The Knight of Cups – The Lover & Peacemaker

Water Signs – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

FOR THE KNIGHT OF CUPS CARD MEANING AND KEYWORDS ONLY CLICK HERE

FOR THE REVERSED KNIGHT OF CUPS CARD MEANING AND KEYWORDS ONLY CLICK HERE

FOR THE KNIGHT OF CUPS PERSONALITY & APPEARANCE CLICK HERE

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Now explore the personality of The Knight of Cups below. If he has turned up in your Reading it means his energies have special meaning for you at this time.

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Card Imagery Description and Personality Profile

The Knight of Cups is of The Water Element, but just like his fellow Knights, is also influenced by Fire. Thus we have a combination of the Elemental Energies of Water and Fire within him.

As already mentioned above, Knights represent the Fiery Part of the Court Cards regardless of their Suit Element. Therefore The Knight of Cups represents the Fiery part of Water. In The Knight of Cups we have Fire influencing Water, actions influencing feelings, acting on feelings or creative activity/advancement.

Water and Fire are quite wary of each other, in fact may avoid each other if they can, as each can seriously disrupt the individual Elemental balance or wipe it out altogether. Water normally finds Fire to be overwhelming, too fast, too demanding and overly assertive, while Fire finds Water to be too sensitive, overly emotional, hesitant, passive and non-assertive.  This leaves us with a situation whereby the Elements can act totally out of character when either becomes overly influenced by the other.

Water is a Feminine Energy, while Fire is Masculine. This should give us a natural balance, the yin and yang of a situation but what do we reach for when we want to douse a Fire or stop it from spreading? We naturally run straight for the nearest Water source and drench the Fire with enough of it until all that remains of the Fire is a smouldering, lifeless mess on the ground. Water becomes the dominant Element while Fire is extinguished or rendered useless with not even enough energy to muster up a spark. In this state Fire loses its mojo and becomes unenthusiastic, nervy, with wavering motivation and a wishy-washy attitude to everything. Its sense of adventure, excitement and mischief is watered down to a damp squid. Its movement is also strongly curtailed as Fire needs heat and intensity to travel fast. It cannot do this if Water has drenched it to ashes.

On the other hand, if Fire becomes extremely strong, it can get totally out of control and Water may become overwhelmed by the task at hand. The intense heat of the Fire simply evaporates the Water and it disappears in the wind as steam or vapour, leaving Fire totally in charge. When this occurs, Fire acts as it will without the conscience of the Water Element to keep it in check. With no Water to slow its speed or temper its behaviour it can run amok and leave a trail of disaster in its wake. With little or no Water tempering its actions and behaviour, it can become insensitive and self-serving, trampling on the feelings of others. It cares little for whom or what it hurts along the way as long as Fire gets what it wants and its voracious appetite is constantly appeased.

Therefore, The Knight of Cups who is traditionally a loving, gentle, caring, sympathetic soul can become self-serving and develop a Cavalier approach to how he goes about his life when Fire takes over his natural Watery Self. He may use others to get what he wants rather than be considerate of others feelings. He may seek out friends on the basis of who will best progress his plans or goals. Instead of being humble and gracious, his ego can become overinflated as he struts around like a Peacock, full of pride and self-importance. He can abuse his Rank of Knight to conquer and conquest where and whenever he so pleases. If Water becomes totally dominant, then The Knight may lose his credibility as a Knight and be deemed too weak, too timid and too soft to be effective in his Rank. He may look the part in his Suit of Armour but may not be able to carry out the traditional brave and courageous missions expected of Knights. He may be too soft and allow his emotions rule when Knights need to be very much in control, consulting their head first and their heart second. Historically Knights were called upon to carry out any form of unpleasant work or quests ordered by The King or Queen at a moment’s notice. They need to ride out into battle, fearless, and be able to attack the opposition without wavering or apologising for inflicting any pain or injury. An indecisive and easily upset Knight is more a liability than a help. This is why The Four Knights are influenced by Fire for it is Fire that allows them to rule in their Rank. Fire will keep them on their toes, driven, focussed, alert, and alive until they mature into The King or Queen of their Suit. If The Knight of Cups becomes too Watery by drowning out Fire, then he may as well return home to The Page of Cups, hang up his Suit of Armour and occupy himself with a less taxing role or position.

The Knight of Cups must work hard to find a balance between these the Elements of Fire and Water which are capable of totally destroying and obliterating each other should either get the total upper hand. Working in harmony, Water and Fire can do very well together creating a warm, loving, enthusiastic, considerate and exciting personality. A person who cares and is sensitive to the feelings of others, is passive and calm yet when necessary can be assertive, brave, daring, fearless and bold. He is a true Chivalrous and Gallant Knight.  When Water and Fire are nicely balanced we find a personality who factors in the interest of others while forging ahead with their own needs, instead of the natural Fiery instinct to blaze their own trail regardless of what others think or feel. A fine balance of Water and Fire will present us with a Knight of Cups who cherishes his friends, is loyal and supporting. This Knight will lay down his life for his friends should the need arise without hesitation or promise of reward.  Without Fire, Water may drown in its own emotions, become overly sensitive, moody, and worry about imaginary dangers thus preventing it from doing anything or going anywhere. Water can then become cold and stagnant. Without Fire, Water on its own could slip under, down into the murky depths of depression, apathy and self-obsession.

In The Page of Cups we found the young personality thinking about his feelings, love and emotions. The Page of Cups was influenced by Air. Fire influences The Knight of Cups which encourages him to stop just thinking about his feelings and to act on them instead. The Knight of Cups with Fire driving him on, along with his Rank of Knight, begins to make his move and become a real player in the game of life which is very much dictated by the Suit he represents. This does not mean he has to rush around and dive straight in like The Knight of Wands for The Knight of Cups prefers to move slowly, with little sense of urgency, he takes his time. He likes to reflect on things and take the softly, softly approach rather than charging in with all guns blazing. The only time he acts with haste and urgency is when matters of the heart take over. The Knight of Cups is in love with being in love and under this influence can move fast and is hard to rein in. He sets his sights on the subject of his desire and swoops in, attempting to sweep her off her feet before another can get there before him. Should his subject show restraint or disinterest with his advances and romancing, he will not take no for an answer and believes that given time he will wear her down and she will cave under his loving influence, come to her senses and see for herself how wonderful he is. It is in this delicate area of love and matters of the heart where he has a tendency to totally lose his head and make quite typical Fire influenced impulsive and hasty moves or decisions. In this state he can be quite overwhelming and excessive in his wooing and courting. The Knight of Cups for all his appearance and Rank can be quite immature, overly idealistic and naïve. It will take him some time to learn that he must first learn to love himself before he can offer his love to another. This does not mean that he must be narcissistic, full of himself or vain, as is typical of his Reversed Aspect. It means that he must be at one with himself, content and happy in his own skin before he has anything of real value to offer another. Otherwise he will look for love and happiness externally, and when it fails to live up to his expectations he will take it very personally. He has not at this stage of his development fully understood the true meaning of love. True love does not turn up at every corner we turn, or in every pretty or handsome face we lay eyes on regardless of how amazing we initially think someone is. True love is a much rarer and elusive thing and that is why The Knight of Cups must journey or travel in search of it. He must learn to distinguish between that which are real, priceless gems and those that are cheap imitations.

The Knight of Cups has a habit of falling in love too easily and too often. He needs to learn how to control his emotions and heart strings so that he takes time to observe and determine whether his feelings are true and real or just figments of his imagination. Yes, his imagination can take over rapidly and conjure up lovers or soul-mates out of friends or acquaintances and every chance encounter. He can quickly put 2 and 2 together where love is concerned and get 8, 10 or 15. However, The Knight of Cups certainly does throw himself earnestly upon the often rock hard rugged ground of love and relationships. In this we must view him as brave and courageous for he lets no opportunity for love to pass him by, while others may wait and debate over it and not take the chance. Over time he will fall on both the soft grassy area where he will experience joy and mutual passion and then the jagged painful points which will pierce his heart making him feel intense sharp pain. The hope is that he will learn from his lessons, and in time, remove the rose-tinted glasses he is so fond of wearing. This will force him to face up to the fact that his idea of love, and the needs of his partner, may not be based in reality at all, but are just part of a fantasy that he magically conjured up to suit his ideals. By the time he gets to become The King of Cups, once he is still Upright, he will understand the nature of true love, with its ups and downs, failures and successes, yet a love that endures and matures.

This Knight is of The Suit of Cups and this tells us a lot about his nature and what it is that drives him. He is the Archetypal Knight in search of The Holy Grail. Like The other Three Knights, The Knight of Cups has goals, plans and ambitions, but his belong to the realm of the heart, emotions, love and romance. Because this Knight is of The Cups Suit he also is driven towards creative, artistic and spiritual goals. The Fire within his Watery Self, seeks advancement and progress in all these areas. He may be actively building on his natural creative and artistic gifts through study or career or he may be seeking to develop his spiritual and psychic abilities. All the above are his natural skills, qualities, gifts and abilities which as a Knight he must begin to master now that he is out in the world and attempting to find his place in it. He must endeavour to excel in the Qualities of his Suit.

When it comes to The Element of Fire and Water; The Knight of Wands and The Knight of Cups, which one we ask has the right approach? Do we prefer the directness of The Knight of Wands who can be blunt and in a hurry to get straight to the point, calling a spade a spade, this is me, this is who I am, this is what I want, or do we sway towards The Knight of Cups who approaches discreetly, the smooth operator, and beguiles us with his showy appearance and a flurry of artistically and specifically crafted flow of seductive speech. He is charming, magnetic and beautiful using flattery, poetry and prose, causing us to swoon in his path. Are his manner and carefully chosen words genuine and sincere, does he really like us, think us the most beautiful creature he has ever laid eyes on, or is it all an artful ruse to lure us to his bedchamber and beyond? We know where we stand with The Knight of Wands; he is a handsome divil of a rogue who is quite upfront about what he wants. He won’t bother about wining and dining you to get you into bed for he will just ask you out straight and be very clear about only wanting a one-night stand if that is all he is after.

Do not let me lead you to believe that The Knight of Cups is a schemer or not to be trusted for he does have some wonderful loving, caring and affectionate qualities, and in his Upright Aspect we should always look to those first as long as surrounding Cards support them. However, even in his Upright State he is capable of using his Watery Gifts to his advantage whenever he chooses. We must remember that The Knight of Cups is at a certain stage of life, a young man set lose with the world at his feet, and it to conquer. We must allow for all Four Knights to behave at times in a certain manner which is traditionally associated with their age and Rank. When they are on their best behaviour, they are virtuous creatures who we will happily let take our young daughters out for the evening. However, young men being young men are hot blooded creatures, and when they decide to step over the line from virtuosity to knavery then we know only too well what they are capable of getting up to. Because The Knight of Cups moves in the Realm of the Heart, Emotions, Love and Romance we don’t have to use too much of our imagination to determine what he sort of things he might be capable of or get up to.

Of course all the above considerations have to be applied to The Knight of Cups in both his Upright and Reversed Manner. However, it is normally in his Reverse that we find the extreme lack of balance between the Elements and you will learn below in The Knight of Cups Reversed what potential consequences and issues can arise as a result.

Water rules the Zodiac Signs of Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. The Knight of Cups is generically associated with any of the above Sun Signs. These Signs are typically associated with emotions, feelings, sensitivity, caring and being conscientious, with Scorpio being the most hot-blooded and passionate of the three. The Water Signs are the most artistic and creative of The Zodiac and are traditionally bestowed with strong psychic and intuitive gifts. They are the peacemakers, preferring harmony to hostility and shun anything they find unpleasant or disturbing. They feel on a deep level and are very sensitive to their environment and atmospheres. They often wear their hearts on their sleeve leaving them vulnerable and prone to getting easily upset. They have a tendency to idealise love and relationships which is often the cause for bitter disappointment and disillusionment. Scorpio is the least Watery of the three and at times seems to exude the personality traits of Fire. However, this is usually as a result of letting emotions run away with them causing explosive outbursts and drama.

The Knight of Cups in his Upright State is the gentlest and most loving of all The Knights. He is strongly and intuitively connected to his emotions and the emotions of others. This however does not make him weaker than any of the other Knights. Each Knight has his own special qualities and value. The Knight of Cups does not have to ride around showing off his masculinity in search of battles to fight. In fact he loathes battles, especially open combat, preferring to use diplomacy and behind the scenes strategies or tactics to deal with hostile issues. He prefers to leave the dirty, bloody side of battle to the other Three Knights. He does not need to pull daredevil stunts to impress others. He might get injured, ruin his immaculate outfit, hairstyle, or get dirt on his hands or boots. The Knight of Cups is far more subtle in his approach. He exerts his force in a passive, non-assertive and discreet manner without having to draw a sword or dagger to get his point across. His poetic turn of phrase is every bit as effective as any weapon the other Knights may employ to take down the enemy. He uses his charms and powers of persuasion to get what he wants. He is the professional diplomat and mediator who can be trusted not to provoke the opposition with angry words or a hostile attitude. He knows intuitively how to appease others and the right thing to say at any given moment. The Knight of Cups in his positive Aspect is the Peacemaker, the Peace Restorer, The Harmoniser. His extended Cup can also symbolise the White Flag, ‘I come in Peace’ scenario and his Elemental Gifts can calm an otherwise aggressive stance by disarming all those involved with his gentle approach and understanding nature. He is an excellent listener, so those who have grievances to air, know that they will not fall on deaf ears when dealing with The Knight of Cups. He will be shocked and upset for anyone who claims to have been hurt, used or abused, feeling their pain as if it was his own. All will be reassured by the kindness and genuine caring interest of this Knight. He will look for a peaceful solution at all times when Upright, and his aim is to find one that everyone is happy and comfortable with.   It is The Knight of Cups who is most often chosen by The King or Queen to act as The Peace Negotiator in times of trouble and strife.  With his heightened sensitivity and awareness, he will intuit the upset on both sides and attempt to mediate so that a mutually agreeable solution is arrived at. He is inoffensive and eager to offer his help wherever he can.

