Above all things, know thyself.
Thoth- Princess of Cups
The Golden Tarot- Knave of Cups
The Princess of the Waters; Lotus of the Palace of the Floods; Princess and Empress of the Nymphs or Undines. Throne of the Ace of Cups.
The Thoth Tarot Princess of Cups and the Triple Goddess Page of Cups, represent mastery of emotional objectivity achieved by working through manipulation, jealousy, possessiveness and seduction.
Mundanely, the image of the Thoth- turtle (Tortoise) in the sea shell symbolizes the capacity to offer emotional loyalty and longevity to others by being objective and non-possessive. In Hindu mythology, the Turtle/Tortoise was also the image given to the force of motion, that caused Earth to travel through space, while being held up by 4 elephants standing on the back of this Atlas like turtle. Hence, in Hindu mythology the world and Universe is thought to rest on the backs of four elephants who stand on the shell of a turtle (4 directions). In Hinduism, Akupara is a tortoise who carries the world on his back, upholding the Earth and the sea. Also one the Avatars of Vishnu is the giant turtle Kurma. The Universe was represented as a Serpent. In other words, the Turtle represents the foundation of Life-Force for the Earth which may seem slow in evolutionary terms, but is persistent and undaunted.
The Golden Tarot-Knave of Cups, is the Traditional Tarot title for what Crowley calls the Princess Cards. Here the Knave of Cups is facing left, which in medieval times was considered the direction of evil. The knave wears white gloves, implying purity. The Knave holds a golden cup topped with a tall gothic cover. The radiant suns that decorate his/her tunic represent a heraldic device of the Viscontis. The contrast of the red and white stockings in renaissance art suggests a conflict between purity and lust.
In the Thoth Tarot, the Princess of Cups is represented as a Dancing figure robbed in a flowing, crystal edged garment, all of which indicates her flowing and crystallizing abilities. Also the crystals on the Thoth Princess's gown, indicate a crystal clear ability to look at things as they are instead of what she wants to see.Thus we can determine that she is an active rather than passive force from the Great Mother. This determination if continued in the imagery of the Swan taking wing. The Swan is the symbol of AUM (of oriental philosophy) that is the vibratory harmonic of Universal Creation. The Swan coming out of her head, represents emotional security and the ability to communicate her feelings, desires and concerns in realistic and meaningful ways (the dolphin emphasizes this ability).
The Dolphin-fish that is disporting in a foamy- sea, symbolizes the power of creation known as the
Royal Fish, which is also known as the first matter. Also to the Greeks the Dolphin fish, represented Apollo, the Sun god, her consort.The free floating lotus blossom shows her trusting heart. She is devoid of a possessive and controlling heart.
This card also represents Elaine the Virgin Moon-goddess of Arthurian legend, who was the keeper of the Grail (Graäl) in the Grail temple, where she wove the tapestries of life, death, and fate. Therefore, in Tarot, she is the weaver of a new emotional self-perspective. She is also the "Dispenser of Joy" and a source of hidden knowledge, bestower of mystical insight and the gift of wisdom. The Ace of Cups, whom she personalizes, is the root of the powers of Water, shown as a scallop shaped cup cradled in the right arm of the Princess of Cups. It is the Great Grail (Graäl), the Wisdom/Womb of the Great Mother. Therefore, the Princesses are the Personification of the Grail in the Element they represent. . This is Water, in its most arcane form, Life-Fluid, (Dew of the Mother) symbolically/ritually represented as Water, Blood or Wine.
The Great Mother, Binah, the Sphere of Understanding, and the Trinity Goddess, is often symbolized as the Dark Sea and in the Thoth Deck Ace of Cups, she is shown as the Sea, the Cup and the Lotus: The Lotus (two in one) being the fertile expression of the Great Mother. The Ace of Cups shows a ray of light descending from above, representing the Holy Spirit and beneath the Grail we have the Moon. The Waves of Life-Fluid, are shown as a web of fluid energy of which the tapestry of Creation (Matrix) is woven from. To many Native Nations, this would symbolize the Work of the Great Spider Woman. In Western Hermetic Tarot, the Princess of Cups represents the Earthly part of Water (Life-Fluid/blood plasma), in particular, the faculty of crystallization. The Princess of Cups, represents the Grail's power of manifestation, she is the power of water that gives substance to idea, to support life and to form the basis for chemical combination that is often called solution.
The Princess of Wands, Cups, Swords and Disks, all give a Character to the Root Power they are associated to. The Princesses are called the Thrones of the Great Mother, as they represent on Earth, Mother's rule. Root powers are without will and therefore neutral and without focus.
The Princesses are the Intelligently Focused Energy of a Root Power and are thus aware and more personalized intelligences with conscious characteristics. These Great Daughters of the Great Mother, have their own peccadillos, and it behooves the practitioner of magick to know them. For instance:
- The Princess of Cups has an infinitely gracious character that is voluptuous, sweet, gentle, and kind, romance, and the perpetual dream of rapture are her very nature.
- Unlike the Volcanic nature of the Princess of Wands who is the very act of combustion.
- The Princess swords, is a sharp wit which can cut 2 ways.
- The Princess of Disks, is Persephone, the power of renewal, springtime growth, and earthly Fecundity.
To the shallow thinker, the Princess of Cup's dreamy rapture, may seem indolent and selfish, but that fact that she goes about her work silently and effortlessly dispels such interpretations.
