Who are the kings?

I've been working on a tarot deck for over a decade & have illustrated all the cards in pretty random order. What is left, then, are the kings. I didn't do this on purpose; I just seem to have trouble connecting with them.
Last winter (I work on this in winters) I didn't have any knights, either, or fives for that matter, so I figured I had some obvious conflict with men. So I started dating someone (who is absolutely wonderful) and managed the fives and knights. I'm still short on kings. I know they're men, if you view them as people, and they all have different personalities, andI understand the basics of their personalities, but I can't get into them.
Knights came to me this way: "oh yeah, those guys, thick armor and fast horses, always willing to sport a garter for a girl but no one tells them how hard it is to take off the armor and then you have to piss and that's a mess." Valiant young men. I adore them all. My knights are beautiful; some of the most elegant cards in the deck.
Can anyone tell me who a king is? How would I know one if I met one? How do I draw (on) kings? Any hints?

I sent you a PM

Kings- sigh, well, like most men they are complex creatures. And, like most men, there will be some you like and some you don't. Getting to know them? Well, I find that certain decks showcase them in their glory more than others. Some give the traditional colors, regal sitting, but kinda the same scene over and over again. Some showcase them very well, and give you a true glimpse into that personality (for me, the Maat tarot is among the best for this). My suggestion would be to find a deck that the kings call you well, then you will probably find people in your life that are that King of Swords/Cups/Wands/Coins that you didn't even realize fulfilled that role. Everyone has a bit of a mix, but when you understand the archetype, you will recognize the traits in those surrounding you.

Hope that helps!

Look at the Knights...Who would they respect as a Father Figure?

Barefoot Fool said:

Valiant young men. I adore them all. My knights are beautiful; some of the most elegant cards in the deck.
Can anyone tell me who a king is? How would I know one if I met one? How do I draw (on) kings? Any hints?

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Kings aren't as easy as Knights, but they're not so hard, especially of we make use of those knights which you know so well. Let's look at the Kings from the perspective of their Knights. Kings, you see, are the idea men, the men with vision and scope and the ability to see how it will all work--and what won't work. Knights know how to do their particular duty--that is their strength, their unwavering focus on that one thing they must do. Their view is micro, almost to the point of fanaticism. But they don't know how to see or think about the big picture. The King does, and this amazes his Knight.

To the Knights, their Kings' macro-vision is like magic. The King will say, "Do this!" and it will work, or "No, don't do that!" and if you do it--damn! The King was right. It didn't work! How did he know that?

And it's the King's great, grand, majestic ideas that capture the Knights, that excite them. When the King makes speeches of his vision for the future, well, let's just say that these totally motivate the Knights. It gives our ambitious, charge-ahead knights that focus they yearn for, a goal they understand, respect, and wish to achieve. Equally motivating is the King's personality--Kings are salesmen extraordinaire, gurus, fiery minsters, rousing politicians. And the Knights are their biggest fans; hanging on their every word, utterly captured by what they have to say.

The King's commanding, confident, wise, fatherly (to the right Knight that is!) persona is what makes the Knight want to fall to his knees before this man and swear undying allegiance. This is his leader, his master, the man he wants to make proud and would hate to disappoint.

That's what the Kings are. But remember, that feeling in the Knight is only for HIS King. The Knight/Swords may show respect for the King/Pents, but he's not going to regard that dull, prodding (to his mind) King as worthy of his allegiance. Only the King/Swords deserves his fierce loyalty, because only that King can match wits with the clever Knight/Swords. Only that King can present the Knight/Swords with the right argument as to why this or that ought to be done. Only that King thinks in ways so quick and shrewd that it leave the Knight/Swords in awe. Likewise, the Knight/Pents will respect, but not follow King/Swords. That King is too glib, too disingenuous for our Knight/Pents. But, ah, the King/Pents, there is a man to honor, emulate, and worship. A man who understands the value of hard work, frugality, patience, pragmatism. A man who speaks plainly. That is the Knight/Pents father figure, the man he hopes to one day be.

Yes?

Just as the Queens represent internalised mastery of the element, the Kings represent External, recognisable, community-acknowledged mastery of the element. They are the teachers, leaders and politicians of their suit. They are up-front and out-there, the mentors who can teach the elemental lessons to others. (So are the Queens, but the Kings are far easier to find!)

