Today I drew the King of Cups,
I really prefer Robins Courts to most anyone's and she did some wonderful work on the cups. So first of all, the image is simply beautiful. A man of great wealth, cup of mead in his hand. Sits on a throne made of enormous shells. His tunic is blue, on top of his belt and green below. The trim of clouds at the hem, ties him to the intellectual aspects we associate with kings. His crown is adorned with the Trident of Neptune.

Symbolically this is a very rich card. Which is no surprise to anyone familiar with Robins Deck. The blue ties the King to the sea itself, underlining his relationship to the sea the Moon and the intuitive. The blue also creates a peaceful mood for the rest of the card. The green bridges him to the cycles of life and nature. A theme reinforced by the fish that adorns his necklace.

His tunic is so loose and flowing that it could almost be a dress, but it does not make the king look effeminate, because he is strong enough and comfortable enough in his own skin to bring it off. The gold of his slippers, bridging the king to the astral and the enlightenment of the soul echo's the thought. The king is beyond the worldly dualities. He is confident enough with-in himself, not to need to make external statements.

He is a man of peace, but he is also a shrewd observer, and an intuitive. So he reads those around him like an open book, and often knows their dreams and needs better than they know themselves. Because of this he is a successful and respected negotiator resolving problems through gentle diplomacy that are intractable in the face of force. He is often misunderstood by other men, because they think he is soft. Yet he knows that the iron fist often does not solve problems, but rather shatters the hydra into a thousand serpents each as poisonous as their parent.

Neptune is his patron however, so do not think he is not concerned with Justice. In the Odyssey Ulysses was cursed by Neptune to wander the seas for a generation, from the time his son was a babe to grown into manhood for not showing the gods proper respect by Neptune.

Melanie's image of the king is accompanied by a bear totem. The Bear is a self contained creature pretty much. Capable of being sociable and playing with other bears. He is also capable of living off his own reserves for months. Powerful, and capable of great speed in a pinch, the bear does not look it, and projects a deceptive image of laziness. The Mystic Tarot symbols page says the bear is a symbol of our lowest instincts. But I say it just shows what a tremendous job of salesman ship the bear has done to convince his observers of that opinion.

As you may know I like to have a person to link to a court. Sort of a charm, that clicks in and guides me in interpreting that card. A man I've only met once named Harold is perfectly the King of Cups to me. I met him at a poker table, at the Trop, in Atlantic city.

He was a handsome and charming brother, dressed in a pinstripe gray suit with just enough jewelry not to be garish. I spotted him immediately for a rock, but leaned back to watch him work. Watched him quietly observe and gage the other players, even as his mouth kept up and easy banter. A man perfectly at home in two minds. One mind playing the juggler. Telling jokes and stories, keeping everyone entertained. The other observing every move we made while we observed nothing but the show he put on for our benefit. A masterful player. A man who wins not by direct confrontation but by controlling the situation so he did not need a confrontation. As a player, this is a man steals many a pot without the final show down, because he tends to catch you wrong footed when you think you have the action.

Divination: Cultured, Ambitions, Aesthetic, and Artistic. Considerate Creative Educated. Spiritual, Responsible, Professional

Reversed: Dishonest, Injustice, A bit of a con, Lacking virtue, unscrupulous.