King of Cups

The year draws onwards and the emotional heart of the Queen of Cups makes way for the active engagement of The King.

While the Queen stood eyes closed and barefoot, the King sits on his throne, open-eyed and engaged with his surroundings.

At his feet is a tiny crab, which reminds us of his associations with the astrological sign of Cancer.

Behind his throne lies an enormous wolfhound. The wolfhound, as a breed, are not great watch-dogs or protectors of property, but they ARE very loyal and chary of strangers.  These traits could equally apply to the King himself - he's not particularly materialistic, preferring instead to see the value of relationships rather than sparkly baubles or gewgaws.  A person with predominant King of Cups traits would rather focus on a sincere one to one conversation than be the glitterball at centre of attention.

His harp reminds us that he has a strong creative element too (the element associated with the rank of King is Fire) one that can sometimes be extinguished by his watery Cups instinct to put others needs before his own.

As a person, we have someone who is in touch with his emotional nature, but is not governed by it.  He is compassionate - but not to the extent that he is caught up in the drama.  See how his feet are clear of the water?

What action can you take that shows your appreciation for the relationships in your life?

8 Cups

The dreaming of the 7 of Cups makes way for the action of the 8 of Cups.

In the foreground we see eight cups sitting on a flat rock around which swirls the fast water from a distant waterfall

A figure in a blue hood begins to climb up the path to the side of the waterfall, turning her back on the cups and heading off into the unknown. It's an exciting and risky undertaking!

In the darkened sky, we see the eclipsed sun.

To many people, having 8 Cups would seem like a wonderful thing in itself.  So it is that people looking at your situation may think that you too have a wonderful job, family, relationship etc

And, to be fair, it IS good.  But to the character in the 8 of Cups, there has to be more.  And so you are prepared to walk away from it all - much to the bafflement of other people.

The 8 of Cups asks:

What are you holding on to that needs to be let go?
What projects/jobs offer no more for you?
Are you ready to press forward into the unknown?

7 Cups

In the Druidcraft Tarot's 6 of Cups, a youth sits dozing on a soft mossy bank beside a pool.

Within its cool waters we see six Cups, the seventh sits beside him, filled almost to the brim.

Just as the 6 Cups in the previous card showed us the value in memories, the 7 Cups shows us that this kind of memory/dreaming is important.  But dreaming without focus, without action is simply dreaming.

When we close our eyes we have a choice - we can either indulge in our dreams or we can begin to take steps to manifest those dreams into reality in our lives.

We can be seduced into inaction, preferring the perfection of the imagination to the sweat and exertion involved in birthing those dreams to reality where challenge and disappointment must be faced and conquered.

While our young man dreams of the Cups in the water, he fails to discover the Grail beside him.

The 7 of Cups asks:

What do you dream of?
What steps shall you take to manifest that dream?
Will you quest for The Grail?

6 Cups

The DruidCraft's 6 of Cups takes us to a domestic scene where a man in a darkened interior gazes out at two children playing on the sun-warmed grass, surrounded by cups.

The man feels relaxed - his hand resting on the window frame, his golden goblet in hand.  His heart is uncovered and thus his love for the children is clear - there is no part of his heart that is hidden here.

To me it looks as though he is recalling his own childhood, perhaps wistfully remembering the days when he had nothing more pressing to worry about than playing with cups.  To this end, the card can represent memories, or the past becoming alive in the present.

The clouds in the sky are white and fluffy and for me this indicates, on the whole, that these rekindled memories are to be welcomed and treasured.

The 6 of Cups asks:

What comes back into your life from the past? Memories? Forgotten friends?

Is there something in your past that you can now reconcile peacefully?

#tarot #druidcraft   (Ali)

5 Cups

The brooding self-absorption of the 4 of Cups presses forward into a more active state in the 5 of Cups.

A hooded figure stands on the riverbank, his attention fixed to the activity out in the water - an otter chases a salmon.

The otter is actually the goddess Cerridwen as she chases after the thieving Gwion - a mythological thread that weaves its way right through the Druidcraft deck.

In the grass we see three cups, their contents spilled and lost, but behind the figure, on a stone decorated with cup and ring markings, two cups remain upright.  Are you like Cerridwen - angry that something has been taken from you?

Where is your focus?

The 5 of Cups ask you to consider whether you are spending too much time looking at 'activity on the water' and not enough on your own affairs?

If you can turn your attention to the situation that you do not wish to face, you might find that things are not as hopeless as you might think.... where are your two upright cups?

The challenge, from the 5 of Cups, is for you to find them?

#druidcraft #tarot (ali)

Queen of Cups | Samhain

As we move towards Samhain - or Hallowe'en as most people know it - we move away from the inconsistent romantic notions of the Prince of Cups and towards the mature emotional depth of the Druidcraft Tarot's Queen of Cups.

We meet the Queen on the night of a full moon.

Her robes are intricately stitched and decorated with swirls of Celtic art - this is someone who loves the arts and is imaginative and creative herself.  It is Autumn, the end of October, yet she does not seem aware of the chill in the air - one bare foot is dipped into the waters of the loch that she stands beside.

With her eyes closed, she holds aloft her goblet, the full moon rising above it like a shimmering bubble.

Behind her we see her throne, a snake - a traditional symbol of healing.  Beside her robe, on the rock a shining black-bodied beetle.  Beetles are common symbols in many shamanic cultures  - they represent strength (if horned) shamanic power (if they can fly) and connection with the earth (they burrow)

The Queen is a woman fully illuminated by the powers of the Goddess and of the Sacred Feminine. She is a comfortable, confident navigator of our emotional terrain - perhaps a teacher, a therapist, a counsellor, a mother.  A Queen of Cups person - whether male or female - has the ability to connect, on an almost supranatural level, with other people (and creatures).

If the Queen energy is unhealthy, this can represent an emotional black-mailer, a manipulative emotional vampire.

The Queen asks us:

Do you accept your connection with the Sacred Feminine?
Can you empathise with those who suffer?
How are you expressing your creative soul?


#druidcraft #tarot (Ali)

4 Cups

From the celebratory tone of the 3 of Cups, the Druidcraft Tarot's 4 of Cups becomes reflective.  This could almost be one of the men from the 3 of Cups, the morning after......

Lordy, but life now seems dull, dull, dull.....

The young man is depicted lying along the branch of a tree, fingers to his temple - he's bored and day-dreaming.

Before him lie three empty cups - the celebrations are now over and he has simply ground to a standstill.  

But look, just round the corner, out of sight, lies the fourth cup - the prize!  

When this card arises, it warns us against becoming overly introspective - navel-gazing, brooding, mithering.  Something wonderful has been offered to you, but you just don't see it, do you?!

Which relationships are stuck in a rut?

Emotionally, are you simply treading water?

Where can you dive down and find that prize?

#druidcraft #tarot  (ali)