In his Upright Aspect he makes an excellent caring and supportive friend and strong ally. Indeed, The Knight of Cups tends to have many friends, both male and female, and is extremely popular even though he can be a bit moody at times. He will be the first to befriend or extend a warm welcome to any newcomers or those he perceives to be lonely or feel out of place.  He wants everyone to be comfortable and at ease. He is amusing and makes them all laugh yet is there to offer a shoulder to cry on or a sympathetic ear when they come to him with their personal problems or relationship issues.  He has a natural desire to help and offer support wherever he can and is highly regarded because of this.  When someone is in trouble he is the first to arrive asking what he can do to help. With his strong psychic abilities, he often intuits what it is that people need and selflessly goes about arranging or sorting things out without expectations of thanks or applause. With his powerful imagination, he is a natural story-teller who spins tales and yarns that entrance and enthral all who listen.  He is a natural born entertainer who will also amuse his friends and audience with music, song and dance.  It is The Knight of Cups all turn to when a party or showy event needs planning. He may also be consulted when outfits for occasions are being chosen or interiors need to be decorated for he has excellent taste and a natural flair for style and fashion.  Where the other Three Knights are concerned they do not perceive The Knight of Cups as any form of threat. Even though they may not be the very best of friends, have little in common or find him overly-refined and too immaculate, they certainly will find nothing about his personality to intensely dislike, and will sit quite comfortably in his presence. They will refer to him, or introduce his as a friend one way or another. Of course all that goes out the window when he appears as a Love Rival. Then it is a case of all is fair is love and war!

The Knight of Cups is very good at reading others and will know instinctively what to say and how to manipulate a situation to achieve the desired result. However, he can use this trait as a weapon and a means to an end whenever he chooses to, even in his Upright Aspect. He on the other hand is not so easily read and the armour he wears is more so for protecting his privacy, plans and true feelings rather than his physical body as he rarely puts himself in the path of mortal danger.  As a result, it can sometimes be hard to determine whether The Knight of Cups is actually being complimentary and kind, or using flattery and fawning to get what he wants. Can his honesty and sincerity be really trusted? Can what he says or promises be relied upon, or is it all in his head and not based in reality at all? What is it that he is really after? He is a bit of a dreamer after all and can sometimes get lost in fantasy and promise things that he cannot possibly deliver.  He is a character whose agenda and outward appearance need close examination and scrutiny when he appears in a Reading whether Upright or Reversed, especially if he is surrounded by any apparent negative Cards such as The Moon, Magician or The Seven of Swords. We must remember that The Knight of Cups is a natural actor and can portray his personality in a myriad of ways so it is often hard to see beneath the costume and façade. He can play one role with you, while adopting a completely different one with another. He may like you to think of him as the romantic, caring, nothing is too much trouble, chivalrous character but at home he may be petulant, sulky, moody and prone to hysterics.

Just like his fellow Knights his presence may indicate that balance is needed and in the case of The Knight of Cups, balance is usually required where emotions and feelings are concerned. Strong emotions may be clouding his better sense of judgement or taking him away from the path he needs to follow.  Unnaturally strong or inappropriate emotions may be causing disturbances in many areas of his life. It needs to be determined as to whether the level of emotion involved is in proportion to the situation. It may all be a bit much, or over the top. Then again, someone may not be showing enough emotion or feeling for the situation. They may be coming across as uncaring, cold or indifferent.

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As we enter the scene in The Knight of Cup’s Card our eyes immediately alight upon a fine looking young man who is impeccably dressed, indicating the Cups love of fashion and finery. He has gone to some trouble to dress for this scene as he wanted to get his look just right. He may have tried on a few costumes earlier before deciding upon the one we see him in now. He is fastidious about his appearance and his blatant use of his Elemental Fish Symbol in bright Red is certainly eye catching. There is a good chance that he picked up this fashion trend on one of his foreign expeditions with the other Knights. He likes to keep up-to-date with what is happening in the world of fashion and uses every opportunity to showcase his clever combination of styles and colours which make him stand out from the crowd, and serves the purpose of magnetically drawing to him the attention he specifically seeks.

His bright, shiny and dazzling Suit of Armour shoes no signs of dints or damage. It is highly unlikely that it has seen any real combat, but he is a Knight, and so must look the part. This is generally because his role among the Knights is to temper their aggression and thirst for bloody battle by suggesting peaceful alternatives. He may not ride out into battle with the other Three Knights, but he is the one who will make the difference when it comes to negotiating a truce between the warring parties. This makes his role every bit as equal as the combative Knights. He is the one who will singly ride out to meet with the enemy’s leader to promote the peace settlements that have been proposed by his leader. In this role he will not expect to be attacked or harmed and will be allowed to enter and leave the enemy camp in one piece for those are the rules of engagement, surrender and truce.

His gleaming Suit of Armour and attending Rank give him status and power. He knows how his appearance impacts all those pretty young maids who smile shyly up at him from behind their fans, desperate to catch his eye and admiration. He rides with an inner confidence of one who knows that he can have them all eating out of his hand at a moment’s notice. Even though he may deliberately keep his eyes focussed straight ahead of him, he will already have singled out a few young ladies he will work his magical charm on as soon as he gets the chance. For the moment, he will parade himself so that they can all admire his Upright position in the saddle, his perfect posture, handsome profile, superb horsemanship and stunning looking mount.

The wings on both his helmet and ankles symbolise his intuition and imagination which can soar to great heights. They also symbolise his ability to psychically travel or astral project to others planes of existence for This Knight is of The Cups Suit and therefore of The Water Element who are naturally inclined towards spiritualism and metaphysics. However, these Wings also fly him away from reality into dreamtime or daydreaming where anything is possible yet probably unlikely when reality fails to live up to his expectations. As a result he can be guilty of living in dreamland or chasing dreams that are not based in reality, and have little chance of being realised, or followed through on, even though his heart may be in the right place.  The Cups are known for their psychic abilities and powerful intuition, and this Knight has these gifts in abundance. Whereas The Page of Cups is just getting to grips with the power within and his special gifts, The Knight has been using them for some time and knows how to work them to suit his needs. The Page is young, naive and highly principled but The Knight, now being influenced by Fire can at times use his gifts to manipulate or control a situation.  The Wings also suggest that this Knight, The Knight of Cups has the ability and tendency to fly away or flee a situation that has grown tedious or unpleasant. He simply lifts off and disappears before anything is expected or asked of him. He does not like having to deal with unsettling situations or encounters and would prefer to vanish rather than face up to them. He is still young, and with his new found sense of freedom, permission to go out into the world and become a man, seeks personal enjoyment and the benefits, perks and bonuses any Knight is entitled to avail of. Until he decides to make a commitment, he is free to come and go as he pleases. This also entails leaving abruptly if he so chooses to.  Knights tend to get spoiled and believe the world is there at their disposal, including all who reside upon it. They are the centre of their own Universe. Knights are used to being admired and looked up to and The Knight of Cups will have to work very hard not to take advantage of his situation and Rank. He must remember where he came from, who he is, and the Family of Cups he represents out in the open world. He must endeavour to maintain a clean and respectable reputation that will not shame his family.

The King and Queen of Cups will indulge their Knightly son but will expect him to make a suitable match when the time is right. They are only too well aware of how easily their son falls head over heels in love with a pretty face, declaring undying love and showering his love with gifts, romantic promises and filling her head with notions of a grand future ahead for the two of them. How many times though have they had to tidy up the aftermath when his feelings have waned, or when he discovered that he has confused love with lust?  At those times he had simply retreated as fast as he could, leaving the certain young lady staggering in disbelief, unable to contact him to plead her case or beg him to return to her. The King and Queen both know that their son needs to toughen up and not be so easily swayed by his heart. He fell in love too easily and then out of it too often. He had to grow up and learn to deal with it as a man when love turned sour. He could not just up and run away, not wanting to have to break the bad news himself. He preferred to leave a break-up letter that would be found long after he had gone, or then again, nothing at all. Sometimes it was the other way around; he was unceremoniously dumped and left heartbroken. They worried for his reputation and that when the time came for him to settle, other Kings and Queens would be wary of handing over any of their daughters to him if he could not control his overly eager emotions and sexual urges.

No doubt the Wings on his helmet and boots were also something he acquired while on his travels and admires them for their decorative addition to his spotless Suit of Armour. The Wings on his ankles may be mistaken for spurs by some, but this Knight for all his potential duplicity, would not harm a hair on his precious horse. The Knight of Cups is an empath. He would feel her pain deeply should he do so and he does not have the stomach to see or feel any such suffering. His horse is aware of her master’s softness and kindness to her and is thankful for his love and special attention. She has seen some of the other Knights treat their horses like machines, driving them on and digging their spurs deep into their tender flanks, leaving a tangle of blood, hair and skin, their horses nervy and on edge all the time. The only other horse who commands respect from its owner is the one belonging to The Knight of Pentacles. The Knight of Cups’ horse is well aware that she is far more finely bred than the Knight of Pentacles’ mount, but nonetheless he treats her as if she is a priceless thoroughbred and always puts her needs and welfare ahead of his own. In return, The Knight of Cups’ mare is loyal to her master and behaves impeccably, never wanting to let him down. She sees herself as an extension of his exquisiteness and her duty is to look and behave immaculate at all times. She too enjoys the attention she receives and the gentleness that is bestowed upon her. Therefore she lets him guide and lead the way, never once pulling against him or attempting to take control. Together they are a glowing vision to behold. They are the very picture of grace, sophistication, elegance and refinement. When it comes down to it, The Knight of Cups is looking for the same qualities, looks and elegance when he goes in search of romance. If he could just find a woman as loving, beautiful, graceful, obliging and deferring as his Mare, then all would be well in the world. Looking at this exquisite horse, his love interests will have a lot to live up to. They would also have four instead of two shoes to fill!

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Today, The Knight of Cups is on a mission, and one that he has amply prepared for. He does not appear to be dressed for any dangerous mission as he carries no weapons, so we will assume it is a peaceful mission or one of personal enjoyment. The only thing he is armed with is his bright Gold Cup which he holds extended in his right hand symbolising an external offering of some sort. Because he holds the Cup aloft in his right hand, his giving hand, he desires to share its contents with another. Should he have held it in his left hand, his receiving hand, then he would possibly be keeping it to himself or be expecting to receive something from another. As we look at The Knight of Cup’s demeanour, he doesn’t looks threatening, angry, sad or aggressive. Therefore we must assume that his offering is one that is emotionally beneficial. He carries within his Cup, good news, a proposal or invitation of some sort that is bound to bring excitement, joy, happiness and cause for celebration. His mission is happy and peaceful, and one that he is deriving great joy in carrying out.

He has travelled from a far distance with the other Three Knights. They are far from home, on a battle campaign across many lands and Kingdoms. His role of course is as the mediator and negotiator. So far, their campaign has been successful and his services have been called upon many times as the enemy surrendered or were overrun by his own side. He had ridden into their camps appealing to them to lay down their arms and surrender before any more blood was spilled. His missions had been extremely successful and now, exhausted, they were set to return to their homeland bringing with them the great news of their victories.

Fresh from battle they have arrived at a Castle belonging to one of their strong allies where they and their horses are to rest for a couple of days before beginning the long journey to the coast where ships await them for the voyage home. It is while in this Castle The Knight of Cups discovers he has been divinely guided.

While battling their way from Kingdom to Kingdom he had heard stories that had spread far and wide about a great beauty, a Princess who by all accounts was breath-taking, sophisticated and refined. He had conjured up images of her in his mind and drove the other Knights to distraction with his talk of love and sweet romance. As they rode out together he would sing songs about her he had composed on the spot. He was relentless in his apparent devotion to her. And then, just when he was least expecting it, he discovered there was a portrait of her in the very Castle where he and his fellow Knights were guests.  He could not believe the serendipitous nature of this occurrence and decided immediately that the Universe had conspired to bring them together. It was a sign from the Gods and therefore he knew he could not leave without seeking her out.

