By Sarah Taylor
A Knight rides out from the desert, searching. The ground behind him is dry, parched, ungiving; the air above him is clear, blue, no sign of rain. Sweat has been precious in this country. Tears have been precious. Resisting both has meant that he could continue on his quest that little bit longer.
Knights are adventurers, just as we play the role of adventurer when we feel that our sense of incompleteness can be filled by something we simply have to look for.
That Knights are partnered with a horse is telling: they need the power and stamina of that beast to carry them over vast tracts of land, to find what they are seeking that much faster, to help them beat a quick retreat if that’s what is called for. When we are Knights, our horse is our instinct: it follows the scent to where we need to be, and it does its best to keep us out of trouble.
The Knight of Cups is on a quest for Love. But isn’t it so often the case that the very thing we seek out is what we have had all along? Because the Knight of Cups has the source of all Love: it is his heart, which, here, he carries at the end of his armoured sleeve.
Perhaps the reason that the Knight does not recognise his own heart is implied in the elements that shape him: he is the airy aspect of water. Air is intellect, water is heart. In that description lies the limitation that the Knight finds himself riding up against: the Knight thinks about how he feels. His mind is engaged in trying to understand something that doesn’t require mind at all. He is on The Hero’s Journey, and what he comes back with — his “boon” in the words of mythologist Joseph Campbell as he reaches the river in the desert — is something that he can then integrate. This, to me, seems like the act that he is engaging in with the next card, the Four of Pentacles.
The figure in the Four of Pentacles sits within the paradox of the physical world that we are fortunate enough to experience: the fear of its loss that wealth, in whatever form, brings us. He epitomises scarcity thinking. In this reading specifically, his fear of losing what he has is so great that he is unable to accept what is being offered to him by the Knight. He looks away; his hands are not free; he is not free. More than that: he might live among people, but his predicament separates him from them. He is obliged to stay rigid, open to nothing and no-one. What lies over his heart like a vault door is the pentacle that he clasps to his chest. His eyes look tired.
He looks at us as we look at him. What is he thinking? What would he say to us if he could speak? Does he want to speak at all? Is it that, if he speaks, he will lose the painstaking control that he has constructed?
That is what I intuit: that by letting go to take the Cup, he is swiftly ushered into the world of the Seven of Wands — a far cry from where he is now. From a world of control to one of apparent conflict; from a state of solidification of physical experience to the fluid, fiery world of Wands, which in the Seven reflects the emergence of the creative fires from below. The Seven of Wands is making yet another appearance in this column, again suggesting a further release of unconscious energy into consciousness.
Currently, the figure in the Seven is resisting that which is coming up — but he is still further into the process than the figure in the Four of Pentacles. Here, he is standing, arms and legs free, unencumbered by what he was holding on to. Yes, he is pitting himself against the six other wands, but it is nothing more than each of us does every day when we refuse to listen to the call of our deepest truths, the ones that we have buried away even from ourselves — especially from ourselves.
What we resist in ourselves is what calls upon us to change. And change, to the ego, can feel like death. Thus we fight. What we are fighting, in this case, is the death of something that needs to fall away if we are to access what lies at the heart of us. We have been miners, whether we knew it or not. We have quested into the barren hinterlands of our psyches to find sustenance. Now that we have it, though, there is a part of us that has been so conditioned to maintain the status quo that it is clinging on to pennies for dear life, when what is offered is the Grail itself, held in the hand of the Knight.
When we let go, what feels like chaos is actually the rearrangement that allows us to accommodate what’s new. Sometimes that asks for a small adjustment; sometimes it feels like we’re having to throw everything out. We are not — or we’re not throwing out anything of value. We give up our pennies to find gold.
Finally, we have another reading that is balanced among three suits, with the fourth — Swords, the intellect — present by its absence. We are left with another paradox: in order to release ourselves to the gifts of Heart, which in turn releases the unconscious into the conscious in a surge of Eros, we have to catch ourselves in the act of thinking. That requires a form of mind that perceives without judgement.
We observe our thoughts and, in their observing, discover they are simply a layer of distraction — some of it compelling — that encloses the simplest of truths: we are enough, and we have been all along. Our journey brings us back to ourselves.
