The Tarot of Eli 2: Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot- Knight of Cups & The Archeon Tarot -Knight of Cups

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The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot – Knight of Cups: The Grail Bearer in Motion

While the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot often emphasizes the more temperate, even mundane expressions of the Court personalities, the Knight of Cups carries beneath his serene exterior a powerful reservoir of passion and purpose. On the surface, he appears composed—his steed walks at a gentle, almost meditative pace. Yet don’t be fooled—this is the Knight of the Holy Grail, the dream-bearer, the initiator of the heart's quest, and beneath his calm lies the deep tide of transformative feeling.

The winged helm upon his head is no trivial ornament—it is the subtle glyph of the Eagle of Scorpio, the highest expression of that zodiacal sign. Scorpio, the sign of death and rebirth, has three sacred forms: the scorpion, who crawls and stings; the serpent, who sheds and transforms; and the eagle, who soars beyond the mundane into the empyrean heights of spiritual perception. This Knight rides under the banner of the Eagle—still water that runs deep, watching from above with the eye of the soul.

His surcoat bears the red fish, a fiery emblem swimming within a watery domain—a clue to his true nature. The red fish is a vibrant glyph of his inner flame: the fire of passion, desire, and devotion that pulses within the Knight, even as his outward appearance remains composed. This fish swims not in panic but in sacred rhythm, mirroring the wavy lines of the river of consciousness that meanders through the sun-scorched terrain of his world. This river is the emotional current of the Self—capable of both quiet inspiration and sudden flood.

Behind him, sun-baked hills smolder under a sky that suggests longing, trials, and emotional conquest. These hills may seem barren, yet they too have been shaped by water—just as the Knight’s path is carved by the flow of feeling and intuition. He is the archetypal Messenger of the Soul, the bearer of sacred emotion, gently carrying the Cup of Vision forward through time.

But beware: the stillness he radiates does not guarantee safety from inner storms. The river, though calm now, may surge. The Knight himself is capable of becoming the tempest, should the waters of love, longing, or spiritual hunger overflow.

This card is an invitation—a whisper from the Grail within—calling you to align your conscious will with the heart’s deeper knowing. Follow the Knight of Cups, and you may find yourself on a journey not just of love, but of divine intoxication, poetic vision, and the sacred art of becoming.

Since the Knight of Cups card is shown on the Western Hermetic Tarot Birth Chart between the 21° Libra to 20° Scorpio let’s delve into the characteristics of these two zodiac signs:

21° Libra:

• People born under the Libra sign are known for their balance and harmony¹².
• They are diplomatic, always trying to find the best words to express their opinion¹.
• Libras are fair and just, striving to achieve balance and relying on fair judgments¹.
• They are intelligent, kind, and always willing to put others before themselves².
• Libras are ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, and they adore a life that looks good².
• They excel at crafting compromises and effecting mediation between others².
• Libras are also known to be compassionate and empathetic, often going out of their way to help others³.

20° Scorpio:

• Scorpios are known for their determination. If they want something, nothing will be an obstacle on their way to the goal⁴.
• They are courageous, not afraid of dangerous situations and would be the first to agree on dealing with painstaking tasks⁴.
• Scorpios are independent and passionate⁵.
• They are ruled by Mars and Pluto, which gives them a certain intensity⁶.
• Scorpios are also known for their curiosity and their ability to probe and get to the bottom of things⁶.
• They are unafraid of beginnings and endings, and they travel in a world that is black and white and has little use for gray⁶.

Remember, these are general traits and may not apply to everyone. Individual personalities can vary greatly!

There are three images applied to the Scorpio sun sign: the scorpion, the serpent, and the Eagle. Therefore, Scorpio is a complex and multifaceted sign of the zodiac, symbolized not only by the Scorpion but also by the Serpent and the Eagle. Each of these symbols represents different facets of Scorpio's characteristics and energies:

1. Scorpion: The Scorpion symbolizes the instinctual and primal nature of Scorpio. When Scorpio energy is expressed through the Scorpion archetype, it can be intense, passionate, and fiercely protective. Individuals with strong Scorpio placements may exhibit traits such as determination, resourcefulness, and a keen sense of self-preservation. However, like the Scorpion itself, they may also have a tendency towards defensiveness, jealousy, and vindictiveness if they feel threatened or betrayed.

2. Serpent: The Serpent represents transformation and regeneration, key themes associated with Scorpio. Just as the Serpent sheds its skin to reveal a new self, Scorpio energy is deeply transformative, often leading individuals through periods of profound change and personal growth. People with strong Scorpio influence may possess a deep understanding of the hidden or unconscious aspects of themselves and others. They may also have a natural affinity for uncovering truths and delving into the mysteries of life and death.

