, able to breathe where our bodies would drown, living in a place that we cannot see (beyond the most fleeting glimpses) but can only imagine, hidden from us and our experience, creatures that go with unseen flows, that can travel great distances at great speeds. As most of the earth's surface is covered by water, fish may symbolise greater freedom than we land-crawlers enjoy -- more territory to explore, and moving through it with greater ease and in deeper harmony than we can in our own dry environments. They are light and buoyant and quick, where we are weighed down by gravity, heavy and slow.Yes, the fish is a good symbol of the unseen, the depths, freedom, vastness, unfettered movement...the inner mind, the heart, the subconscious, the emotions. So the fish emerging from the cup represents our first awareness of this rich inner world, the first consideration that we might have depths unplumbed within ourselves, waiting to be explored.

In what way are you awakening to an unsuspected hidden depth? How has its emergence surprised you? What do you think you will do with this new awareness?

Lesbian Vampire Killers of 1871

The Page of Cups, or Knave of Holy Water,  from Vampire Tarot by Robert Place, is represented by the fictional character Carmilla, from the novella of the same name by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Published in 1871 and inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Christabel', the novella introduces the first lesbian vampire. So! All those 60s and 70s horror flicks like 'Vampires' (1974) , Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Blood and Roses (1960) were not just sleazy exploitation films -- they come from a long tradition of lesbian vampires, a tradition that predates the creation of Dracula (which didn't appear until 1897). In fact, the first screen lesbian vampire appeared in 1936 in a film called 'Dracula's Daughter', and Carmilla herself appears for the first time on the silver screen in the above-mentioned movie 'Blood and Roses'.

The 1871 novella 'Carmilla' concerns itself with the (seemingly) 19-year-old young woman called Carmilla who is taken into the home of narrator Laura, after Carmilla is involved in a carriage crash just outside Laura's home. Carmilla's mother says she is on urgent business and cannot delay, and Laura's father agrees, after Laura's urging,  to allow Carmilla to convalesce in their home.  Bad plan. Find a full plot summary here: Carmilla Plot Summary. And if you want to go all out and read the whole thing, it is online here:  Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. If you don't have time for either, allow me: Carmilla and Laura become constant companions. Laura finds Carmilla both beautiful and repulsive. Laura has disturbing dreams. She and Carmilla do quite a bit of kanoodling (as much as 19th century literary sensibilities would allow), though not always willingly on Laura's part. Laura discovers a portrait of one of her own ancestors, Mircalla of Karnstein, painted in 1698, who looks exactly like Carmilla. Carmilla begins to bloom with health while Laura fades. A family friend, General Spielsdorf, tells a tale of how his own niece had had a friend called Millarca who bloomed while the niece faded, and finally died from it. He had seen Millarca draining the niece of her last drop of life blood. The General and Carmilla recognise each other and fight. She wins and runs away. Then Baron Vordenberg, vampire killer, turns up, they hunt Carmilla in her lair and drive a stake through her heart. The End.

Now, how that can be the Page of Cups is up to Robert Place to explain. He writes, 'The card represents someone or something that is alluring and magically influential but that may not be what he or she seems.' Not very Page of Cupsy, but we'll go with that.

When Aniruddha met Usha

Sacred India Tarot 

The Page of Lotuses from Sacred India Tarot features Aniruddha and Usha, depicted here fleeing from Usha's angry father (they just got married without asking anyone first, crazy kids).

As usual it's a pretty complicated story. But to sum up, Usha has a dream of a handsome prince and knows she can love no other, so her friend draws pictures of all the princes in the land, which Usha examines until she finds him - Anirhudda, the grandson of Krishna. The artist friend goes and convinces Anirhudda to meet Usha, they fall in love and get secretly married. Usha's father chases them down, puts Aniruddha in prison, but eventually he cools down and they all live happily ever after.

This seems an appropriate Page of Cups card, I suppose, as the two principles are young and get swept up in impetuous actions and emotions. They both certainly trust their impulses and pay no heed to reason or conventions of behaviour.

I wonder what impulsive behaviour I might be tempted by today. Or maybe the card is telling me to be a bit more open and impetuous than I usually am. Hmm. Must watch for it. Considering I'm working from home today, there's not much scope for being swept away!

