Knight of Cups Alternate names: Prince of Cups, Fire of Water, Cad, Grail Knight, the Prince Who Shall Remain Nameless

RW DESCRIPTION: An armored knight on a slow-moving (but not still-standing) horse in a barren landscape approaches a river bearing a cup. The gold cup really stands out against the blue background. He's got red fish on his clothes. COMPARED TO OTHER CARDS: Some similarities to the Death card: horse has same posture, armor is similar.
ASTROLOGICAL: Scorpio ANIMAL: fish, scorpion FLOWERS/TREES: poppy SCENT: musk MUSIC/FILM/BOOK: Anything poetic or romantic, esp. the Bridal March (a.k.a. "Here Comes the Bride") from Wagner's Lohengrin (The Swan Knight). LOCATION: Mt. St. Michel, France OCCUPATIONS: gigilo (how do you spell it?), salesman, customer service

Headed for the heart of Cygnus, headlong into mystery.--Rush

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me, and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free.--Don McLean

In Xanadau did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree, where Alph the sacred river ran, through caverns measureless to man, down to a sunless sea.--Samuel T. Coelridge

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

The romantic, sweep-you-off-your-feet, knight-in-shining-armor type. But while Knights of the Round Table are portrayed in movies as chivalrous and heroic, but they'd bash your head in for the smallest insult. Widowmakers. (But it's okay, she had a son . . . .) They fought mainly to win honor and glory for *themselves* -- for their own names. Some say Lancelot was a "good" guy or hero, but some say he led the Queen into adultery. The silver lining hides a cloud.

Lancelot didn't attain the 'Grail. That honor was for his ('fatherless') son -- Galahad. Lancelot couldn't attain the Grail because he wasn't pure in spirit and chaste. In a vision, he is told, "I have lost all that I have set in thee, for thou hast ruled thee against me as a warrior, and used wrong wars with vain glory, more for the pleasure of the world than to please me, ...." and is described as being of evil faith, poor belief, pride, vain glory, unchaste, etc. (Attaining the Sangrail was about receiving and serving the Saviour, becoming an apostle like those who shared that Cup with him at the Last Supper.)  

I can see the Knight of Cups as perhaps filling a vain, prideful -- maybe even unchaste : P -- emotional need, but I can see that as being dangerous.

Knight of Cups reminds me of my dad's warning about the guy who "won't buy the cow if he can get the milk for free." (Whereas, e.g., the Knight of Pents might buy the cow and wait for it to give milk, the Knight of Swords would tell it that it's a cow and should logically give milk, and the Knight of Wands would be pulling on the udders.)

As a child, I always wondered: When the princess rides off with him, does she ever get to see her family and friends again? Or is she stuck on Captiva Island?

PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: If there's a Knight of Cups in my life, he's on paper--on an old poster or in a story book.

Meanings, traits and characters

The Voice	Mojo Risin'	The Vision

http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/court/CKn/cknimho2.html