The King of Cups (at least in New York City)
What is it about water? Good ole’ H2O. So simple a thing; two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen and yet, it is such a powerful force. Some even say water is the meaning of life (looking at you T.L.). But let’s just ponder water for a moment. It makes up most of our human, physiological form; we are literally made of the stuff. It is also the stuff that we need to live; as all living things do. It comes and goes as routinely as clockwork; rain just comes; it just happens, over and over and over. And that rain gives life to the plants and animals of the Earth which in turn nourish the humans of the Earth and the humans live and grow and build and procreate (and pollute the Earth, sadly) and eventually die and those decaying corpses become nitrogen in the soil which then fuels more plant growth which needs the water once again. And the cycle continues. Water is a dynamic facilitator of a not-so-complex system that has existed long before us, long before the Tarot and long before anything with eyes could witness this system, on this planet.
Water is also incredibly malleable; it can be soft and peaceful; the gentle droplets of morning dew serving as the daily nourishment for the grasshopper. It can also be devastating; the flood waters raging through cities, the damn breaking violently, the hurricane and the ocean waves. If you think about it; water is sort of all things; we are the water and the water is us. Another fascinating thing to think about with water is that it takes the shape of whatever vessel happens to hold it; if water is in a box, it is square. If water is in a fish bowl, it is spherical. Which brings us to the Cups.
What are cups? What do they do? Cups hold the water; the drink, the fluid of life, the liquid of ourselves. The Cup is the vessel; it is the means we use to contain and carry water; to shape it and to hold it and to more efficiently move it into our physical bodies. Ever been to New York City? Here is a fun story about the Anthora, a word derived from the Greek word “amphora” which means ancient container. What are some other famous cups? The Holy Grail in the King Arthur legend. What about all the sports cups; Stanley Cup, World Cup? The Starbucks cup? The Dixie Cup. The Red Solo Cup. Think about your own collection of cups; how many do you have? How many coffee mugs are in your cabinet right now? The Cup is a very important symbol and tool. The King of Cups tells us that we are approaching a level of control and confidence on how we ‘fill our cup’ and what we fill it with. We have the emotional symbol of water; a very apt symbol for our emotional depth, range, fury, sadness, calmness, etc. As I said earlier; water is us and we are the water all the way through the spectrum of emotions we can feel; our emotions take shape. And what are we to do with these emotions, these feelings and impulses? If we let them run wild we are like a raging rapid unable to control ourselves at all. But if we have the right cup? If we have the Chalice, the Grail, the Venti tumbler, the heart to fill up, the mug, the stein…whatever it may be. Fill it. Get those emotions not so much in check but give them form; let them take shape. The secret of the Cup is that it can be refilled; over and over and over again. Your cup runneth over. So let it. When the waters come; fill that cup until it overflows. And the next time you visit New York, think about that ‘ancient container’, the Amphora and how you yourself might become like that ancient container; a vessel for the waters of life.