Peace like a river

Shining Tribe Tarot, Pollack 2001

On this last day of Shining Tribe Tarot week, I have drawn Place of Rivers. It's nice to have this card because it gives me a chance to talk about the courts in this deck. There aren't any. Instead, there is a set of cards called the 'vision cards'. Rather than being about personalities or archetypes, the vision cards teach us about the power of each element. They are Place, Knower, Gift and Speaker. These are a bit similar to traditional courts. Place cards correspond to the juvenile/novice energy of the Page. Knower cards are like Knights in that they are the champion or the action of the suit. the Gift cards are the Queens and have the inner understanding of the suit. The Knowers have the responsibility of serving the greater community with the suit. Rachel Pollack points out that the Vision cards do not refer to specific people, but to our own personal spiritual development.

So today I have drawn Place of Rivers.

The Earth hums,
the water whispers.
She says nothing, 
she has learned how to listen.

I see a woman kneeling beside a pool. Two rivers empty into the pool. A jagged piece of earth that Pollack describes as a 'rock outcropping' dominates the bottom right corner of the card. Pollack compares it to a sleeping dragon. In the background is a cave, topped by a dolmen. The mouth of the cave echoes the shape and colour of the little pool. There are flowers, grasses, and two trees on the hills.

The Place of Rivers is just as it appears - a place of contemplation, peace and quiet discovery. Perhaps after I get all this off my chest at the meeting with my manager today, and get the ball rolling to return me to my old job, I will feel this sort of quiet peace.

Bye bye to Pearls of Wisdom

Hey, we finish the week with another page! This time it's the Page of Cups from Pearls of Wisdom Tarot.

I've only just noticed that all pages have a feather in their caps (except Wands - he's got his head covered with a sun mask). Of course, I had to look up 'feather in your cap' because the internet has made us all nuts like that. I knew it meant an accomplishment to be proud of. I wonder why these pages all have feathers in their caps. I was hoping to find out something more, which might be page-like. A feather in the cap might be a bit of an affectation, like in the Yankee Doodle song -- a misguided affectation, brought on by ignorance or lack of refinement. We'll go with that, as well as the usual meaning.

I like this chap, pouring water out of the valentine goblet with his hand over his heart. He's a nice boy.

I think I have gone into this before, but for me, the Page of Cups is Butters in South Park. Yes, here it is: What would Butters do?

I'm not feeling very well today; good thing hubby is a Page of Cups. I'm going to take this as a sign to cuddle up to him a lot today.

Have a great Friday!

Pearl of great price

Spiral Tarot (US Games 1997)

I'm glad I checked the LWB, else I woudn't have realised this girl in Princess of Cups in Spiral Tarot is meant to be a mermaid. 'The pearl in her cup symbolises the seed of imagination and creativity and as the dawning of psychic ability,' it says. I guess since she IS a fish, she doesn't need a fish popping out of the cup, as it does in RWS Page of Cups, which this card is roughly equivalent to.

The card certainly plays up the water element, and the artistic temperament, with the water symbol, the mermaid, the seaweed clothing and the dolphins leaping in the background.

I suppose today will be a dreamy kind of day. That's all right, I like those. :)

I enjoyed reading Uncle Al's interpretation of yesterday's card so much, let's do it again today:

The Princess of Cups represents the earthy part of water; in particular, the faculty of crystallization. She represents the power of water to give substance to ideas, to support life, and to form the basis of chemical combination. 

The character of the Princess of Cups is infinitely gracious. All sweetness, all voluptuousness, gentleness, kindness, and tenderness are in her character. She lives in a world of Romance, in the perpetual dream of rapture. On a superficial examination she might be thought selfish and indolent, but this is quite a false impression; silently and effortlessly, she goes on about her work. ~ Aleister Crowley, Book of Thoth

Actually, I quite like that interpretation. It makes sense. I can see it in this card. I'm going with it! Of course, he does have this to say: 'Rarely, at the best, are they of individual importance. As helpmeets, they are unsurpassed.' WHAT! Doesn't that tell you so much about Crowley's personality, though. 'She's a mousy type, of no real importance or significance in her own right, but she's a dandy little helper-outer. Takes orders well.'