3. Eagle: The Eagle symbolizes Scorpio's ability to rise above challenges and gain a higher perspective. When Scorpio energy is expressed through the Eagle archetype, individuals may exhibit qualities such as insight, intuition, and strategic thinking. They have the ability to soar to great heights, both intellectually and spiritually, and to see beyond surface appearances to the deeper truths underlying any situation. Like the Eagle, they may possess a sharp vision and the ability to focus intensely on their goals, often with a single-minded determination.

Overall, Scorpio as the Scorpion, Serpent, and Eagle represents a dynamic interplay of instinctual drives, transformative power, and spiritual insight. Individuals with strong Scorpio placements may navigate life's challenges with resilience and depth, drawing upon their innate strengths of passion, intuition, and tenacity to uncover hidden truths, facilitate personal growth, and ultimately rise to new heights of understanding and self-awareness. Scorpio is also known as the "house of sexual congress".

The Archeon Tarot – Knight of Cups: The Lover in Devotion

In the Archeon Tarot, the Knight of Cups rides forth not as a warrior of steel and sword, but as a bard-knight, a soul intoxicated with beauty, mysticism, and the aching sweetness of longing. Equivalent in station to the Rider-Waite-Smith’s knight, this version leans further into the dream—the reverie of love, the sigh of the soul seeking union with the Beloved.

His gaze is cast downward, not in shame, but in holy reverence—as though the sheer beauty of the Shekinah, the Divine Feminine Presence, is too radiant for his mortal eyes to bear. This gesture is a silent bow of the heart, a surrender to something greater than the self: the cup of Love itself, held before him as the sacred Grail. One might say he is caught between ecstasy and hesitation, between vision and vulnerability.

This Knight is the embodiment of sensitivity, grace, emotional advancement, and poetic rapture. His soul sings in sonnets and sighs; his heart paints beauty in every word, every gesture. He is a hopeless romantic, yes—but also a hopeful devotee of a higher ideal, ever chasing the image of Beauty as if it were a divine echo in the dark woods of the subconscious.

Yet within this tender vision lies a caution. The dream must not become a trap. To love is divine, but to love only the idea and never the form—never to bring vision into manifestation—is to remain lost in reverie. This card warns: Are you dreaming your destiny, or living it? Are you building the temple of love with hands as well as heart, or only wandering its halls in imagination?

The Knight of Cups in the Archeon Tarot offers a chalice of divine yearning—sweet, seductive, and dripping with poetic allure. But if you linger too long in the dream, the wine may sour. So let the dream inspire but let your hands shape it into being. After all, even the most ardent sonnet must eventually be spoken aloud.

Both the Rider-Waite- and the Archeon Tarot-Knights are the Princes on the Qabalistic Tarot Birth Wheel. The Prince/Knight of traditional tarot of cups, is 21°Libra to 20° Scorpio.

🌹 Pathworking: The Romantic Quest of the Grail-Knight-

Purpose: To initiate the aspirant into communion with the Divine Feminine—Shekinah—through the Archetype of the Knight of Cups. This is a quest of sacred longing, creative passion, and union with the living presence of the Soul’s Beloved. (You will find blog ritual invocation at magickeli.com)

When thrown in divination, the Knight of cups implies that either the querent has or is familiar with an important person in their life, who may come and go, whose characteristics are likened to the Prince/Knight of Cups:

• The morality or moral characteristic of such a person would encase subtlety, secret violence, and craft.
• Being also an artist in all his ways, he would be intensely secret.

•  The calm and imperturbable surface he displays masks his most intense passion.
•  S/he accepts only external influences that aid him in his secret designs. 
• This Knight's conscience is not that of an ordinary person, for it is of a more impersonal nature, making him suspect and distrusted by acquaintances.

•  S/he is perfectly ruthless and inspires fear in those that distrust him.
• This one's abilities are immense, going beyond ordinary senses into realms of the subtle. He is, however, fluid, and volatile as well, and does not care to work in harness.

• The fact that this card is Libra going over into Scorpio, suggests great volatility, as this influence implies tremendous power, energy, and weight.
• Such a person must be well mated, with goodwill and sincerity, for loyalty is all important to keep their good nature. When this Is so, they are extremely romantic, sensual, and generous to a fault and are great lovers.

If the placement of the Knight of cups is such in a reading it suggests an event rather than a personality.

As far as events go,

• This is a personal process of the quiet inner aspect of the male principle where self-reflection, inner meditative peace and awareness are being experienced by the querent (The person the reading is for).
•  Here the event of Mind is turned towards deep feelings and artistic visions with the necessary passion to do them but with the secrecy that may prevent it.
• Here a person is completely involved in emotional sensation, psychic awareness, and spiritual awareness. All of which they have in abundance.

If reversed when thrown:

• Trickery.
• Artifice.
• Subtlety.
• Swindling.
• Duplicity.
• Fraud.

Thank you for your interest, comments, and supportive donations. May you live long and prosper.

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