He fell in love with her there and then as he gazed upon her exquisite features, limpid pool eyes and young slim body, which was shown to great advantage by her delicate gown of lace and silk. Her long flowing hair he imagined smelled of roses or lilies and her dark blue eyes seemed to penetrate deep into his soul and heart which was set alight by her very loveliness. Here he had found the woman of his dreams and he was sure she would feel the same as him once she laid eyes on him. The Knight of Cups knew how to woo and was in no doubt about his own physical appeal.  Romance was his middle name and trademark. He was a professional at it. As far as he was concerned it was a fait accompli. They were two of a kind, beautiful, stylish and young. How could they not be ecstatically happy with each other?

He knows now that he has one very important mission to carry out. This time it is a personal one. He has asked his fellow Knights to grant him some extra time before they depart for home. They do not take much convincing for they are weary from battle and being in the saddle all day. Their guests have assured them they would be welcome to visit for longer and would lay on much entertainment for them. The Knights cannot refuse such a tempting offer and a very welcome respite from continuous battle. They will recharge their batteries by remaining in this Castle and let The Knight of Cups play Cupid for as long as he likes. They have already encountered many pretty ladies and serving wenches in the Castle and know they will not be bored should they stay put for a while longer.

The Knight of Cups cannot believe his luck and how destiny was playing its role in bringing the Princess and him together. This had to be a match made in heaven. To think he had been due to begin the return to his homeland the very next day, having all but given up on ever finding her. That evening he quickly wrote a letter to his parents enclosing a miniature of this famed beauty, assuring them that he would return soon once he had secured the hand of this fine creature who he had miraculously discovered was but just a short distance away from the Castle he was a guest in. Now that he was so close, he had to make the most of this golden opportunity for it may be a long time before he ever got the chance to return. Who knew where a Knight’s life would take him next? With the messenger dispatched, he quickly set about preparing his clothes for the next day’s short journey. He wanted to surprise this Princess and make a dramatic entrance. He also did not want to give her the chance to refuse his visit upon her so he sent no messenger to her Castle requesting an audience. Instead he would arrive unannounced and throw himself at her feet. She could not fail to be impressed by this Chivalrous and Gallant act.

The Knight of Cups had his servants polish his pale silver armour until they could see their faces in it while he spent much time deliberating over which tunic to wear over it. He sent orders to the stable to prepare his pale grey mare for a special journey. She was to be washed, groomed and her mane and tail brushed until they shone as brilliantly as his armour. His best bridle and reins were to be cleaned and polished till they gleamed too. He chose his pale grey leather saddle which would complement his armour and was a perfect match for his highly bred mare. The tunic eventually chosen with the Red Fish would be the only splash of colour. He knew he would look extremely impressive and dramatic when he rode through the Princess’s Castle Gates, like a Knight from a Fairy-tale. She couldn’t fail to fall instantly in love with him at first sight. The rest of the evening he spent penning poems and love songs for her. He likened himself to a Troubadour who travelled the land, endlessly declaring adoration, loyalty and undying love to his sovereign Queen or Princess, constantly composing verse and song to express his feelings. He was in love with being in love.

As he set out the next morning, heady with love, The Knight of Cups certainly looked an impressive sight. His grey mare was equally striking as she curved her muscular neck and held her head low on the bit. She raised he delicate legs in a slow high step as she walked. Just like The Knight, his horse showed no signs of being in battle and looked too delicate to deal with warfare. Her form and gait were that of a dressage horse and The Knight of Cups who rode her sat bolt Upright in the saddle, the very picture of nobility and poise. He held the reins gently in one hand, The Gold Cup in the other. They travelled at a slow pace, not wanting to arrive in disarray, covered in dust or the mare foaming with sweat. They must look as if they had just stepped down from an oil painting when they made their dramatic entrance into the inner courtyard of the Princess’s Castle. He needed her parents to be equally impressed and had rehearsed his carefully chosen words that would assure them of his good intentions and noble bloodline. He would charm them with his manner and speech. In fact he would charm them all, right down to the lowliest servant. All would love him and do anything for him.

Once in The Castle confines he planned to seek an audience with the Princess and in the presence of all, present her with his Gold Cup and its contents of poetry, prose and his worshipping, adoring heart. He could see it all in his mind, her porcelain skin blush pale pink upon hearing his words of love and adulation. The rush of excitement, the embrace and long deep kiss after he fell to his knees and asked for her hand in marriage.  He visualised himself sitting on silk cushions on the floor playing the lyre while singing the songs of love he had composed especially for her. They would drink wine and her parents would throw a banquet for the two of them. He would lead the Princess out for the first dance and all eyes would be on them. They would make a splendid match. The Knight of Cups is very confident of his success in matters of the heart for this is where he excels. Lost in his daydreams he became totally unaware of his journey, letting his horse lead the way while his imagination soared high in the sky.

As he slowly approached the river which bordered the Princess’ Kingdom, he began to practice his rehearsed speech and proposal holding his Cup out in front of him, using his wonderful imagination to conjure up an image of his beautiful Princess. The Sky was clear and calm. It was a perfect day for courting and romance. His mare listened admiringly to her master as he eloquently spoke his impassioned words of love. She moved in rhythm to his song-like poems, proud of her master and wanting him too to be proud of her.

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Back in The Kingdom of Cups, The King and Queen received their son’s message with mixed feelings and concern. His mother had seen it all before and worried for her son.  She hoped that this time, he was right and had found the young woman of his dreams. She knew that essentially he was a good, kind and caring young man whose heart was usually in the right place. She knew that for all his gallivanting about, his wooing and courting of countless beautiful young ladies, his at times Cavalier attitude when interest faded and he began to focus his attention on another before he had cut ties with his current, deep down he sought the perfect love, the ideal match, for he was born of The Cups Family and could not help his genes.  She had received similar letters from him in the past, announcing that he had found the love he sought, and that they too, his parents, would readily fall in love with her as he had done when he brought her home to meet them. How many times had it all blown up in his face one way or another? Either she quickly failed to live up to his expectations, forcing him to make a quick getaway, or worse still, was rejected by the subject of his desire, his offer of love turned down or thrown back in his face. The pain of unrequited love and dejection cut down to his sensitive bones and she had watched her son fall apart in depression and bitterness. His emotions torn to shreds, he wallowed in depression, sadness and apathy, turning inwards on himself and shutting out the painful world outside.

When he had spent his time in retreat and withdrawal he remerged but had changed from the loving young optimistic man she knew so well, and turning cold and angry, treating others with scant regard. He then set forth on another mission, but this time his mission was conquest for conquest sake. He preyed on vulnerable young ladies, using his charm and wit to seduce and deceive. He worked his way through throngs of these pretty young things, promising this that and the other, speaking of love and romance while laughing at them behind their backs and winking at their friends. Sometimes he deliberately singled out the friends of his young ladies to woo at the same time as he played one off the other. His mother knew that he did this to wreak revenge on the one who had turned him down and so deeply hurt his feeling. In doing so he punished these young innocent ladies for the wrong done to him by another. All it proved was that he was deeply unhappy and unable to cope with his emotions. He would drink and party to excess during these times, turning into a cold and calculating creature, a stranger in his mother’s eyes.  It then took much love and nurturing on her side to eventually bring him around again so that he trusted in life once more and believed that one day he would meet the woman of his dreams.

Until then he would just have to get on with his life and enjoy his youth while he had it. She advised him to be less idealistic about love and not to expect so much. She gently told him that he too may be responsible for his failures by getting too excited too soon, by setting his standards too high and that he should not throw his love around so easy, or let his heart go until he was quite certain that he had made the right choice. She informed him that real love was often different from the love that was found in the novels and poems he so fondly read.  She told him that he needed to be more realistic and practical about such matters, and not go running after every pretty little thing that passed his way. All that glittered was not gold she warned him, and that in time he would learn to tell the difference between what was of value and that which was cheap, tacky and not made to last. She begged him not to take everything so personally as it was a tough world out there, a world where people were very often cruel just for the sake of it. She implored him to break the negative cycle of knee-jerk reactions he made when he was spurned in love for that was not the son she had borne and reared.

The Queen sometimes sees her Knightly son as still a child, not much more advanced than her young Page, but whereas she can still exert control over her Page, she is powerless to stop her son, The Knight from acting as he pleases. When The Page gets upset or has her feelings upset, she runs to her room and allows her mother, The Queen to comfort and soothe her until she begins to calm and recover. Her Knight however, feels too old to run to his mother and so runs out the door instead leaving her worried about what he will do and who he might hurt. She also fears that he might hurt himself for she knew his tendency to get down and depressed. During these times he drank too much and was rarely sober, partying to excess and God only knew what else.  She knows that her Knight of Cups follows his heart one way or another whether its’ state is hot or cold.

The hurt The Knight of Cups inflicts is not of a physical nature. As mentioned earlier, this Knight does not like battles and open hostility where swords, pistols or fists are drawn. He is far too delicate for such rough behaviour. His manner of inflicting pain is far more subtle and underhand for he does not play out in the open. He uses emotional and psychological tactics and strategy to achieve his aims and generally people would not suspect any wrong doings of him for he comes across as benign and accommodating, eager to help and offer support. The Knight of Cups uses his Watery nature to go with the flow. He becomes a people pleaser, who will run with the hare and hunt with the hound just to keep on the good side of everyone. To me he is the epitome of the medieval courtier who floats around the corridors and chambers, apparent friend to all, yet the carrier of gossip and scandal. He encourages friendship and confidences, but in his negative Aspect is disloyal and quick to share the secrets of others with those who will show their appreciation. He turns up everywhere all eyes and ears, taking in everything and observing everyone. He uses flattery and charm to gain access to inner circles where he encourages all to fall for his beguiling manner.  Once scandal or drama breaks he is quick to disassociate and disentangle himself from involvement for he does not like to take the blame, and detests unpleasant scenes. He is a master of disguise at such times and only those who are perceptive enough can see through him and know that he is not to be trusted.

But let us remain with The Upright Knight for the moment.

Back in The Princess’s Castle a soldier on lookout cries out to the armed guards below ‘a rider approaches’. The Guards rush to their stations and bear their arms. Word travels rapidly within the Castle walls where the Princess sits with her parents. All make their way to the inner courtyard in anticipation of the arrival of this unexpected stranger into their midst.

At the Castle gates, The Guards shout down to him, ‘halt, who goes there?’  The Knight of Cups reins in his horse as they come to a complete stop. ‘I, The Knight of Cups, son of The King and Queen of Cups, next in line to the throne of The Kingdom of Cups, doth come in peace to seek an audience with the fair Princess within, and her parents The King and Queen. I have come from the neighbouring Castle where I have been staying as a guest and now request access’. After quickly conferring with The King and confirming that the rider did not appear to be carrying arms, it is decided to grant him access. The drawbridge is lowered and the Portcullis raised. The Knight of Cups steadies himself and pulls his body up into the most regal stance he can comfortably attain. He gently nudges his mare forward and begins their triumphant entrance into the confines of the inner courtyard.

Arriving on his own, spectacularly dressed, from head to horse, he makes a splendid entrance. All eyes rest upon him and in the gathered crowd he can hear gasps of excitement as they witness this ethereal rider and horse enter their domain. With not a hair out of place after the short ride, he stops in front of The King but his eyes have already sought out The Princess, and he can see that she is more stunning than he expected. His heart leaps with joy. The King asks the nature of his visit. The Knight of Cups tells him he has come about a matter of great importance. The King nods and invites him to come join them for some wine indoors. The Knight dismounts and a boy takes his gleaming mare away to be fed and watered.

Inside the Castle, The Knight of Cups, still clutching his Golden Cup is lead to a large chamber where a Fire blazes in the hearth. Servants magically appear with goblets and decanters of deep ruby wine. The Queen and Princess have followed close behind eager to find out more about this handsome stranger. Once the door is closed and wine is poured, The King asks about the nature of this urgent matter which brought him to their Castle. The Knight of Cups draws himself up to his full height and pulls from his mind his rehearsed speech. Turning to the lovely Princess, he tells her that her portrait does not do her justice at all for she is far more radiant in real life. Confused, The King and Queen exchange quizzical looks between each other. The Princess on cue blushes deeply as her hand flies to her throat where The Knight of Cups can see the rapid throb of her pulse. He knows she is all a flutter with his attention.

The Knight of Cups turns to The King and asks permission to continue. The bemused King nods his consent and The Knight moves closer to the Princess until he is standing in front of her. He slowly extends his Golden Cup to her and begins his speech. ‘I offer this Golden Cup and its contents to you as a symbol of my heart and the deep love it carries for your dazzling beauty, grace and elegance. Falling to his knees, he continues, ‘ I, The Knight of Cups offer myself to you as your Champion and most ardent admirer in the far reaching hope that you may find mutual favour with me your most humble and loyal subject. All that I have is yours, and all that I desire in life is to make you happy’.