Sheesh.

I would hope that if I manage to be the Princess of Cups to anyone today, they will value it more than the king of narcissistic personality disorder himself, Mr AC.

What would Butters do?

Robin Wood Tarot, Llewellyn 1991

I'm using Robin Wood Tarot this week, and I'm surprised to see that I've never blogged with it. It was one of the first decks I bought, on the recommendation of a friend, because the elemental attributions are made very obvious and the illustrations, particularly facial expressions, make contemporary RWS interpretations very plain and easy to see. The artwork is not to everyone's taste (including mine), but the deck has its place in my collection and I can't see myself ever getting rid of it, even though I hardly ever choose it for readings or blogging. Or anything else. Ha ha.

So here's the Page of Cups. You can see that Robin Wood keeps Pamela Colman Smith's tendency to paint images to look like a stage with a backdrop (PCS was a stage and costume designer.)  Here the figure stands on a stage (which might be a pier or pavement) near bubbling sea waves. The flat horizon stretches out behind her and the sky is multi-coloured. The Page of Cups stands examining a tiny vessel from which is emerging a small winged fish creature. Rays emerge from the cup, spangling out in all directions. The page stands with hand on hip, holding the cup up in the manner of a 19th century Shakespearean actor. A small artist's pallet hangs from her belt.

The association with elemental water is very obvious. The artist's pallet goes even further to telling us about the temperament of the Page of Cups than does the arsty, frowzy hat on the PCS version. The Page of Cups is emotional, poetic, creative, imaginative, young, idealistic, greeting the unusual with delight. (I mean, a fish popping out of a cup is pretty unusual. Many people would react differently than standing there admiring it wonderingly.)

I associate all court cards with certain fictional characters, and the Page of Cups for me is Butters from South Park. I love Butters. He is cheerful, naive, optimistic, gullible and somewhat passive. He has a wholesome attitude and mild disposition and is quite happy-go-lucky, despite any sad or negative events going on around him. Matt Stone, creator of South Park, says he represents 'permanent innocence'. Though Butters does have a bit of a dark side, such as when he rebels against his parents by joining a group of 'vampire' kids at school (has to quit because he doesn't like the taste of blood -- really Clamato. ha ha)

These are all qualities of Page of Cups, who is sensitive, open-hearted, imaginative, creative and optimistic, even when something really weird happens, like a fish popping its head out of your cup.

Now the question I've been answering lately is this: What does this card say to me about what I can do right now to bring myself pleasure and positively impact my future? I can open myself up emotionally today, see everything from the bright side, not read too much into anything. Allow myself to take enjoyment from simple things. Butters would.

Wonder and delight

Cachet Tarot

This week's deck is the Cachet Tarot (art by Colin Howard), which apparently has been published in a few different kits. The one I've got came in a kit called 'Tarot: Delve into the World of Tarot Reading' (Top That Publishing, 2013). The Cachet Tarot itself first came out in 2003, it seems. There's nothing wrong with this affordable deck of pips-only tarot cards, despite some rather stuck-up opinions in the tarot world, which might declare this deck cheap and clunky, but will go bananas over a restored TdM, or the Wild Unknown, or Prediction Tarot or any number of so-called 'unillustrated minors' decks that are self-published or HTF or OOP and/or cost a bloomin' fortune. Just because something is mass market or even bargain bin, doesn't make it bad. I like this deck-- its huge size, its thin floppy cardstock with the edges already chipping, its glowy artwork and mad borders. Why not? Why does everything have to be either tasteful, or studiously edgy? I like this deck! Seriously, I really do. (Except for that Chariot card. Whoa.)

Today's card is Page of Cups. My first thought is that the chap here looks a little old for a Page, but that's okay, as I myself am a little old for a Page! Pageness is a state of mind, people. :)  His face has the Page of Cups qualities -- all open, receptive, naive, charming and charmed. I like the background, with its green trees and slowly moving stream, little flowers in the grass. I like the Page's vivid blue waistcoat and bright green shoebuckles, and especially his blousy poet shirt, which I always associate with a certain artistic or emotional temperament. This Page looks as if he's just dipped the cup into the stream and is about to reach out and offer it to us. An earnest and sweet gesture inviting us to be refreshed at a very basic level.