I don't tend to see the courts as people, but more as qualities it would help the querent to adopt on the matter at hand. But, for what its worth, the Kings are all about self-control and self-mastery to me. They have mastered the art of their suit in the best ways for them. They've worked it all out, they're in charge of how it all works and affects them inside.

The King of Swords is about being able to stay in contol of your thoughts and directing them where you want them to go, not being lead by them or not letting your thoughts be lead by your emotions. It's about rational thought, thinking things out logically, planning, and just knowing where you want your thoughts to take you and not getting side-tracked.

The King of Wands is about staying in change of what you want to create. It's about knowing what that is and being sure of it, not letting anything get you side-tracked, knowing what needs to be done to create it and keeping at it until it's done. Wands can also be about our passions for me, someitmes. So it can also be about staying in control of your passions and not getting carried away by them.

The King of Cups is about staying in control of your feelings and emotions, and not letting them control you. It can be about maintianing a sense of calm in a stressful situation, or choosing not to get angry...

The King of Pentalces is about being in change of your life goals, inside yourself. It's about having taken the tme to have thought them out, being sure of what you want and sticking to it. Not so rigidly that you can't change paths if situations change, as happens in life, But just being sure of what you want and who you want to be and knowing you are ready to do what it takes to get there if and when needed.

Babs

nisaba said:

Just as the Queens represent internalised mastery of the element, the Kings represent External, recognisable, community-acknowledged mastery of the element. They are the teachers, leaders and politicians of their suit. They are up-front and out-there, the mentors who can teach the elemental lessons to others. (So are the Queens, but the Kings are far easier to find!)

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Wow. LOL I do the exact opposite of what you do and always have. The Kings are internalized mastery for me And Queens are external mastery= mastering something together with others: teamwork, sharing, compromise, good commuinication.... I do the exact opposite of what you do.

Babs

<grin> Well, it works for me.

Guess it doesn't matter which way you use it, as long as you have a system and stick to it. Mine works for me too.

Babs

nisaba said:

<grin> Well, it works for me.

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Works for me, too. I think you're spot on.

I was studying the RWS deck in particular a while ago, and I have these thoughts about the way those kings are depicted, but I don't see why it couldn't be useful to you. The basis for this was taken from a website which I can't for the life of me remember the name of - I've added and modified, but the roots of these thoughts do not belong to me.

The King of Wands is sitting on his throne, but he looks like he's ready to spring into the fray himself. He's the manager who can't stay in his office but is down on the shop floor all the time. He's attained the highest level possible yet his heart is in the thick of things, perhaps where he started from. He's a good man, a clever man, a sensible man, a wise man, or else he wouldn't have risen to the rank of King - but at heart he doesn't see himself as the type to sit up there away from everyone.

The RWS King of Cups almost looks troubled, and indeed his throne is set on turbulent looking waters. Cups being the suit of emotions for most people, he's the guy who cares what people thinks. He's the guy who asks you how your day is going and really wants to know, the guy who leaves a single rose on your desk on Valentine's Day because he's watched you being sad that you were forgotten. He's the guy who will get up in the middle of the night and drive fifty miles to pick you up from a date gone wrong. He loves, and he takes on the troubles of others and makes them his own.

The King of Pentacles looks down into his lap, to the pentacle he holds cradled there. He's the guy who likes things - things he can see, touch, taste, hear, smell. He likes the security of steady income, of money in the bank, of building things with his own two hands. He's the handy man! Some see Pentacles as materialistic, but really, he's just REALISTIC - he likes that which he can prove.

The King of Swords is unlike the other three, in that he's looking right at you. Wands is concentrating on the right moment to jump in the fray. Pentacles is busy with what he has, with keeping his ducks in a row. Cups is staring off into space, thinking, fretting, feeling - all three of them aren't even looking at you. Swords is, and he sees you, and he knows you. He's the boss that notices when you're late for work, and wants to know why. He's the man with his finger on the pulse. He's the one who reads (and retains the information contained within) three newspapers with breakfast. He's lawyer and judge rolled into one. He sees and he KNOWS.

Well, that's how I saw it anyway! Hope this is useful!