The Princess looked to her father, The King before reaching out to accept The Golden Cup to see for herself what its contents revealed. The King and Queen sat equally amused and dazed by this sudden and unexpected event unfolding before them. They would let it continue and see what sort of proposal this young Knight was offering. The Cup was heavy in The Princess’ hand but she held it firmly on her lap. Reaching in she pulled out three scrolls of parchment that had been tied with silk ribbon. She untied the first one and saw that it was a poem that bore her name as its’ title. She began to read silently to herself and as she did, her blush deepened as her breathing became rapid. On request she handed the poem to her father and mother so that they too could read its contents. The Princess did the same with the remaining two scrolls, and by the time she was finished, was close to swooning. She was speechless and The Knight of Cups became unnerved. He glanced up at her and then at The King and Queen.

The King broke the awkward silence ‘arise young Knight for I cannot address you while you remain on the floor’. The Knight of Cups slowly stood up and straightened his tunic. ‘These are very brave and bold actions you have taken today young Knight. You made this journey here, the speech, the poems with no knowledge of how it would be received, yet you still came and risked shame and humiliation. We may even have decided not to let you in, or worse, mistook you for an enemy and killed you on your approach. What have you got to say for yourself?’

‘My Lord, I am but a Knight who must take the risk and follow my heart regardless of what is the outcome. I can no more help my actions than I can stop the sun from rising each day. I am a young man who must act on my feelings, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The moment I saw the portrait of your daughter, The Princess, I knew instinctively what I must do. I travelled here today, to ask for her hand in marriage for I have fallen deeply in love with her and cannot live without her. If she would agree to be mine, I will do everything in my power to make her the happiest woman on earth. I would shower her with love and gifts and everything her heart desires. No other woman will compare to her and we will be the envy of all in the land’ The Knight of Cups was positively gushing at this stage and kept a close eye on how the Princess was reacting to his carefully rehearsed words.

‘But young man, is this not all too soon? You know nothing of my daughter save for a portrait of her that was painted two years ago. You have no insight of her moods, likes and dislikes. Indeed she is charming, beautiful, lovely, intelligent, and all those other things you have said about her, but she is my daughter and therefore I may be biased in her favour. You on the other hand may find her boring, tedious, overbearing, irritating and too opinionated. Are you prepared to take on my daughter without even getting to know her first? And what of you, what might my daughter think of you? Does she take you on face value, trust your pretty loving words, take a risk and accept your proposal just like that? You are not the first suitor that has come with a proposal and I dare say you won’t be the last. Love can sometimes make us do crazy things. We can lose all common sense and our ability to be practical. That is what parents are for. We must be the voice of reason and logic. We must restore order when love turns the world upside down young man.’

The Knight of Cups looked directly into the eyes of The King before speaking. ‘Well said my Lord and my parents would agree with you. However, nothing you have said has put me off and I beg of you to allow me to get to know your daughter so that she can see for herself how serious and intent I am about my feelings for her. I had to take a risk and act on my feelings. I had to listen to my heart and follow its lead. My heart has led me here.  If she does not find favour with me then I must accept that, but if she decides to accept my Golden Cup and its contents then my bold and daring actions will have been worth it don’t you agree’?

The King stared intensely at The Knight of Cups and then looked to his daughter. There was a slight incline of her head and a nod of approval from The Queen. The King spoke, ‘very well then, I seem to have been outvoted. You appear to have won favour with both my wife and daughter.  You will tarry with us for the rest of the month. We will dispatch a messenger to the Castle of my neighbours where you are staying so that they may forward your belongings. We will prepare the guest wing for you and your servants. I will be keeping a close eye on you, and so too will The Queen. Now, my young Knight, I am sure you need to write to your parents and tell them of these events. You can use my writing desk and I will send my messenger with it once it is ready.  I also want you to extend an invitation to them so that we can all meet and get to know each other better.

The King summoned his servant and began to reel off a list of instructions. The Queen then called for the cook who was informed to prepare for several banquets in the coming weeks. The Princess looked shy and maintained her blushing state which The Knight of Cups found very fetching. The Queen then proceeded to escort her from the room and as the door opened he could see a flurry of activity outside as servants ran here and there to prepare for his stay. As he made his way to The King’s writing table, The Knight of Cups couldn’t have been more pleased with the success of his venture. He almost floated on a cloud of happiness and he wrote excitedly to his parents of his joy and of how he would prove to The Princess and her parents that his intentions towards her were pure and honourable. He felt heady with love and was already composing a song in his head to celebrate this joyous occasion and the incredible magnificence of the Princess.  He had never felt happier and all thought of the women he had eyed up only days earlier dissipated into the distance. He had found his beauty, his love and was complete. There would be much celebrating and dancing in the coming weeks which meant he had much to plan where his wardrobe was concerned.

The Knight of Wands, Swords and Pentacles upon receiving word about The Knight of Cups’ quest and accompanying events, all threw their eyes up to heaven and collectively voiced ‘here we go again’ before raising a toast to The Knight of Cups. They too looked forward to all the banqueting ahead and were eager to see this Princess with their own eyes. They hoped that this time he had actually found his match for regardless of how well he was known for his friendliness and manners, he was a surly moody character to be around when love turned sour.

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The Knight of Cups represents the young male adult of The Cups Court Family.  His role is that of the non-aggressive but action oriented extrovert.  He must go out into the world and mature by experiencing and dealing with the ups and downs of life first-hand. He must face the highs and lows of his emotions and feelings with the courage and conviction of a Knight. The Knight of Cups is given a lot of freedom to find himself and stake a claim over his own territory but without the protection of his parents to shield him from unpleasantness and upset, he needs to mature fast and toughen up if he is ever to take his rightful place in the world. He must build a reputation for himself founded on his best qualities and not allow himself to be known for all the wrong reasons.

The only battle The Knight of Cups faces is an internal one. He must fight hard to balance the Fire and Water within for they will both try to influence him unduly. He has too much to lose should he relinquish his Watery Aspects and let Fire dictate his actions. We want him to naturally evolve into the lovely King of Cups, without stints in Rehab or on the Therapists Couch. He must strive to retain his soft, gentle and kind-hearted nature without allowing personal negative experiences turn him thoughtless and uncaring. He has the reputation of The Cups Family to uphold and they want their Knight to be happy, emotionally balanced and at peace with his world both within and without. Yes, they need him to be strong and courageous, brave and bold (Fire will provide him with these qualities) but not at the expense of his good heart and sympathetic nature. Being gentle and loving does not equal weakness. If he gets the balance between Water and Fire just right, then we have the makings of a wonderful young man, who is a joy to be around, a man who has a great love for his family, deep feeling and affection for his partner,  compassion for those who suffer, and deep respect for his elders. He will make a wonderful husband and father one day. He needs enough Fire to keep his Water warm and at a simmer but definitely not boiling over or barely tepid. Get this right and he will move successfully from the naïve, trusting, innocent Page maturing nicely into the emotionally strong and bold Knight who will automatically in time ascend the Throne and become King.

Traditionally The Knight of Cups was described as a young male adult from approximately 22 to 30 years of age.  In modern times, Knights also can represent women if their energies and personality descriptions fit. If the person depicted by The Knight of Cups is older than 30 years of age, he or she may be displaying signs of emotional immaturity and finding it hard to grow up.  Description wise, The Knight of Cups was very handsome and attractive with fair hair and eyes of blue. Skin was pale and features fine and sometimes feminine-like.  He had a slender and delicate physique with a work of art profile. His slim, soft hands and long narrow fingers were those of the psychic, musician or artist.  He had impeccable dress sense and a love of fashion. His appearance was refined and sophisticated often attracting the name of Dandy or Dapper, at times appearing pretty and feminine-like. He was well mannered friendly, charming, poetic and flirtatious. Remember, these are the old traditional descriptions and may bear no resemblance at all to the majority of people in the world when it comes to skin and hair colouring.  It is his personality description that should be concentrated on and not his looks when interpreting The Knight of Cups.

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The Knight of Cups – The Lover, The Peace-Maker

Keywords

Approach, Advance, Arrival, Lover, Love, Romance, Troubadour, Gallant, Chivalrous, Knight-in-Shining Armour, Gentlemanly, Suave, Debonair, Mannerly, Etiquette, Proposals, Offers, Initiations, Gifts, Opportunities, Acting on Feelings, Declaring Intentions/Feelings, Making a Move, Chasing/Searching for Love, Chatting Up, Charmer, Lady’s Man, Seductive, Love em and Leave em, Flighty, Unpredictable, Dreamer, Idealistic, Over The Top, Nostalgic, Poetic, Story-teller, Fairy-Tale, Visionary, Fantasy, Admirer, Attraction, Courting, Wooing, Worshiping, Peace Loving, Forgiving, Gentle, Warm, Friendly, Supportive, Affectionate, Tender, Emotional, Sympathetic, Empathy, Understanding, Tolerant, Sentimental, Caring, Calm, Gentle, Sensitive, Harmonious, Introspective, Spiritual, Religious, Psychic, Gut Feelings, Artistic, Creative, Imaginative, Fashion Conscious, Dressing Up, Socialising, Drinking, Appearances, Refined, Gracious, Tactful, Diplomatic, Mediator, Negotiator,

Sample Messages (Please Add To These)

Ask Someone Out for a Romantic Evening, Make Your Move, Feel the Love, Be Tender and Affectionate, Woo your Lover, Do something Really Romantic, Now Might be the Time to Pop the Question, Use your Imagination, If you have been Blessed with Creative Abilities then develop them; Sing, Dance, Act, Paint, Write, Be Generous, Kind and Sympathetic with Others, Be Gallant, Be Yourself, Take Love out of your Head and Heart and Express it , Follow your Heart, Get in Touch with Your Feelings, Try to Control Your Emotions, Try Not to Be too Sensitive or take things Personally, Don’t Run from Difficult Situations, Make an Effort with your Appearance, A Calm and Gentle Approach May be Necessary, Try not to be Smothering, Take things Slowly, Feel out The Situation, Be There for Someone and Offer your Shoulder to Cry On, Be a Good Friend,  How Can You Be of Help in this Instance? What Skills or Abilities have you to offer?, Help is at Hand, Use and Trust your Intuition and Gut Feelings, Develop your Psychic Abilities, Take a Creative Approach,

Meaning

Striking a Balance Knight of Cups

When The Knight of Cups appears in a Reading, his energy is having an influence on The Querant’s issue or it can suggest that his energy is badly needed in this instance. He can represent a person, an atmosphere, an event, a message, advice or a way of life/behaviour/attitude that either needs to be taken on board or kept under control. With all Tarot Cards, The Knight of Cups can have several interpretations. Because of the nature of Knights and the influence by Fire, their energy can be excessive or extreme at times. Where The Knight of Cups is concerned he can also be unpredictable.  Knights appearing are a sign that balance is usually required in the area of your life The Knight’s Suit represents.

When The Knight of Cups is drawn, one must look at the surrounding Cards, The Querant’s issue and the Question to determine if this Knight is having a healthy influence on the situation or not. In his Upright Aspect, he may be helping the situation rather than hurting it, but we must tread carefully for all Knights are influenced by Fire and because of their Rank and age are prone to sometime outrageous, reckless or self-serving behaviour which at times they seem quite powerless to control. With just about all The Knights they are extremely good when they are being good but can be extremely obnoxious when being bad. With this in mind don’t be immediately drawn in or fooled by the apparent amicability and benevolence of The Knight of Cups, for even though he is of the Water Element and associated with kindness, thoughtfulness, caring and consideration, he has does have a flip side to him, an alter ego, even when Upright, but especially so when Reversed. When this side of him kicks in, it can leave us in a state of disbelief or completely disillusioned and disappointed for his behaviour can become less than Chivalrous or Gallant, descending into duplicity and manipulation.He can lead us up the garden path and astray as we fall totally under his spell.

Leaving that aside for the moment, we will have ample time to understand more about the above later, let us look at what This Knight may be trying to tell us or The Querant when he appears in a Reading. In his Upright Aspect he is generally benign but does have the potential to take advantage if it suits his needs. So, when The Knight of Cups appears in a Reading and is Upright, how do we know if he is to be taken at face value or whether he is trying to manipulate the situation, or us?

The First thing I do when The Knight of Cups appears in anyone’s Reading is to look at the Surrounding Cards to get a feeling for the Reading as a whole and determine where this chap might fit in. If the Cards surrounding him are pleasant and positive then I will run with The Knight of Cups more uplifting and appealing Aspects. I will view him as a welcome sign in The Reading, his energy having a positive influence, for the time being. If there is a lack of Cups Cards in the Reading with too many stressful or intense work-related Cards then he might be turning up to highlight the need to take time out for more pleasurable pursuits, relationships or to attend to your emotional needs. You may be blocking out this side of your life on the basis that you do not have time for it. You may also be trying to avoid your feelings or keeping a lid on strong emotions by keeping constantly busy.

The Acting on Feelings Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups usually suggests that you entering a strongly emotional period of your life where affairs of the heart may figure strongly. When The Knight of Cups is Upright, then this emotional event is heading towards you, it is on its way. Deep Feelings are involved. It is for certain you are feeling in a romantic mood and will be finding it hard to hide the intensity of your feelings. You may be thinking about making a romantic gesture but are unsure of taking that risky step. The Knight of Cups gives you the nudge to go and do it now before you talk yourself out of it.  The time is right and if you make your move now there is a very good chance it will be well received. Don’t lose out on the chance of love and happiness by being fearful of rejection. Sometimes we have to kiss many frogs before we find our prince or Princess. The Knight of Cups can suggest it is time to follow your heart, time to get in touch with your sensitive side, time to act on your feelings instead of daydreaming about them.