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Knight of Cups (the airy aspect of water), Four of Pentacles (Sun in Capricorn), Seven of Wands (Mars in Leo)
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
“You permeate your life with such convincing authority and free flowing energy, and the fields are flooded with your intentions that nourish all the seeds you had planted while you were walled up.”
Somewhere i have a poem with the line ‘i have been to hell and back so many times the flowers are now in bloom…’, so yes, walled up or wandering the road between here and hell, we always plant seeds: we grow stronger, we set our intentions, we feed them with the power of emotion. And i have almost convinced myself that this saturnine watery season so many dreams could have, at last, met the conditions that bring them to reality, so perhaps it is indeed time to give up the need to be convinced, time to ‘give up pennies to find gold’.
Amanda, your second last paragraph really hit home for me too. I often wonder why that dynamic existed, and like you said, it sometimes comes back. It took me a long time to engage enough of my own will power and confidence in myself to bring back my own equilibrium. There are two distinct qualities to the aftermath of such an effort: one is that I have an incredible new sense of purpose and awareness in my life; but two is that I fear of being in such a dominating relationship in my intimate life. Many years ago, I would often characterize such a situation with the image of water behind a dam. At one point it finally gives way and the current is so unstoppable that there is no room for second guessing oneself. You permeate your life with such convincing authority and free flowing energy, and the fields are flooded with your intentions that nourish all the seeds you had planted while you were walled up.
Another day, another interpretation on life. JMB
Your tarot reading is so very pertinent now. We can’t think through into the heart. Surrender to the fact we are really the stuff of stars.
Thank you!
Thank you, Amanda. I find what you said really interesting because these kinds of patterns are so close to us that it can be really hard to sort through the me-not me, mine-not mine. Perhaps this is the perfect place to practice no judgement, or at least very little judgement (I mean specifically moral judgement – is this good? is this bad which quickly becomes am i good? am i bad?- unhelpful questions.)? Some allowing space and trusting space? The kind that women and some men often give to others before they give it to themselves. To say, as i try to remind myself to say, ‘i don’t know right now, and that is all right because i trust that i can know, eventually’. And then taking the (seemingly small ) steps daily that strengthen sense of self, sense of purpose and sense of direction. Please feel free to remind of this any time – i forget often!
yes, this rings true:
“The central relationship is the one we choose to have with ourselves, which I believe is shaped by the primary relationship/s we had with whomever was parenting us from birth.”
i realize that any time i start to feel a strong pull from my center toward what is most true for me now, what i want, what direction i am being called to grow in, i often don’t get very far toward allowing it to come through me before i second guess myself.
how do we know when we’re letting out repressed energy and allowing the chaos from which our truest next expression can emerge and form itself, versus when we are about to indulge the “self sabotage” that diva carla mentions?
this is where i get hung up… am i feeling the urge to make a healthy break in my life, or am i being driven by some sort of self-sabotaging, immature reaction that should be worked through minus the chaos and the *change*?
and i realize that somewhere in there, is the self-doubt my own mother instilled: the repeated messages that i ought to want something other than what i want, that who i am can’t possibly be quite right, since it’s so different from her. surely i don’t really want what i think i want. and there i go spiraling into “i don’t know what i want” and its familiar paralysis…
yep — i’m sure i’m not the only person who has “unconsciously” created situations where i must be pushed from my stasis, since choosing and taking action can be so fraught. “better” to be able to “blame” someone else for any chaos, frustration, tension… and lack of movement, too.
hoo boy…!
Thanks for clarifying.
Thank you so, much, everyone!!!
DivaCarla – Wow! I hadn’t noticed that before (though the unconscious certainly will have done – how fitting!). What came to me immediately: he has one foot in each camp – where will he decide that he truly stands, i.e. stands in his own truth? Will he keep on with divided allegiances against himself and the emerging unconscious, or will he unite now that he sees what’s happened when the shoe’s on the other foot 🙂
Darcy – Wands are erotic energy, i.e. (pro)creative energy. They are the energy that ignited physical reality, and they are behind every creative act that there is. Eros itself is intangible – a feeling – but the result is tangible. When we are repressing or suppressing something in the unconscious, we use a lot of energy to do that; we often feel tired, we lack creativity, we feel separated from our core. When we allow something to come up, it is released along with the energy that it took to hold it down in place – and so we can feel reconnected to our vitality, our erotic nature, and we can choose to work with it to create whatever it is that we want. Does that make sense?
