Granny Jones - The Knight Cups

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The next card I'd like to look at - I chose it by a quick shuffle and cut - is the Knight Cups. This gallant, more usually seen in other decks on horseback dressed in all his finery, is seen here in an old-fashioned neck-to-knee bathing suit in the aquatic colours of blue and white, the colours of the depths of hte ocean and the foam on its surface. He is laughing with pleasure as he rides an orange inflatable animal covered in little red hearts (bringing in the element of romance) and waves his golden Cup; he faces left, the direction of the feminine, indicating that for a bloke he is unusually in touch with his feminine or softer side. Behind him, a sailing ship on the horizon seems to be moving away from land, a cloudless sky and a swollen sun are complemented by the three flying birds of blessing, and the cliff-edge of land is just visible in the background.

See that little yellow winged light-globe in the background above the ship? You'll get to be very familiar with that as we travel through the deck - it is Granny's standard shorthand for inspired "bright ideas".

So on the face of it, this is a very positive card. We have visual cues for bright ideas, romance, happiness and playfulness right in front of us. We have an animistic signal from the Triple Goddess herself that she is smiling on the scene. What could be better?

But don't judge too quickly. Is that swollen sun hanging over the horizon rising and promising us a bright day - or setting and warning us of the coming darkness? Look at the pitch of the waves in the foreground - they are pretty rough if you are alone in the water with only an inflatable toy for your craft. And nowhere is there a nice, soft beach to ensure an easy landfall: the only land we can see is far away, and it is a sheer, rocky slope which will be very hard to climb.

Has the knight, in his haste to have fun in the sun, neglected to ensure his own safety? Is he "in too deep"? Is he tossing around on the waves of his emotion, ungrounded and with little thought for the risks of the future?

I am accustomed to thinking of the Tarot Pages as apprentices in their suit, just beginning to learn their way around their element, and the Knights as journeymen rather than as masters of their crafts, someone who has acquired some skills but doesn't have enough experience yet to have the depth of judgement and wisdom that they will develop on their long, slow journey to Kingship or Queenship.

I have discussed this card as if it describes a person. As with all of the Tarot, though, it may sometimes describe a person, sometimes a quality, sometimes a way of behaviour, sometimes an external event, just depending on the querent's situation, the position in the spread, and the story that the other cards around it gradually reveals during the reading.

If it were to describe a person, I would see it as someone intensely emotional, either in a romantic sense or even as a drama-queen, who hasn't yet developed the depth, stability and maturity of emotion that only the passage of decades can give. They can be extraordinarily appealing people - but when the going gets tough will they hang around, or will they get going? In fact, I find that when their lives or relationships become complicated, they can turn into quite selfish people, whilst still charming the outside world.

If this card were to describe a quality, that would be an ebullient optimism, a fun-loving, charismatic approach to life.

If it were to describe a behaviour, depending on the client's situation and/of the story of the fall of the rest of hte cards around it, it would indicate either a need for the client to be optimistic and seek the best in their situation, or to lead with their heart rather than their head, or conversely, not to lead with their heart rather than their head because they don't yet have the depth of emotional maturity that the situation demands.

The one thing this card does indicate without fail is the dominance of emotion over reason in the current situation. It also implies emotional depth without complete emotional maturity, which can often lead to fairly tricky situations and outcomes.

See the air-valve on the flanks of the Knight's blow-up mount? Perhaps deflating him will help him develop and grow. Until then, he will always have the enjoyment of life as his chiefest priority, even at the expense of others.