Rekindling Romance Knight of Cups

His presence in your Reading might be indicating that it is time for a little love in your life. If you are currently in a relationship then he is urging you to set aside some time to be romantic with your partner.  Do something remarkably romantic just to let them know how much you love them. Take your partner or spouse out on a real date and tell them how much they mean to you. Making an effort where your relationship is concerned can reap so many wonderful rewards. It can initiate a whole new beginning or take your relationship to a new level. It is bound to be reciprocated and the result will be in bringing you as a couple so much closer together. Try and re-capture those early days of your relationship and reminisce about what drew you to each other in the first place. This will keep your relationship fresh and intimate. If your sex life has been less than active or passionate in recent times then let The Knight of Cups into your life to liven it up. Remember when you first went out together? How you spent time on showering and dressing to look well for each other? Has all that slipped? Do you sit around in the same old shapeless leisure suit, or in the case of men don’t bother tidying up your beard or hair for weeks on end? Do you not bother going out anymore or perhaps you don’t even eat your meals at the table anymore where you can talk and discuss the day? Do you favour eating in front of the television instead? Do you regularly go to bed at separate times? This is a sign that you have become complacent in your relationship and something needs to be done about it. The Knight of Cups would swoop into your house and give both of you a strong lecture on the importance of romance and appearances. He would ask you to honestly ask yourselves if you were to go back in time would either of you be interested in the other if you looked and behaved as you are today? The Knight of Cups asks you to think about this and then do something about it to rekindle the passion.

Desperate for Love Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups often suggests that your mind may be preoccupied with thoughts of another or you may have decided to actively go out in search of romance and love.  You may have been single for some time and now feel the need for some love and romance in your life. It is time to stop daydreaming about love and instead actively do something about. This will find you concentrating on your appearance and dressing to impress. It is important not to act too desperate or decide a social outing has been a waste of time unless you meet someone. I had a friend years ago who was always on the look-out for a relationship. She tried very hard to catch the man of her dreams and I think the men could smell this off her and so found her overwhelming and backed off. She would deem the night a complete failure and refer to it as ‘a total waste of make-up’.

Controlling Emotions Knight of Cups

The presence of The Knight of Cups in a reading could indicate that your emotions are playing havoc with your normal routine and stability. You may feel all over the place and find it hard to concentrate on anything other than the situation he is representing. You need to determine whether the level of emotion you are experiencing is in direct proportion to your situation or excessive. Is this Knight’s energy causing your great happiness or is he disturbing your normal calm equilibrium? Is he helping or hurting? Too much emotion can be difficult to live with and can get in the way of how we function on a daily basis, so if you feel slightly out of control where your emotions are concerned then he may be a sign that balance is required.

The Dream Chasing Knight of Cups

When The Knight of Cups appears in your Reading you have to stop and question if there is any area of your life where you might be entertaining unrealistic hopes or are chasing dreams that have little or no chance of being realised. He can suggest that you are not terribly grounded or practical and that you may be looking for a fairy-tale lifestyle that does not exist. If any of this touches home or falls uncomfortably close to the bone, then you must work hard to remove any rose-tinted glasses you may be wearing and take your head out of the clouds. If you set unrealistic ideals or standards then you are bound to be bitterly disappointed when they do not work out.

I Come Bearing Gifts Knight of Cups

The presence of The Knight of Cups in a Reading begs us to question the nature of the Cup he extends. It is very much an offer or proposal of some sort, and usually when he is Upright, the offer is one that stands a very good chance of being of emotional benefit to you. What this Knight is carrying in his Cup may be of great value to you. Therefore keep your eyes open for golden opportunities that might come your way or are directly offered to you. Whatever it is that is on offer is bound to bring you great joy but at the same time, be very sure of the source before you accept it. Make sure there are no strings attached or hidden agendas. However, this is usually a genuine offer unless Surrounding Cards tell you otherwise.

The Creative, Perceptive and Intuitive Knight of Cups

Have an issue or situation that is proving difficult or challenging to sort out? If so, The Knight of Cups appearing in your Reading asks you to use your imagination and think creatively rather than logically to find the best solution. Think this one through and use your natural powers of perception. Look beyond the obvious options that pop immediately into your mind and instead spend some time letting your mind play around with random ideas and solutions that may be slightly off centre or unconventional. Outside the box thinking in this case may prove very worthwhile. Let this Knight influence you creatively and you are bound to surprise everyone with your amazing ideas or answers to challenging and stubborn obstacles. This Knight can indicate that you are about to enter a very creative phase in your life.

The Spiritual and Psychic Knight of Cups

The Cups Suit is extremely psychic and spiritual, and with The Knight’s love of action, his presence may suggest that you are seeking to develop this side of your personality. You may be actively taking classes or entering a course of study to enhance and finely tune your gifts. You may also be working towards taking religious vows. He asks you to listen to the voice within and call on your intuitive side when making major decisions in your life. You are no stranger to gut feelings about things and have found that they generally have been proven right in the past. Don’t try to use your logic all the time. Step back and do not rush into anything. Allow the information to assimilate and any messages from the subconscious to surface naturally. Move slowly and take the time to reflect upon your situation. You will know when the time is right to become more active in this situation.

The Amicable and Benevolent Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups turning up in your Reading can simply imply that you are feeling very benevolent and kind-hearted. You may be in an obliging mood and happy to offer your help and support wherever it is needed. Indeed if there is an atmosphere of upset around you or are aware of someone who is going through a bad time or needs something, whether friend, work colleague or bare acquaintance there is a very good chance that you will be the one to make a huge difference and turn the situation around. However to do this you must not just sit there feeling sorry for whoever it is or wait for them to come to you with hand out held or head hung low. Instead you must take action. Give the matter some thought and determine in what way you can help. This Card suggests that you have been blessed with a loving and caring nature so are amply qualified and entitled to make the approach and extend the offer of help and support. You will be glad if you do but will deeply regret it if you don’t. Push aside any notions that might suggest to you that you are intruding, that it is not your place or that the responsibility lies elsewhere. The Knight of Cups tells you that if you feel strongly enough about the situation then you are obliged to do something about it. Don’t be nervous, shy or timid in your approach but be sure to let the receiving party know that you are looking for nothing in return and that your reward is simply to see the person or persons get through whatever issues they are caught up in. You are in a position to help and that is all. People are sometimes wary of accepting offers of help as they feel under obligation or in debt to their benefactor so you must not go about offering help in a showy or condescending manner. You must be discreet and assure them that you help because someone once did the same for you and now you would like to give back to the Universe. Assure them of your confidence and discretion at all times.

The Peacemaker and Mediator Knight of Cups

On a similar note, if there is a tense situation around you, warring parties or a hostile atmosphere, then let you be the one to act as peacemaker, go-between, mediator or negotiator. Keep an open mind and listen to the grievances of both sides without taking sides. With your wonderful power of diplomacy and understanding, you will be able to find some form of common ground to work from which will initiate the healing process so that harmony can be restored. Likewise, if you have fallen out with a friend or family member don’t just sit around brooding and sulking about the whole issue. Be the one who makes the first move and extend the olive branch. Excess emotions are likely to have been the cause of any arguments causing bad feeling and animosity between those involved. Be the one to do the right thing and apologise or forgive if necessary. The longer you allow the unhappy situation to fester the lower your mood will become and the more entrenched the situation will become. Adopt a calm approach.

The Socialite Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups turning up in your Reading can suggest that you are planning a celebration or party and are in the process of extending invitations to friends and families. Then again, it may be you who has received an invitation and are looking around for the perfect present or gift to bring with you. There is certainly an air of anticipation and excitement about the upcoming event and you will be determined to have a great time.  This could be the party or wedding of the year or possibly a family re-union or engagement party. The Knight of Cups can often suggest meetings of one sort or another which are of an emotional nature. These meetings tend to bring people together who have mutual interests and connections, very often family and friends. The Knight of Cups extends a warm welcome to everyone and is genuinely happy to see you. He can imply that you are getting great pleasure out of spending time with friends and family, or if you have been keeping yourself to yourself for the last while then you should make time to be more sociable, get out and about, visit and keep in touch with loved ones. Under this particular influence of The Knight of Cups there will be the temptation to overindulge in Alcohol and Food so try to pace yourself and think moderation. Think bad hangover too and this may discourage you.

The Fashion Icon and Trend-Setter Knight of Cups

When The Knight of Cups appears in a Reading he can suggest that you are paying close attention to your appearance. You may decide to put yourself forward for a make-over or a total re-vamp of your wardrobe. You want to look your best and this may be simply from a personal point of view or because a certain situation demands it of you. He suggests a love of fashion and keeping up with the latest styles and trends.  You probably take hours preparing to go out and no doubt plan your wardrobe weeks in advance. You have a tendency to worry about what others think of you all the time and find it difficult and upsetting when you discover someone dislikes or criticises you. You like to stand out from the crowd so may go for a slightly eccentric or quirky style of fashion, which others then may attempt to copy. You do like to wear clothes that you won’t see on anyone else. You probably enjoy travelling abroad when you want to purchase something very special. You like your clothes to be the centre of attention and the focus of conversation. You have the ability to talk endlessly about how you put your outfit together and your choice of colours without giving any information about where you purchased it or how much you paid for it.  You even allow people to believe that you had some of your garments especially made for you. You enjoy being elusive about this side of you for the last thing you want is others running out to buy the same. The thing is that some of your purchases are quite cheap but with your wonderful creative imagination and natural flair, you have the knack of working them with other items so that they look designer and expensive.

This Knight’s presence may also suggest that are trying to polish up your appearance and smooth off any rough edges that are not working in your favour. Then again you may be contriving a look or attitude that does not truly represent you at all. It may all be a front and a façade with designer clothes and a studied sophistication and elegance that does not come naturally. You may be trying to impress someone by giving a false impression of yourself. If The Knight of Cups is surrounded by Reversed Pentacle Cards then you may be spending too much money on clothes and luxuries, or it may be possible that you are seeking access into the inner circles of the wealthy set by appearing to be one of them. There may be a hidden agenda behind all the finery and manufactured appearance.

The ‘Too Stressful For Me’ It Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups has a tendency to remove himself quickly from any form of distressing or unpleasant situation. He uses the excuse that he has not got the stomach for it or that it has nothing to do with him. Often the truth is that he has not got the courage to face up to the situation or deal with those that are involved. If this is the case with you, then The Upright Knight of Cups implores you to do the right thing and face your problems head on, in fact be the one to go out after them rather than sit waiting for them to catch up with you. Don’t try to sweep them under the carpet or bury your head in the sand. Emotionally upsetting as they may be, you will feel proud and gain much respect once you take charge and control. The Knight of Cups generally despises himself after he runs away instead of confronting his problems. Don’t let that happen to you. If this is your mess then let it be you who is the one to clean it up. Don’t leave it for others to tidy up. This may involve you having to grow up and assume responsibility for once. Tough as it will be, it has to be done.

The Personality and Appearance of Knight of Cups

As a description of a person The Knight of Cups will be aged between 22-30 years with fair hair and blue/green eyes. He is traditionally of slim build with a distinct elegance and sophisticated air. He is romantic, poetic, imaginative and creative. A lover of music and the arts, he is a sensitive, sentimental soul who feels and responds on a deeply level. He is charming, gallant and chivalrous, a true Knight in Shining Armour. He is touched by the beauty and aesthetics in people and nature. He will be a soft, gentle person who speaks quietly and calmly but may appear delicate at times. He is strongly in touch with his feelings and the feelings of others, but can get easily hurt or upset which causes his famous reputation for being moody or sulky.  He is not afraid to show his feminine side and will be seen to cry during both happy and sad movies. He is deeply connected to his family and enjoys spending time with them. This Knight will look forward to the day when he too will have his own family.

In his spare time he likes nothing better than to hang out with his friends or get lost in his creative projects such as art and music. He likes peace and quiet, and walks by the sea. He is a good swimmer, preferring the pool or ocean for exercise rather than muscle building in the gym. He likes to read and go to the movies regularly. He is more a wine drinker than a beer swiller and his taste in music will tend towards love songs, golden oldies and classical.  Due to his love of nostalgia and the past, you will find him attending concerts of artists his parents listened to as he grew up. He is not instantly drawn to new or loud music but does like to keep up to-date with new bands. However, he can appear out of place at some of the heavier concerts and wild music festivals. When he holidays, he more than likely heads for the sea or to romantic settings such as Castles, or cities associated with love and fashion such as Paris or Rome.  He has a love of history but again from a nostalgic point of view. He enjoys period dramas that often depict an unrealistic representation of times when ladies were ladies and men were men. He is a stickler for etiquette, good manners and politeness.