These Princesses not only represent a personality core, they are also an Elemental Intelligence of Earth, and can be communicated with; as for example the Undines; However, their dreamy nature is in direct union with a Force beyond the practitioner’s control and like Narcissus* they can be dragged into a watery dimension. Tried and true rituals of magic (k) are recommended so that these forces can be contained before there is too much overwhelming flow. In the Case of the Princess of Cups, the practitioner’s personality could be overwhelmed by the extreme dreamy rapture of her nature and become unable to operate in the day-to-day world as reality is blurred. One might want to study the myth of Narcissus to understand the very powerful dreamy nature of this Princess.
In short, Narcissus,was a hunter in Greek mythology, son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. He was a very beautiful young man, and many fell in love with him; However, he only showed those who were enraptured disdain and contempt. One day, while he was hunting in the woods, the Oread nymph Echo spotted him and immediately fell for him. When Narcissus sensed that someone was following him, Echo eventually revealed herself and tried to hug him. However, he pushed her off and told her not to disturb him. Echo, in despair, from unrequited love, roamed around the woods for the rest of her life, and wilted away until all it remained of her was an echo sound. To make a long story short, the Greek goddess of retribution and revenge, Nemesis , learned what had happened and decided to punish Narcissus for his behaviour. She led him to a pool; there, the man saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. Although he did not realise in the beginning that it was just a reflection, when he understood it, he fell in despair that his love, now unrequited could not materialise and thereby, committed suicide. There are some interpretations of this myth, that say he was pulled into the reflecting pool by the Undines that resided in it and drowned him. Either way, he was rendered kaput as a human, and is now a beautiful flower.
Many of us don't realize that the Archetypes of the basic 16 types of personalities, as represented in the Court Cards and seen in our world, are also often Elemental Forces. Because of the thinking of "Divide and Conquer" we have forgotten that our human bodies, are Elemental Beings! Originally, we began as an Spiral Entity (Spirit) of I AM identity and not of the Elements but the inheritor's of them. Therefore, contrary to popular thinking, we are not seeking to become more Spiritual, for that would be like a fish in the Ocean, looking for water! Since Spirit is All that is Spiritual and being infinite and eternal---more or less is a ridiculous concept. We are succeeding in becoming a united Life Force; united with that which it activates, i.e. The Alive Form. We are attempting the Whole Union of Master (Spirit/Mind) and Masterpiece (Form) which is often called "As above, so below". In actuality, we are the Union of the Above-Kether-Eheieh-"I will be!" and the condensed material forms of Self that are "I AM Being!" We are a copy of the Divine Creative Trinity- Spirit-Mind-Body and/or I AM ME! Hence, the New Age concept of Enlightenment as ethereal "eternal happiness" is a misconception, we are I AM (Force of existence) who builds a Me (Manifested Awareness)making the information of the Universe that is already achieved----but not obviously experienced until the body manifest information as in-form-action! The journey towards our "remembering" (enlightenment) is not always happy but often strife ridden. To avoid strife, The“Me” needs to seek nothing, it must operate only by the Will of the “I AM”, that seeks Self-Knowledge/Self- Awareness through the process of Self-Thought and/or Self-information that is experienced through a sensual device and/or made manifest as “Me”; this is how thought/idea/information can be examined/experienced sensually and thereby become Knowledge! Isn't that what "Sensors" are for; up close examination and the expansion of knowledge? The Body is a "Sense of Spiritual Presence" as the fish is a Sense of Ocean.
Therefore, as a fellow I AM, I did not come to seek spirituality (I Am That), I have come to seek a sense of presence so that I can examined my Self-Information, i.e., creativity (imagination) for errors that may impeded the Great Work of As above so Below! I am a Qabalist (Receiver), an Intimate Spiritual Being who knows that the material body gives me the intimacy with Self-Awareness, that is the " knowing of myself". Therefore the body aids me in the purpose that I AM; the purpose of us all is TO BE! I experience knowledge through being, therefore become wise from experience." Hence, the Qabalistic Axiom of " Above all things, know thyself."
The Princess of Cups, who gives dreams, intuition and illusion the necessary manifestation, is not all dreams, either. As earth of water, she literally can ground vaporous and romantic ideas into manifestation, and provide a fixed and fertile medium where the water-nourished life of Self examination can flourish. Princess do not rule degrees of the zodiacal year. Hence, there are no examples of celebrities who are/were Princess personalities.
When Princess/Knave of Cups card is thrown during a Divination for a woman, it implies that:
- She is objective, and realistic of heart.
- Emotionally loving and realistic rather than attached and clinging.
- Has a peaceful strength of character.
- Is a insatiable romantic.
- Highly imaginative.
When thrown for a man
- Often, the Princess of Cups represents his inner feminine nature (anima) that is committed to offering emotional longevity, empathy, intuition, while being loyal in realistic non-possessive ways.
The Princess/Page of Cups
- May represent both genders, and a person in their life who is one's own age or younger and who may be teaching one lessons about emotionally letting go.
When the Princess of Cups/Knave is thrown during a reading the querent is often experiencing:
- Emotional detachment that is free of jealousy.
- Being rapturous and gentle, kind and tender.
- A personality full of romance, dreams and loving vision but also a dispenser of hidden insight and wisdom (see-Elaine the Moon Goddess).
- Esthetics.
- Fantasy.
- Intuition.
- Mediality.
- Poetic charm.
- Gentleness.
- Sensibility.
Ill defined, the Princess/Knave of Cups, suggests:
- Flightiness, shallowness, and inability to accept reality.
- Misuse of love.
- Deception.
- Seductive spells.
- Bubbles in the air.
- Loss of self-assurance.
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