Aquarius in the court cards

Last but not least, by any means – Aquarius in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  For instance, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn chose to assign cardinal attributes (initiating things) to the Queens, fixed (maintaining order) to the Kings, and mutable (being able to adapt and transform) to the Knights.  Each court card is also linked to the elements, with Pages with Earth, Knights being associated with Fire, Queens with Water, and Kings with Air. 

Prince of Swords (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

Following this system, we end up with Fixed Air sign Aquarius being associated with the King of Swords (Air of Air).  The Thoth deck follows this convention, of course, being rooted in the Golden Dawn tradition - although Crowley chose to use Princes rather than Kings, just to add to the confusion. In the image from the Thoth, we see the Prince of Swords slaying whatever stands in his way. Fast but also careful, he’s discriminating in what he chooses to remove in order to create something new and innovative. 

Queen of Swords (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

If you work with a system that assigns the Fixed mode to the Queens, you’re looking at the Queen of Swords.  An example of this is the Sharman-Burke/Caselli tarot (Beginners Guide to the Tarot). Here we see the Queen on her throne, which is decorated with butterflies (symbolizing the element of Air) and an eagle’s head (the form that Zeus took in order to transport Ganymede to Mount Olympus to become the cup-bearer of the gods, taking his place in the sky as Aquarius).  The single bird in the clear sky, above the storm clouds on the horizon, represents clarity; this queen can see past obstacles and keep her mind on the objective.  The upright sword represents justice and equality – high ideals – and all strong Aquarian qualities.  Detachment, another Aquarian quality, allows the Queen of Swords to remain dignified even though she’s known loss and pain – she won’t wear her heart on her sleeve, but bears sorrow with fortitude and courage. 

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

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Gemini in the Druidcraft court cards

Today let’s have a look at Gemini in the Druidcraft court cards. 

If you work with a system that assigns the mutable mode to the Knights, as I do, you’re looking at the Knight of Swords.  Mutable Knight in a mutable sign – is it any wonder that this Knight always looks as though he’s moving so quickly?!  The Knight and his horse appear to be almost flying, in some depictions.  We’d expect this card to be about change and transformation, then, in the realm of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.  

I like this image of Castor and Pollux, the twins in the Gemini constellation, with the Knight chess pieces in the background!

Knights are associated with quests, too, so this Gemini Knight is probably searching for knowledge and information, not necessarily deep wisdom but knowledge for its own sake.  As we can see, this team want to find this information quickly before dashing off again.  No wonder this Knight has the reputation for rushing into things, turning them on their heads, and then leaving in a rush – he’s impetuous!  I’m reminded of the butterfly, another symbol for airy Gemini – stopping briefly to gather nectar before moving onto the next flower.   

 

Druidcraft: Prince of Swords (detail)

Easily bored? Another trait that’s sometimes (unfairly) associated with this Gemini Knight – but remember that Gemini is not about the shallow, the superficial; there’s real strength in its intellectualism.  He’s likely to say what he thinks, and won’t have any problem in articulating his thoughts in a direct way.  

The Druidcraft has Princes, not Knights, but they express similar qualities. The Prince of Swords here looks as though he’s moving swiftly – the background’s all blurry!  He’s a seeker – of knowledge.  It’s about ‘goal-oriented mental activity’, to quote Gerd Ziegler (‘Tarot: Mirror of the Soul’ (published by Weiser Books).  He’s quick-thinking (Mercury, ‘quicksilver’, rules Gemini) and imaginative.

This can also indicate a radical change, a shaking-up of routines that have perhaps become too fixed, a change in studies or career – especially if it involves the collecting and absorbing of facts and ideas - or a change in the social network.  It doesn’t have to be bad - sometimes a good shake-up is needed! It’s all about stimulating and developing the mind.

I’m intrigued by the fact that this is the only one of the Druidcraft’s Princes whose horse wears a protective mask. The Prince carries a shield, although the Prince of Pentacles does too, so he’s not alone there.  I wonder if the spikes on the horse’s headgear and the sword and shield the Prince wields are for pushing the boundaries of his intellect (hence HEAD-gear) – a Gemini concept if ever there was! Or perhaps sword and shield represent the yang and yin and the marrying of opposites we saw in the Lovers.  This ‘union’ is also represented by the horse and rider appearing to be a single entity.  We need this balance, this union, in order to forge ahead and find what we seek on our quest. 

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Aquarius in the court cards

Today I'll finish off our exploration of Aquarius in the tarot by looking at the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the courts.  Generally  (but not always!) these correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Aquarius is the fixed Air sign, I’m looking for the Swords court card that’s associated with ‘fixed’-ness. 

Shadowscapes Tarot

So what court card does this represent?  If you work with a system (e.g. the Book-T system: www.tarot.org.il/Library/Mathers/Book-T.html) that assigns the Fixed mode to the Kings, as do most of the Rider-Waite-Smith-based decks, you’re looking at the King of Swords.   The Book-T calls the King of Swords the ‘Prince of the Chariot of the Winds’, and sees him as being full of ideas and thoughts.

The Shadowscapes’ King of Swords shows this beautifully, I think – especially with the inclusion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man in the bottom right corner.  Da Vinci’s drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions, using geometry described by Vitruvius, a Roman architect. Design, structure, ideals...not to mention architecture – a very Aquarian occupation! – it all fits in so well with the King of Swords.

Thoth Tarot

In the Thoth's Prince of Swords (confusing because Crowley chose not to use Kings but Princes), we see him slaying whatever stands in his way. Fast but also careful, he’s discriminating in what he chooses to remove in order to create something new and innovative.

Sharman-Caselli Tarot

Not all decks assign “fixedness” to the Kings, though. An example of this is the Sharman-Caselli deck, whose creator Juliet Sharman-Burke has chosen to attribute this triplicity to the Queens. Here we see the Queen on her throne, which is decorated with butterflies (symbolizing the element of Air) and an eagle’s head (the form that Zeus took in order to transport Ganymede to Mount Olympus to become the cup-bearer of the gods, taking his place in the sky as Aquarius).  The single bird in the clear sky, above the storm clouds on the horizon, represents clarity; this queen can see past obstacles and keep her mind on the objective.  The upright sword represents justice and equality – high ideals – and all strong Aquarian qualities.  Detachment, another Aquarian quality, allows the Queen of Swords to remain dignified even though she’s known loss and pain – she won’t wear her heart on her sleeve, but bears sorrow with fortitude and courage. 

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

Sharman-Caselli Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.