Peace loving and a seeker of harmony, The Knight of Cups is tactful and diplomatic in his dealings with others. He will often appear refined, immaculately dressed and fashionable. He takes his time and is not prone to hurry. Obviously these descriptions apply to his positive side so we must remember that like all The Court Cards they do have a Negative Aspect, and when it comes to the Knights, because they are influenced by Fire, these negatives can be quite extreme. The Knight of Cups is a dreamer and has a tendency to idealise life and love. He may entertain unrealistic goals or ideas and get caught up in grand schemes that end up going nowhere. He will avoid conflict and unpleasantness at all costs and does not like to get his hands dirty. He prefers to take a back seat when vital or important decisions are being made as this causes him a great degree of distress.

Relationships and The Knight of Cups

Love and Romance is on The Way Knight of Cups

And so to the ever important area of Relationships where The Cups Suit are mostly concerned. When The Knight of Cups appears in a Relationship Reading, prepare yourself for the arrival of a new relationship, lover or a time of intense romance and flirting. Attraction is in the air. Your Knight in Shining Armour or in this case Amour (love) is close by and this Knight is very different from the Wild and Roving Knight of Wands. Here we find the Fairy-Tale Knight who rescued Rapunzel from her tower and brought Sleeping Beauty out of her slumber with his long lingering kiss. This Knight approaches love in the old-fashioned traditional way, through wooing and courting.  Valentine’s Day is one of his favourite days in the year along with your Birthday and Anniversaries when he really goes to town on making them a special occasion. He enjoys all that goes with dating, and likes to feel protective towards you. As we look at this Golden Cup this can symbolically represent how he feels about you. He may consider that he has struck gold in finding you or that he now has in his care something precious and of great value that needs to be carefully and respectfully handled. Gentle and devoted this Knight may very well be besotted with you and has worshipped you from a distance for some time.

There is a very good chance you have caught the eye of an admirer who has developed strong feelings for you. These feelings may have been kept under wraps or control exerted over them for some time, but now the person involved is prepared to make a move. It is quite likely that someone is going to declare their feelings for you or you may be asked out for a drink, dinner or a very special date. Whoever it is will not take the casual approach so be prepared for possible flamboyant romantic gestures. If you are female you could easily receive a wonderful bouquet of flowers to your front door or work desk. This person is not afraid to express their feelings and you will be left in no doubt as to the nature of their interest in you. Should you refuse or reject their advances they may very well play on your emotions by threatening to kill themselves for they cannot possibly live without you. The person represented by The Knight of Cups finds it difficult to take no for an answer and will keep coming back at you until they wear you down.  In fact their initial approach may be quite overwhelming. The romantic attention being bestowed upon you will change the way you feel about yourself.  If this Knight of Cups attention is desired then you could easily find yourself floating just above the ground with a silly grin on your face and unable to concentrate on work or daily chores. You will want to hug yourself for being so adored and worshipped. Here you will find the person who you deserve at long last. A partner or lover, who adores the ground you walk upon, hangs on your every word, treats you like a lady, is caring considerate and wants to be with you all the time. Really this Knight you have found just can’t get enough of you and you will feel in seventh heaven.

The person The Knight of Cups represents may be about to propose or offer you something of emotional value. It could be an invitation to a dance, social occasion, to move in together or possibly marriage. He may be about to pop the question.

The Idealistic Romantic Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups idealises love, is caring, calm and gentle. He will be sensitive to your needs and likes harmony. He will avoid conflict at all costs so there should be no arguments and rows but there may be some silent moods or even sulking if things don’t go his way. Generally though, he is happy as long as you are happy and he will do everything in his power to keep it that way. He is comparable to the Troubadour who rode the lands penning love songs and poems for Queens and Princesses. He will do the same for you but it will be more like wining and dining, roses, chocolates and silly cards. He simply loves romance and all that goes with it.

The Deeply Romantic and Loving Knight of Cups

In the Upright Knight of Cups his intentions may be very pure, like a Knight in Shining Armour; he may ride in and sweep you off your feet with his gallant and chivalrous manner. He is the partner who will give you his coat if you are cold, open doors and pull out seats for you. He will drop you straight to the door of the restaurant to save you getting your hair wet in the rain and will happily trail around after you, in and out of fashion boutiques, holding your bags while you try on clothes in the fitting room and then give you his rapt attention when you ask how you look. This Knight will find shopping for clothes with you the perfect day out for he loves fashion, and for each shop you enter, he will be quick to find the men’s section where he will lose himself flicking through rails and holding clothes up to his frame in the mirror. There is a chance that when you do go to look for him to seek his opinion on what you have tried on, he will more than likely be in a fitting room himself, with a heap of clothes to get through. You might find that by the end of the day, your Knight has more shopping bags than you do. His shopping bill will probably be much larger too as he has a love of fine fabrics and designer labels.  He thinks nothing of splashing out on good clothes and shoes. He is a lover of the latest trend in underwear too so you won’t be disappointed when he begins to peel the layers off. This guy looks after himself and is the furthest thing from scruffy you can get. He likes to look nice but he also wants to look nice for you so you won’t find this Knight turning up on your door for a date looking as if he is heading off to work in the fields while you are dressed up to the nines. He takes dressing very seriously so it is not uncommon for him to start planning his outfit for an important occasion or event weeks in advance. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea and certainly if you like your men a bit rough around the edges, rugged and muscular, The Knight of Cups may not be for you. You won’t find any dirt under his finger nails for he rarely gets his hands dirty, he will never smell of anything other than expensive after shave and he keeps his hair tidy and knows his hairdresser on first name basis. He may even accompany you for Spa Treatments and pedicures.

There is nothing that The Knight of Cups will not do for you, for your wish is his command. He constantly expresses his deep feelings for you. He will also brighten and warm your day with constant romantic, and often risqué texts. He will phone as often as he can leaving umpteen voice mails telling you that he just had to ring to let you know how much he loves you. This will find you making excuses to run to the restroom in work, with your phone secretly tucked in your pocket or sleeve so that you can listen to all his romantic declarations. If you protest and say it is too much he will simply dismiss your complaints with his poetic manner of speech, claiming to be powerless to stop himself listening to your beautiful angelic musical recorded voice message, his day being meaningless until the time comes when he can hold you in his arms.

And when it does come to holding you in his arms, you may find it hard to get anything done for he is very touchy-feely, affectionate and tender. He enjoys long lingering kisses and even longer love making sessions. In fact many of his gestures and delivery of speech will be laced with sexual innuendo leaving you quite breathless at times, especially when he whispers lustful words in your ear when in the company of others. He is the master of seduction and you will find it very hard to resist this Knight and his amorous behaviour.

If you get the purest form of This Knight of Cups, then this guy will only have eyes for you and everything he says, he will mean 100%. Here is a man who will never forget your birthday or anniversaries and will always have something special planned for the occasion. Consider yourself lucky, and hopefully you feel the same for him. Remember that The Knight of Cups will hopefully mature into The King of Cups one day and should you find him a good match, then you can look forward to a very happy and extremely loving lifetime together for he has the makings of a caring and affectionate partner, husband, indulging parent and doting grandfather. This guy is definitely marriage material and a lifer. If you are lucky enough to end up with The Pure Upright Knight of Cups, then you can prepare to grow old with him for he will love you as much today as when you are old and grey. He will stick with you through thick and thin. Luck you and lucky him.

The Smothering With Love Knight of Cups

However, there is always a catch isn’t there? Let us look at other Aspects of this Upright Knight of Cups. So you have this Knight in shining armour wooing and courting you 24/7. You are head over heels in love and spend every free second together, he is attentive and adoring, constantly as King after your welfare and if there is anything he can do for you. He is consistently by your side or texting and ringing to see when you are coming home because he misses you. When you are out with your friends he rings every twenty minutes to see how you are getting on and what exact time you want to be picked up for he won’t hear of you getting a taxi, even though all your friends are getting one. He thinks it is not safe and he is just trying to be nice.  He is constantly surprising you with gifts and cuddly toys or leaving romantic notes for you in your coat pocket or handbag. He spends more time getting ready to go out than you do and may go back into the house to change because he doesn’t ‘feel right’. He prefers dinners for two instead of dining out with a group. He insists on holding your hand everywhere you go and refuses to allow you to carry even one shopping bag. When you sit down in the evening to watch your favourite soap his hands are all over you and he wants you to cuddle into him. He is constantly suggesting early nights and you can’t move in the bed without attracting attention from him. He asks you several times a day if you are okay and whether you still love him. He texts you to let you know that you forgot to kiss him goodbye before you left the house. His clothes are spilling over into your wardrobe space and he has more face and hair products than you do. He knows when and where all the Wedding Fairs are on and thinks they would make a good day out. He insists on the two of you having Sunday Lunch with his parents every week and rings his mother nearly as often as he rings you. He is the one who asks to hold your friend’s babies and talks non-stop about having a large family one day because he loves kids. He cannot understand when you want to go away for a weekend with your friends, leaving him on his own, for he never wants to leave you.

Then one day you wake up and as you try to slip out of the bed unnoticed, just to use the bathroom or make the coffee, he instantly becomes wide-awake and wanting to know if you are alright, where you are going, and if he can get you anything. He is only asking to be helpful because he just wants to make you happy, but you suddenly feel stifled and smothered by his constant attention. You either ignore his question or become snappy and short with him, telling him that you think you can manage going to the bathroom or making your coffee all by yourself. He then asks you if you are okay as you sound upset, but you march out the door slamming it behind you and he is left behind confused and hurt by what has happened. You on the other side of the door feel like running out onto the streets and disappearing for the day for you cannot bear another moment under the same roof as him. You cannot believe this has suddenly happened but you know it has been brewing for some time. The fact of the matter is that he is just too much, way too much, overpowering with his feelings. You feel he is everywhere you turn and that you cannot make a move or any decisions without him wanting to take that load off your shoulders. You feel terribly cossetted and smothered by his presence. You are sickeningly tired with all the nonsense texts and phone calls, and if he doesn’t stop this holding of hands bit everywhere you go, as if you are love-struck teenagers attached at the hip, then you just might vomit on the spot.

You feel terrible because he is such a nice guy but that is the crunch isn’t it? This version of The Knight of Cups is too nice, too good, overly-loving and attentive. So spotless is his personality and so intent his feelings for you that you feel a right bitch for wanting something different and thinking as you do. Really, you wonder why all your girlfriends envy your relationship instead of the men they are constantly chasing around and trying to pin down. They have to pull all kinds of stunts to get their attention or anything from them, and there you are with your Knight of Cups, a gem in your hands, gushing forth with love, affection, care and romance. God, how you would love to have a fling with some bad boy rogue, just like The Knight of Wands for a change, someone to make you feel alive and buzzing. Someone who you may have to wait for days to get a text or phone call from as you check your phone every ten minutes, just in case.  You feel you are drowning in a sea of emotion, his emotions, when you are with him, and also just want to be able to sit down in the evening without attracting any sexual attention from him. If only he played a little harder to get, if only he wasn’t so goddamn nice all the time, if only he gave you cause to have a row with him or did something to make you jealous, if only he wasn’t so predictable and reliable. You think you have gone mad for thinking such things, for after all, isn’t that what every woman wants? He is the ideal, loving romantic, chivalrous partner, but when we get too much of a good thing then we may not want it so much. The Knight of Cups in this Upright Aspect has lost his Elemental Balance. He has allowed Water to dominate, and his Fires to subdue. He needs to bring a certain amount of The Knight of Wands into his personality for when it comes down to it, women like men to be men and not some shadow image of themselves. They want all the love and romance but they also want the uncertainty and having to be kept on their toes Aspect of The Knight of Wands. This works both ways, and without a certain amount of mystery between the two, things can become mundane and people complacent.

The personalities this Aspect of The Knight of Cups represents often are terribly confused as to why they cannot make a success of relationships or maintain them after the initial heady intense period. They see their only crime as being loving, caring, considerate, romantic, and affectionate, adoring and devoted. What they fail to see is that, just like life, there is a time and a place for everything and therefore there is a time and place for all the above, but not constantly. Regardless of how your partner lapped it up in the early days and couldn’t get enough of it, a time comes when it becomes tedious, boring and regrettably irritating all at the one time. In the early days, those involved in a relationship don’t need any personal space because they just want to be together. However, as time goes on and the relationship develops, both need to learn to take back their individual personal space for periods of time at a go so that they can do their own things, meet their own friends, spend the day or night on their own, chill out in front of the telly, or go to bed with a good book without having to consult the other. This maintains freshness in the relationship.  Even in a marriage, the same applies. The Knight of Cups in the above Aspect does not need personal space and so does not understand their partner’s need for it. If their partner does bring it up, then it is perceived by The Knight as a personal slight, rejection and a lack of love. Unless, The Knight can strike a balance with these tendencies, it won’t be long before their partner leaves or tells them to go because they want their life or identity back. When we are dealing with this age-group they should be mature enough to understand this without it having to be pointed out to them, but sometimes with The Knight of Cups, both Upright and Reversed, they fail to arrive at this understanding, and so their claustrophobic partners have no choice but to get away.

