September | New Moon | The King of Cups
Odin – just hanging around |
And so we are huddled once again in the darkness of a moonless night! A sliver of new moon will be upon us – and whose energies will guide me from now until the moon is full once again?
The Father of Cups from the Haindl, that’s who.
This deck is very special to me. It was the first ‘fancy’ Tarot deck that I ever bought. It was also the first purchase that I ever made on ebay! I *know.* I’m a veritable FONT of spiritual insight.
The image in the card depicts Odin, the Head Honcho god of the Norse pantheon. The suit of Cups represents the North and the Northern Gods. Interestingly, the Queen of Cups is The Willdendorf goddess, which I mentioned earlier this month, here.
We see Odin hanging upside down (exactly like the Hanged Man card) suspended on the World Tree, Yggdrasil. He is reaching into the Underworld to find the Runes – you may just be able to pick them out, scattered on the ground beneath his outstretched hand. He has been half-blinded (a payment he made to Mimir) in return for a drink from the giant’s well. The name Mimir means memory, apparently. I may have remembered that wrong. *boom tish – eyethankyoo*
Odin was more than just the Leader of the Norse pack and a God of War, he is also closely associated with more ‘Cups’ orientated subjects such as poetry and magic. I’m hoping that it’s his Cups associations rather than his warlike tendancies that are coming to the fore for me!
I usually think of the King of Cups as a slightly laughable figure – kind and diplomatic of course, but always slightly mystified as to where he’s left his car keys. A bit of a buffoon. Which is terribly unkind of me and probably says more about the influence of Wands and Swords on me than the poor Father of Cups!
Yet here he is, taking me by the hand to guide me through to the full moon.
So – until the full moon, I am prepared to go with the flow, to surrender (Hanged Man stylee) to the Father of Cups and Life Itself (which is totally unlike me). I will endeavour to be kind and considerate; to accept people at face value; to be diplomatic (let me tell you right now, your bum does NOT look big in that).
And most importantly, now is the time for me to reach into my own underworld and emerge with knowledge and magic… slightly scary prospect! But if I am prepared to trust the King of Cups, this is the time to do it.
I’ve taken to intermittent fasting (fast for 24 hours, twice a week) and have been considering a deeper fast with more spiritual endeavours….
What does the King of Cups mean in your life, right now?
7 Comments
Anonymous · 24th September 2012 at 7:09 am
thanks for posting.
Inner Whispers · 18th September 2012 at 4:46 pm
Hi Ali,
Reading your post and Carla's I came to a sudden epiphany. The reason I have such a hard time with the King of Cups is because my father was a King of Cups Rx! Somehow, I'd never realised that before. I guess, all this to say that perhaps it's time to get over some of my negativity, dig deep, and see the positives this archetype has to offer us.
Will look forward to hearing how your time with him goes…
Cxx
alisoncross · 20th September 2012 at 1:43 pm
Oh how marvellous that you had a blast of epiphany!! Fingers crossed that you can embrace the King of Cups….I'm working on it!
Ali x
Bonkers · 17th September 2012 at 3:48 pm
im always so on the fence about the Haindl. It seems really deep and interesting but so…murky :/
Love how you write about this king, though.
Take care with the fasting, and good luck with things!
Alison · 17th September 2012 at 12:43 pm
Ah, a deck I've always meant to explore but for some reason it's never come my way… I like this King of Cups though, especially the link to the Hanged Man (also associated with water). Thanks for this!
Carla · 17th September 2012 at 12:25 pm
http://rowantarot.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-does-king-of-cups-mean-in-my-life.html
Carla · 17th September 2012 at 11:34 am
Those are some wonderful resolutions, and your question is a good springboard for an entry on my own blog…Shall I provide a link when it's done? π