The Page of Cups is certainly a ' breath of fresh air', as they say. He asks us to relax into a more childlike enjoyment of life, to be more passive, more imaginative, and more full of wonder. Drawing the Page of Cups, I expect the day to be slow-paced with plenty of opportunities to daydream and even to play. It is not a day for worry, excessive planning, or a lot of action. It's day for responding to what life offers with openness, acceptance, and joy.

James Ricklef in his book 'The Soul's Journey: Finding Spiritual Messages in the Tarot' talks about how we interact with a little child we may see in a public place, such as a supermarket. The baby looks upon us with open delight, and we smile and make faces at the baby because we know he or she will welcome them and respond in a joyful way. So the Page of Cups reminds us to approach the world with unconditional love, like a small child, and to be emotionally open, seeking wonder and delight.

Very good advice for a Monday.

Turn, turn, turn

The Princess of Cups is the card of the day from Druidcraft Tarot (Carr-Gomm and Worthington, 2005). First thing I notice is the orangey, autumnal leaves on the tree, and the golden glow in the sky in the background. Yesterday and today, I feel the first stirrings of autumn in the air. Yesterday there was a decided nip to the temperature, and today I woke up to pitch black and outside my window; in the gloom I can see the silhouette of trees blowing. I feel it may be a bit of a wet and wild day. I just checked the weather forecast and it says sunny spells with a high of 16 C. The season of fall and autumnal weather are the first things I think of when I see this card this morning.

Anyway, this decidedly autumnal scene surrounds a girl with flowing ginger hair and red and russet robes - more autumn colours - who stands barefoot beside a pool of water on a mossy rock, holding a cup. A circlet with a crescent moon sits on her forehead. She holds the cup up to her face with eyes closed. To me, I see her as feeling a deep communion with her surroundings. Her robes billow and her hair floats about her shoulders - maybe she is meditating upon the autumn breeze.

Hey, I just noticed a Green Man on the tree!! Look at the pattern of the ferns on the tree just by her right elbow. Ha!

This card suggests to me that I make the most of my time out doors today to notice the changing seasons. Autumn is my favourite season of the year, and it doesn't last long in this country. It isn't such a blaze of glory as in my native country, but it's there if you watch for it. :)

A surprise from the deep

It's the Princess of Cups today from the Tarot Illuminati (Dunne & Huggens, LoScarabeo 2013). Clearly modelled on the RWS Page of Cups, the image includes the curious sight of a fish emerging from the cup, which the human figure understandably seems to be quite amazed by. There's an interesting bit about fish in the Cups suit at Tarot Teachings. In particular, I like the ideas that fish represent emotion/intuition because they 'move and react according to intuitive instinct', and 'abide by the flow, move with the current, accepting the yawning void in which they live.'

The Cups suit in the Tarot Illuminati features faery-like folk with silver hair and pale skin, as opposed to the other courts(Wands - Persia, Swords - Elizabethan England, Pentacles - Asia). I think this is probably because the Cups suit concerns itself with the intuition and that part of the self that is more fanciful and nebulous.

Overall I'd say the card is suggesting to me that I be sensitive to things today, both to my own emotions and those of others. I need to pay particular attention to the ebb flow of my own inner world. Perhaps some new insight will pop up, like a fish emerging from a cup.

Love bubbles - have you sent any lately?

A rather studious-looking winged love bunny appears today from the Joie de Vivre Tarot (Cassidy, US Games 2011). I am quite charmed by his headdress, which sports a letter rack at the top. He's a harbinger of messages, hopefully love notes! And his bowl isn't hoisted onto his shoulder, but instead floats beside him, anchored lightly by curling ribbons. The liquid in the bowl effervesces with sparkling heart-shaped bubbles. Beneath his feet, the hill is cut away to reveal the roots of love in the earth, layer upon layer.

This card is telling me today to be the messenger of love. I should express loving, kind thoughts today, and if I feel positively disposed toward anything or anyone, I should give voice to it. Today is not a day to hold back on positive messages. Today is a day for giving genuine compliments and in general bringing some love-bubbles into someone's life. That's a nice mission for a Friday.