I have clients who come to me with this dilemma all the time and The Knight of Cups makes a regular appearance in their Readings. They act from a good heart but it needs to be balanced. I help them analyse their pattern of behaviour in relationships and hand on heart, it often mimics the above paragraph. I try my best to advise them to not be so nice all the time (I know that sounds terrible), to not give all away too soon. Instead to let a relationship evolve rather than force it. If you wear your heart on your sleeve and give everything of yourself too soon, then there is nothing left for later on. Boredom can set in from the other side and even though we all love a devoted puppy dog, an over eager one who constantly wants to play and wants our attention can get on our nerves. I advise them when they do meet someone to exercise some restraint and not to be too much in someone’s face with their feelings and declarations of love. One of the common issues among these clients is that they fall in love too easily and too readily, a common trait of The Knight of Cups, so desperate are they to be part of a couple. They see potential soul-mates in everyone and are prepared to use those special three words; ‘I love you’, far too soon. The thing is that because of their desperation and love of love, they confuse the early stage of all their relationships with ‘being in love’ and automatically feel that the subject of their affection and desire feels the same. ‘Sure what is the point in waiting around, let’s get engaged now for I have found exactly what I am looking for?’

Unless the other person is on the same wavelength they feel that everything is moving too fast and will start to pull back. It may be confusing for my clients to see their adored and loved one break off a relationship, only to fall into the arms of another who most certainly won’t treat them as well. The problem lies in being too idealistic about love and letting their feelings and emotions run away with themselves. Rose-tinted glasses are put on and love is seen in every chance encounter or casual introduction. Here is another form of Elemental Imbalance. We have Water literally spilling out over the top, with emotions and feelings surging towards the person involved like a giant tidal wave, while Fire then takes over and becomes overly eager and overly excited. The person on the receiving end becomes exhausted with the whole lot, and honestly would prefer to be single rather than have to put up with the constant unrelenting attention of their determined Suitor.  Just think of those times when you have entered a friend’s house only to have their dog jump all over you and every time you go to move they are on top of you, trying to lick your face and hands. At first you think it cute and tell your friend that it is fine as you love dogs, but after a while you just can’t wait to escape to clean the slobber off your hands and the hair off your clothes because it has all become too much.

The Self-Serving, Seducing Knight of Cups

Like The Page before him The Knight of Cups can also have the reputation of using charm and romance in order to seduce. If so, he will take what he wants and be gone in the morning as the Fire energies come in encouraging him to move on. When we see The Knight of Cups in a Relationship Spread we must question the nature of the relationship and how committed this Knight is likely to be. The first thing we do is consult the Surrounding Cards and The Reading as a whole, because on his own, The Upright Knight could easily mislead us with his innocent and charming appearance. We need to ascertain whether his intentions are pure and honest or deceptive and self-serving. His charming nature and behaviour can easily enchant and beguile, so he will be hard to resist. This type of Knight of Cups can be immature and has commitment issues. This could be down to hurts from previous relationships or is his way of covering up low self-esteem and emotional issues. He tends to veer towards instant gratification in love, as he is either unwilling to let a relationship mature and develop or lacks the skills to sustain it. In this manner he blows hot and cold and can be terribly unpredictable; all loved up one day and running from it the next. We see this scenario in both The Upright and The Reversed with it being more extreme in The Reversed. This is where the battle for supremacy between Water and Fire can swing wildly from one to the other.

Unfortunately, even when The Knight of Cups appears Upright in a Relationship Spread he can be a ‘love em and leave em, smooth talKing seducer’. He knows women, has gone out of his way to study their species, has learned how to read them and knows how to bend them to his will. This is a guy who truly understands the power he wields and uses his ‘way with women’ personality traits to get what he wants with scant regard of who he might hurt. Instead of looking for a loving relationship as The Pure Knight of Cups would desire, this version of The Knight is looking to score and could very easily notch up more successes on his bedpost than The Knight of Wands at his very best through dishonesty and manipulation. This is because we generally see The Knight of Wands coming a mile off and unless we are very stupid or deluded, know exactly what he is looking for. To be honest, The Knight of Wands tends to be very upfront about why he is showing an interest in you, and in his Upright Aspect does not set out to mislead or take advantage of you. Not for him the romancing and wooing way to lure you into his net. Not at all for he will call a spade and a spade and makes no apologies for it. Any misinterpretation of the signals he is sending out is your sole deluded responsibility and there is no use crying and ranting and raving about him for treating you in such a manner. The Knight of Wands is generally looking for someone like him, someone who just wants a bit of fun with no strings attached and no commitments. He likes to stay friends with all his women for who knows when he will be next in town again and in need of some female company.

However, let us go back to The Not So Pure Upright Knight of Cups. This version of The Knight is deliberately misleading. He sets out to catch his prey using a false and extremely contrived personality. He calls on all the loving, caring, sensitive, gentle, chivalrous and gallant type of behaviour of The Pure Knight of Cups, but that is where the similarity ends. He uses his romantic and poetic approach, along with his carefully constructed image, dress sense and immaculate looks to magnetically draw the subject, or subjects, of his desire to him. He creates the illusion that he is god’s gift to all women, women who will find it very difficult to resist his charm.

This version of The Knight of Cups can have him juggling several different pseudo relationships all at the one time. He certainly could have a woman in each town and the terrible thing is that each woman would think they are the only one. He likes to keep them all on a string and under his spell until he has decided he has done with them. He likes to be in control of the dumping part for as easy as he finds it to use someone and then dispose of them when he has got what he wanted, he does not take too kindly to it being done to him.

You will find this Knight of Cups hanging out in Wine Bars and Clubs all over the World. Those who watch and observe him refer to him as a Lady’s Man, Womaniser, Rake, a Seducer or Cad. His eyes wander continuously around the room scanning for his next catch and he certainly has no problem drawing them in. Women flock to him like moths to a flame for he is so adorable and so interested in them. He says such lovely things to them and is so complimentary that they positively glow in his presence. Unfortunately this is simply cleverly guided flattery and controlled manipulation. He is a master of seduction and studies closely the behaviour of his prey to deliver exactly what she, or they, wants to hear. He is gentlemanly, courteous and extremely generous.

This is the guy who will send a bottle of champagne over to your table when you are out with friends leaving you all pleasantly surprised and quietly wondering which one at your table he is most drawn to. He will usually continue to sit at the bar, occasionally glancing over and smiling, not singling out any one in particular, but rather keeping you all secretly guessing and hoping. You all agree that he is ‘just gorgeous’ and when one of you whispers ‘oh my god, he is coming over to us’ there is a sudden dive into handbags for lipstick and perfume. He will never just plonk himself down at the table without asking like The Knight of Wands might. This Knight plays by certain rules and will ask in a gentlemanly like manner if he ‘might be granted the pleasure of joining such lovely ladies for a drink?’ 99% of you will readily agree, already shoving up on the seats so that you can be seated beside or directly opposite him. Only 1% of you will find him off putting and transparent. This 1% will socially withdraw from the conversation or behave in an indifferent or almost rude manner towards him, much to the dismay and annoyance of the rest of the table for they do not want him to leave. This blatant rebuff he will find annoying for he does not like to be disliked and will probably decide to single out this person to focus his most charm on in an effort to disarm and win her over. If he fails, so what, for he already has the other 99% eating out of his hand. He will typically ask if they are going on to a club and one way or another manages to extract individual phone numbers or is happy to hand his over to them safe in the knowledge that several of them will either text or phone in the next day or two.

When they do get in touch he will appear delighted and over the moon to hear from each one of them and quickly make a date but likes to keep it private from the others. When he does take the lucky lady out for a meal or a drink he is extremely attentive but will find it hard to keep his eyes on their face for they will be seductively and lustfully roaming over her entire body. He will keep the conversation light so as not to drag out the evening for what he really wants to do is to wrap things up as quickly as possible and get you back to his, or your place, where you can ‘be more relaxed and have a proper talk’. Really there will be very little talk involved except to possibly ask you if you would like red or white wine, for the bedroom door will be wide open and before you know it he will have it closed behind you in a flash. Have no fear that this Upright Knight of Cups would never force himself upon you, absolutely not, that is not his style for he has done the ground work and you will be exactly where you want to be and agreeable to his sexual advances. The Knight of Cups Reversed may not be as polite.

His love-making, or sex, will be long and very intense, but somewhere along the way you will suspect that he has worked hard on his skills and probably exercises them on a regular basis. If not, then you could easily fool yourself into thinking that he is absolutely crazy about you. He will typically want to draw this love-making marathon out until the next morning or even until lunchtime the next day until he eventually tires and falls asleep or you have to go. At this stage, he can seem quite distracted or distant, and when you ask if everything is okay he will just say that he is tired and that he will ring you later that day when he has recovered from his sexual athletics of the previous night and morning. He will then close the door behind you and instantly forget you while you go home exhausted, but on cloud nine. Three or four days later after checking your phone continuously for calls or texts from him and only ever getting his voicemail or the engaged tone when you ring, you will begin to cop on to what has happened and realise that he used you and has no intentions of getting in touch with you. You feel embarrassed now because you excitedly rang your friends to tell them of your date with the gorgeous man and now you have to explain to them how you were duped and fooled. What you don’t know is that he has already being on the phone to one of your friends telling her that it was she he really was attracted to and how he had made a mistake asking you out. He will cunningly play one against the other. Your friend will soon find out for herself and all of you will have learned a valuable lesson. This Knight instantly spotted your willingness, and that you were open to meeting someone. However, he never spelled it out to you that all he was looking for was a one-night stand. If he had being honest and upfront, you more than likely would not have been interested. You see he doesn’t like rejection so he uses falseness and deception to attract women. He flatters them, lies and then misleads them into thinking that he is really interested in them.   This Aspect of The Knight of Cups Upright leaves him thinking only of himself and all his actions are self-serving.

The Love Rival Knight of Cups

The presence of The Knight of Cups in a Relationship Reading can simply imply the presence of a Love Rival who is attracted to the one you are with or the one you have set your hopes on. You may have some stiff competition for your fair maiden’s hand so be prepared to go head to head in battle for her heart, but in a gallant and chivalrous manner, with no dirty tricks or smear campaigns. Let the best man win and believe that what is meant for you will not pass you by.

Careers, Work and Business Knight of Cups

Where Work or Career is concerned there could be good news on the way for you, if you have applied for that dream job or college course. His presence may indicate that it will be offered to you. The offer is bound to make you very happy and is emotionally beneficial.  An offer of a job, promotion or golden opportunity may also come your way out of the blue. If so, take your time to decide what you want to do about it. Think carefully and consult your feelings about this offer. You must be very honest with yourself and not put on rose-tinted glasses or entertain unrealistic notions about the offer. Use your natural perception and intuition to break it down into what the offer really involves. If you can find no fault with it and it is something your hearts sings out for then follow the call from within and go for it. However, if others have to work hard to convince you that this is in your best interests then there is something wrong. Don’t be pushed or forced. You are the best judge in this matter and the bottom line is that whatever is being offered to you, be it on a gold plate or wrapped up in fancy packaging, it must make you happy or it will all be for nothing.

If you have been offered a job or have a choice of Job offers then whichever Reading this Knight turns up in is the one that will bring you the most happiness and will allow you to creatively express yourself. It is bound to be a harmonious working atmosphere with little high competition and a nice homely welcoming feeling. There is an excellent support system and staff is well treated. This job is not highly demanding or too stressful. However, check with surrounding Cards as it may not be the better paid job, so you will have to way up the pros and cons and see where your priorities lie.

Business wise, if you are experiencing challenges or obstacles then a creative approach may be necessary to solve the problem. You will need to employ your imagination and come up with some ingenious ways of moving forward. The Knight of Cups can also indicate that you may be offered a partnership or asked by a friend to go into business with them. Take your time in reaching a decision about this. If business is a bit slow, why not organise an open day and invite all your suppliers and customers to visit your business. Offer free samples and have some nice wine, finger foods and refreshments to hand around. The Knight of Cups can also suggest that your business needs a face-lift, be it the premises, uniforms, website or overall image. This will boost staff morale as well as make you more visible to customers.

Career wise, The Knight of Cups is highly gifted with wonderful creative and imaginative abilities and talents. This makes him often drawn to a career or job where he can freely express himself through art, music, poetry and writing.  A career as a professional dancer is quite popular and of course his love of acting, fantasy and dressing up will find him making a living as an actor or working in movies, television or the theatre industry, whether it is on set or behind it. He also has the ability to make an excellent costume designer and will excel with period or fantasy costume.

This Knight is of The Cups Family and so in his Upright Aspect follows their tradition for being caring, compassionate, sympathetic and understanding. These qualities could very well find him carving out a successful career as a counsellor, psychotherapist or social worker. He also is drawn to nurturing careers such as nursing or a care-worker, being sympathetic and gentle with the elderly and infirm.

We also must look at the fact that he we have a Knight who is both spiritual and psychic. These gifts could take him in two directions. He may seek to develop his spirituality through religion and the clergy or he could run in the direction of the world of psychics, mediums and metaphysics. He will fit in wonderfully in the world of Holistic or Alternative Therapies and is a natural Healer.

