Cancer in the court cards: The King of Cups

King of Cups (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards, but I follow the tradition of linking the cardinal signs with the Kings. That gives the King of Cups for Cancer, the cardinal Water sign.

Cardinality suggests taking the initiative - being self-motivated, as well as outgoing. The cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn – are all symbolic of being good at starting new things but the element of each helps to define the focus of that energy. In the element of water, Cancer initiates contact on an emotional level; it has the ability to take the first steps in campaigning, for instance. Because the Sun is at a standstill at the point in which it enters Cancer, on the solstice, the outgoing, active nature may have more of a reflective quality.

So why Cancer - why the crab - for the King of Cups? I often think that the King of Cups represents a bit of a contradiction between suit and position – we tend to think of the Kings as being responsible and making decisions, while the Cups are about emotions, dreams, fantasy, romance... Remembering that the Sun’s just been ‘standing still’ gives me a clue to a possibly more reflective, inward-focus for this King. He can symbolize wanting to be emotionally involved but at the same time feeling cautious about going too deep – a bit too Scorpionic, perhaps?! The King is often said to carry masculine energy, while the watery realm of the Cups are thought to carry feminine energy. So we have a King of Cups who might come across as quite ambivalent. What better creature to represent this ambivalence than the crab? At home in water, at home on land... but not belonging completely to one or the other. A foot in both camps, as it were...

King of Cups (trimmed):

© Shadowscapes Tarot

The King of Cups in the Shadowscapes appears to be growing out of a strand of kelp or some other type of seaweed. Turtles swim around him, while he faces a sea-horse in a ball of light. The turtles represent the ability to guide the way calmly through the ever-changing watery realm of emotions, while the sea-horse symbolizes Poseidon’s power. The exoskeleton of the sea-horse is spiny as well as delicate – the male protects its young, symbolizing the King’s role as protector. Patient, tolerant, compassionate.

Father of Cups (trimmed):

© Haindl Tarot

The Haindl Tarot gives us Odin to represent the Father, or King, of Cups. Hermann Haindl chose figures to represent a variety of ‘sacred expression’, to borrow Rachel Pollack’s phrase (Haindl Tarot: A Reader’s Handbook, US Games Systems Inc, 1999), from the Stone Age through to Christianity, symbolizing the beliefs of various cultures – the roots, the family, the community. The things that people believed would protect them, as the shell protects the crab. 

Odin is shown hanging upside-down in the card’s image, representing the myth in which he hung himself from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, for nine nights in order to gain the wisdom of the Runes. It’s the same story that’s often depicted in, or used as a basis for, The Hanged Man – but that’s another post in the making!

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Haindl Tarot, created by Hermann Haindl, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Cancer in the Minor Arcana: the Two of Cups

Two of Cups (trimmed):
© Haindl Tarot

Cancer is linked to three ‘pip’ cards in the watery suit of Cups.  Because Cancer is a cardinal sign, we look to the 2, 3 and 4 of the suit to find the planetary correspondences (For more information on this system of Planetary and Zodiacal dignities, I recommend Elizabeth Hazel’s Tarot Decoded, published by Weiser, 2004). In the system I follow, the Two of Cups is linked to Venus in Cancer, as well as to the first ten days of Cancer.  

Let’s look again at the sign of Cancer, the first of the Water signs we meet in the zodiac. The element of Water is associated with feelings and emotions, the ebb and flow of which can tap into our vulnerability. The shell of the crab represents the protection against this vulnerability, usually through the long-term emotional security and nurturing of family (not necessarily blood-relatives).

Two of Cups (trimmed):
© Shadowscapes Tarot

Now for Venus.  Venus has been called ‘the principle of attraction’. It describes our appreciation for beauty (a very subjective area!) and reflects our taste in all sorts of things (dress, art, music, etc) as well as giving us clues about the relationships we’re drawn to.  

So, if we combine this with what we know about Cancer, we can see how the idea of relationship, friendship and commitment – all common keywords for the Two of Cups – play out in this card.  It takes the emotion of the Ace, divides it into two (the feminine and masculine, if you like), creating the idea of duality and balance – essential ingredients in a good relationship.  Venus in Cancer – the Two of Cups: the need to feel a sense of security in relationships, romantic or platonic.  It’s about giving and receiving love, sharing, and a deep emotional exchange in a protective, nurturing environment.

Haindl Tarot, created by Hermann Haindl, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Margarete Petersen’s High Priestess

Let’s have a look at the Major Arcana today. Given that we’re still in the watery sign of Cancer, I’ve chosen to look at the High Priestess, which is linked astrologically to the Moon, the ruler of Cancer.

When we think of the High Priestess, we think of mystery, the unconscious, wisdom, intuition, inner guides – all of which come under the auspices of the Moon.  In many depictions of the Priestess, we see a crescent Moon – something new starting to grow deep in the unconscious, that we may not be fully aware of at a conscious level, the New Moon representing unrealized potential.  That depth of feeling feeds into all of the cards associated with the sign of Cancer.

 

The High Priestess (trimmed):
© Margarete Petersen Tarot

Traditional depictions of the High Priestess show her sitting between two pillars, often – but not always – black and white, symbolizing her role as bringing together opposites.   Margarete Petersen has followed tradition, in her own way – we have two pillars, one bearing a red flash of fire – a wand perhaps, while the other holds a blue sword; the two Yang symbols. Below her is a cup, above her the earthy Pentagram – the two Yin symbols. So like the Magician she has access to all the elements, but here it’s more about drawing on the intuitive, ‘feminine’ lunar energy. Through the Moon’s rulership of Cancer, the cardinal water sign, we see the links between the formlessness of water and the shapeless unconscious.

No curtain or veil here, but we do see water in the background, symbolizing the unknown – the mystery.  We also see the full and dark moon on either side, as well as a crescent moon to bring in the triple aspect of the goddess. 

The light and dark moons make me think of opposites and of duality – and of course the High Priestess carries the number 2 in the Major Arcana. Light and dark, black and white (the colours of the two pillars in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, for instance), hot and cold, yin and yang…

The High Priestess represents our intuition, something long linked with the Moon – the need to trust our instincts, to look inwards for answers, rather than to the outer world.  Instead of a scroll, Margarete Petersen has chosen to depict an open shell containing a pearl to represent the unconscious, the place of secrets.  To uncover these pearls of wisdom  we have to reach within; we have to learn to listen to our intuition in order to unearth the truth.

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004. 

Opening the heart - Margarete Petersen's Ace of Cups

The Summer Solstice has passed, and we’re now in the astrological sign of Cancer.  Cancer is the cardinal Water sign, so it seems appropriate to initiate (cardinal quality) ourselves in the watery suit of the Cups in the Margarete Petersen Tarot – starting with the Ace!

Ace of Cups (trimmed): © Margarete Petersen Tarot

What a beautiful image!... the single lotus, opening its heart, floating on clear, pure water. Margarete Petersen writes that the Aces show the characteristics of the element in concentrated form, so here we have the idea of a pure love and happiness.  The lotus represents renewal and the opening of the heart.

I often see the Aces as a gift, or a seed from which something can grow, as we progress through the suit.  By opening up and trusting our instincts, we leave ourselves open to new friendships and relationships – including a renewal of our relationship with ourselves!

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004.