This week got quite a response. There seems to be a lot of deciding whether to hold on to what is known, or to take a risk that is being offered by Heart. This doesn’t have to be romance, although it is almost certainly to do with relationship.
The central relationship is the one we choose to have with ourselves, which I believe is shaped by the primary relationship/s we had with whomever was parenting us from birth. I look at my own relationship with my mother, which is being put into stark relief now that she is dying, and I have realised that I am the one who keeps perpetuating the separation game that started when I was conceived. I am the one who keeps inflicting damage on myself, through her – through what I think she’s thinking, what I believe she feels about me, what I see her doing/saying … How tiring is that?! Isn’t it enough just to devote presence to how we relate in the moment, instead of clinging to things so hard that I’ve come to see them as valuable, when really what they’re doing is keeping me in place. (“Know your place, Sarah!”)
I’m trusting that the Seven of Wands has something for me that means I don’t need to hang my portrait in the house of my parents.
I’ve been arrested for weird accusations. Don’t wanna go there.
Between my Virgo Sun, my Saturn in Sagittarius, my Uranus in Sagittarius, and my Moon in Sagittarius, I must embrace adventure I guess. There are delays and uncertainties regarding my plans, but I hope something will turn out well.
And then, even if a philosophical shift feels major, the reality is that it is minor.
This tarot reading makes sense with what I am going through, thanks Sarah.
sorry about the hahaha…probably not the best idea to chuckle at such a weird accusation.
hahaha…I sound angry? No. Not at all. It’s all you.
U sound angry. But ok.
*I am Standing Here*… to the reading. Sarah’s got the touch. It is personal and universal at the same time. Such an excellent writer, I would buy the book of Philosophy by Sarah. When it comes in print of course.
could u elaborate on your eros comment
I know you will turn the question back to me, so I did a little research. Compared to the 6 and 8 of wands, the man in 7 appears to be fighting phantoms, as if in a lucid dream, or sleep walking. He’s wearing a simple tunic, and mismatched shoes, as if just pulled out of sleep to face his unseen challengers. Hence, the reference to unconscious, and waking. Kind of reminds me of this picture:
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/behind-the-scenes-man-in-the-pink-boxers/?_r=0
Compared to stability, livery, and self and materially possessed other cards, the 7 of wands is acting from intuition and instinct. And ACTING is very important here. Ready or not, face what’s coming up!
Elizabeth, are u refering to the card reading? Or are you speaking to someone directly.
“When we let go, what feels like chaos is actually the rearrangement that allows us to accommodate what’s new.”
That’s perfect. Such a simple sentence, and yet I had to read it three times.
Maybe I should write a letter and request for you to be on Super Soul Sunday. It’s fitting.
Sarah, as ever this reading is “all about me ;o)” Today it tells me what to watch out for, where I am at risk of self sabotage. I’ll read again later for a deeper layer. Right now I am here with my friend who is a professional Tarot intuitive and we both just noticed something. The young protagonist in the 7 of Wands has two different shoes on. What do you suppose that adds to the meaning of the card?
Every week I pray that you are not on vacation or have some other engagement. Every week it is SO right on it’s….I don’t even have a word for it. Brilliant. Perfect. Message Heard. I have some things I look forward to all week long. Sunday has always been my favorite day. Super Soul Sunday on OWN with Oprah & you. Thank you so very much for leading me on. You are an amazing intuit. It’s breathtaking.
Fabulous, Sarah! Thank you.
THIS IS SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Exactly, Strawberrylaughter, and thank *you*, Lizzy!
…and yet, if he could shift his perspective just a bit, he might be able to see that the wands, rather than weapons of war, are offerings of creative fire, to assist him in creating that he which desires to powerfully he feels he has to protect himself against the abundance they could create.
I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful reading, dear Sarah.