The Knight of Cups with his natural flair for style, fashion, and his of fine dressing could find him working successfully in the world of fashion as a designer, model, blogger, fashion show organiser, buyer, window dresser or retailer. He will make an excellent hair dresser too and could easily work his way to the top in this industry. His famous melodramatic outbursts and moods will fit in nicely with the above occupations. In fact they will be expected of him.

He can also use his creative abilities in the kitchen and may be found expressing himself through the culinary arts. He could make a Head Chef or specialise in elaborate cakes which would suitably play to his artistic side and creative side. His explosive emotional outburst will work wonders for him in this industry too.

There is also a place for The Knight of Cups in Politics where he can have a wonderfully successful career as a diplomat, mediator or negotiator. He can also carry over these abilities into big business and financial dealings where his tactful and amiable approach can help him seal deals and contracts where other more aggressive personalities fail. He is often called in during crisis talks where there is unrest or grievances and here he will work with the opposing parties to find a solution. This also can be applied to family mediation where he needs to remain unbiased but sympathetic and understanding to both parties while seeking a harmonious and mutually agreeable solution or way forward.

The Cups are especially drawn to the Water so a career in and around the sea, lake or canals may be attractive such as marine biology, fishing or chartering yachts for pleasure cruises. The Knight of Cups is not terribly sporty as he can often lose his nerve when in competition and his moods plummet when he loses causing him to brood on his failures too intensely. However, he has the ability to become a professional swimmer, yacht racer or oarsman. He could run his own surf school or be a Water-ski instructor.

We must also look at the symbolic nature of The Knight of Cups and when we do, he may be suggesting a career with horses, gentle training in elegant disciplines such as Dressage or Show Horses.

The Knight of Cups Reversed –

The Duplicitous Seducer and Heartbreaker

Keywords

Seducer, Cad, Cavalier, Heart-Breaker, Rake, Womaniser, User, Artful, Ruse, Flirt, Lust, Duplicitous, One Night Stands, Lying, Cheating, Deception, Con Man, Fraudster, Schemer, Thief, Crafty, Cunning, Manipulative, Calculating, Commitment Phobic, Flighty, Recanted Proposals, Broken Engagement, Withdrawn Invitation, Cancellation of Social Events, Un-Requited Love, Emotional Turmoil, Upset, Heartbroken, Distraught, Love Rival, Obsessional, Stalker, Unwanted Attention, Emotionally Dysfunctional/Insecure, Impractical, Un-Realistic, Fickle, Dithering, Indecisive, Weak Ineffective, Passive, Procrastinator, Unreliable, Unpredictable, Moodiness, Tears, Emotional Outbursts, Tantrums, Hysteria, Sulky, Petulant, Broody, Unforgiving, Grudges, Troublemaker, Gossiper, Slanderous, Two-Faced, Disloyal Friend, Run With The Hare and Hunt With The Hound, Turncoat, People Pleaser, Yes Man, Melodramatic, Fanciful, Day Dreamer, Delusional, Sweeps Problems Under Carpet, Sugar Coating Situations, Rose-Tinted Glasses, Can’t face Reality or Confrontation, Narcissism, Vanity, Can’t Handle Stress, Sex/Drug/Alcohol abuse, Vice, Misogynist, Effeminate, Homosexuality, Letting Oneself Go, Poor Appearance, Scruffy,

As The Knight of Cups Reverses, Fire and Water become very unbalanced and often sway wildly from one extreme to the other or become totally fixed at one side. When this happens, depending on the swing of balance it can cause several personality disturbances and dysfunctions for This Knight and those involved with him. He becomes extremely unpredictable and his personality can range from simpering, weak, ineffective and grovelling, to cold, calculating, cruel and vindictive. Let us look at the myriad of ways this Reversed Knight of Cups may be affecting your life and emotional wellbeing.

The Knight of Cups Reversed can herald an emotionally upsetting situation or event that is either approaching or retreating.

Emotional Turmoil Knight of Cups Reversed

The Knight of Cups appearing Reversed can be a sign that your emotions are in turmoil. You may be feeling things on a very deep level as above but now those feelings bring pain, upset, stress, uncertainty, doubt and possible paranoia.  Too much emotion may be clouding things, especially the way you perceive or judge situations. You need to pull back and ask yourself if your feelings or emotions are excessive in relations to the situation or issue you are dealing with. Are they even real? With The Reversed Knight of Cups you still have a powerful creative imagination, but this time it may not be working in your best interests. You may be over-exaggerating a situation, making mountains out of mole-hills and letting your imagination run away with you. When Water becomes overly dominant, melodramatics and hysteria often accompany The Knight of Cups Reversed.

The Emotionally Insecure Knight of Cups Reversed

The appearance of this Card could highlight the fact that you are terribly emotionally insecure at present. You may be unhappy with your image, looks, weight and feel ill at ease in your skin. You may be questioning how much you are valued, loved and needed or may be suspicious of any compliments, offers or proposals that come your way thinking that there must be something wrong with them or doubt their validity. You have a low opinion of yourself and therefore believe that others feel the same way about you.  As a result you may appear to shrink in yourself and fade into the background, too timid and reticent to make your presence known or felt. Your self-esteem and self-confidence plummet under this influence and you may feel that you have become invisible and unimportant to the human race around you.

The Scruffy Knight of Cups Reversed

The Knight of Cups Reversed may be trying to tell you that you need to make more of an effort with your appearance. You may have let things slip recently and need to do something about it. Time to re-vamp your wardrobe and stop sitting around in your pyjamas all day. Your hair may need a new style or updating. You need to shake yourself up and take more pride in how you look. Then again you may feel dull and dated because you have little or no money for new clothes, shoes or the hairdressers. You feel dowdy in last year’s or the year before clothes. Now is the time to use your natural creative skills and take a good look at what is hanging in your wardrobe. How could you re-vamp what is hanging in front of you? Could you make a skirt out of a dress? Update an old jacket with new buttons or possibly re-dye your faded jeans or shoes.

The Self-Obsessed and Narcissistic Knight of Cups Reversed

We also have the situation of vanity with The Knight of Cups Reversed. He can become self-obsessed and narcissist. He may be in love with himself more than he is with you and is constantly checking himself in the mirror and asking you if he looks okay. He is overly proud and struts around like a peacock basking in the glory of being gazed upon. He likes to be the centre of attention and believes that everyone is talking about him. The whole world revolves around him and he will be very critical of everyone else, especially their appearance, as no one ever comes up to his standards. He is a taker and has nothing of value to offer or give anyone else. He views every situation as how it will affect him. He puts his needs and feelings ahead of everyone else. He regularly spoils everyone’s night out if he feels he is not getting enough attention, the venue is not glamorous enough or if someone tries to upstage him. He puts himself up high on his own pedestal. This Knight of Cups Reversed can sometimes imply a lack of sophistication and refinement, or pretending to be someone you are not. You may be able to dress him up but you will not be able to take him anywhere. It is not possible to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. He may be a fake and phony and more bling than fashionable.

Offers Declined or Withdrawn Knight of Cups Reversed

Don’t be surprised if any help or support you offer to others is declined or rejected when The Knight of Cups turns up Reversed. You can only but try and people do have their reasons, especially pride, for not accepting. There is nothing you can do about this except assure them that you are there if they ever need you. On the other hand, you may be quite taken aback to find that the help and support you expected from family and friends does not materialise or has been withdrawn. This may leave you feeling low and disappointed but you must rise above this and use your creative imagination to find a way to help yourself.

The Creatively Blocked Knight of Cups Reversed

This leads me on to the possibility of creative and psychic blocks when The Knight of Cups appears Reversed. You may not be listening to the voice within or are ignoring your gut feelings about certain matters, preferring to consult your head and not your heart in certain matters. Then again you may not trust your intuition or perception of things. Those involved in the world of spiritualism or metaphysics may find that their work is not up to its usual standard. The messages or energies are just not coming through. This will lead again to self-doubt and despair but you must ride this one out and be confident that it will all settle down again. The biggest block to creative, psychic and spiritual flow of energy is fear. The harder you try, the more you will fail and the more fearful of subsequent failures you will become. You may have been working too hard and trying to force these energies when they should be allowed filter through at their own pace. One never forces a gut-feeling, can plan for or time it. Gut-feelings just happen.

Likewise, under this Knight’s Reversed Aspect you may feel that your normally excellent judge of character fails you. You might discover that the one/s you offered friendship to and confided in breaks your trust and is disloyal. This could leave you shocked and terrible let down or disillusioned.

The Supernatural Obsessed Knight of Cups Reversed

When it comes to the world of psychic side of life, The Knight of Cups Reversed can imply that you are spending too much time dabbling in this area. It is essential when developing your psychic abilities to keep both feet on the ground. If not you are in danger of becoming obsessed with all things of a supernatural nature. You can lose touch with reality and become unbalanced or one-sided. You may check out of the physical world in favour of other realms and dimensions. You hear voices and have visions that may or may not be a figment of your imagination. You begin to see mystical signs in everything and lose interest in everyday activities. What started out as an interest or hobby can become an obsession. You might find that you cannot make a decision yourself without consulting your Tarot Cards or Pendulum. You may be spending too much time and money on psychics and mediums looking for answers externally when the answer lies within.  There is a worry you might be be tempted to dabble with dark magic or ouija boards . There is a danger you might become psychologically and emotionally unstable under this influence. You need to find a healthy balance here as you are a spiritual being living in the physical and not the other way around. For the time being, planet earth is your home and you should endeavour to connect with it as much as possible for stability and balanced health. Moderation is key.

The Emotional Tactics and Strategies Knight of Cups Reversed

When The Knight of Cups is drawn Reversed he may be drawing attention to the deliberate use of emotional tactics or strategies to gain attention or sympathy for your case. You may be making out a situation to be worse than it is. Tears, tantrums, sulking and feigning illness or fainting could be part of the act. You may also be claiming depression and take to the bed. This is seen time and time again in separation or divorce cases where the injured party tries to play on the emotions of the surrounding audience or judge by making out they are the victim of prolonged and sustained emotional abuse.

There is also a growing number of, and I am sorry to say, women who begin a smear campaign against their partner when a marriage breaks down. Police are regularly called to the house every time there is an argument on the basis that she felt threatened or scared. The aim is to build a history of abuse that they can use as a weapon to punish, and for revenge. I hear this all the time from clients. This goal is to be awarded a protection or barring order to get the partner out of the house. Wild stories of terrible emotional and psychological abuse are also leaked out so that they can circulate around family and friends thereby ostracising the other party. The old saying that ‘hell hath no fury as a woman scorned’ is very apt in these cases. I have seen this happen among my own friends and it becomes quite ugly. Every incident, regardless how small and insignificant is magnified and blown out of proportion with the sole purpose to blacken their partner’s character. The communication of incidents to others grows in the telling and is carefully and skilfully manipulated to create a shocking emotional impact. However, more and more of these cases are being thrown out of Court as the stories become more far-fetched and the accused is able to prove their innocence. The terrible thing is there are still a huge number of women, and men too, who suffer terribly at the hands of their partner or spouse. These people have real cases instead of just acting out of spite or sour grapes, but their claims are now viewed with growing suspicion and they must work harder to be believed.

The Exposed, Vulnerable and  Overly Emotional Armour-less Knight of Cups Reversed

When too much Water gains hold, this Knight’s Shiny Suit of Armour dissolves or wears down to a thin varnished veneer that can barely withstand the force of a cotton bud, let alone a sword or dagger. This leaves The Knight extremely vulnerable and because he is of The Cups Suit this means that his heart and emotions are laid bare and exposed to attack. With no protective shield in place to ward off bruising or injury, this Knight is a sitting duck and is bound to get very easily hurt and upset. This does not mean that people are out to get him, not at all, even though he may think that, it is just that he perceives even the slightest breeze on his heart or emotions to be that of a sharp and painful weapon. He becomes hyper-sensitive to everything. He begins to take everything personally and becomes self-absorbed and obsessed with his own feelings; brooding on comments that have been directed towards him, getting instantly upset by any form of criticism or suggestions. He has knee-jerk reacts to situations without feeling them out or thinking them through and creates a stressful environment around him wherever he goes. He causes people to walk on egg shells when dealing with him, necessitating those to carefully examine their words before uttering them for fear he may get upset or take it up the wrong way. Indeed he may be deliberately looking to misinterpret comments for this feeds his sulky mood and the whole world is against me outlook. This creates a situation where people around him refrain from telling him what is going on, or conceal information that he is likely to get upset about. He does not have the decency to keep his moods to himself preferring to let everyone suffer along with him.  He comes across as vulnerable and too sensitive to deal with any form of harshness. He may suffer with his nerves and has a delicate constitution. He needs careful handling and constant protection from upsetting matters. He may not be able to fend for himself.

In this Aspect he can act terribly immature, slamming doors and sulking for days. He is famous for his dark thunderous moods and melodramatic outbursts. Regardless of his age he can resemble a spoiled brat of a child who has been used to getting his own way for too long. There is a good chance that this may be the root of his problem. If he has been molly-coddled and overly protected or pampered during his formative years, then he may not be able to cope with being out in the real world where he has to deal with the ups and downs of real life situations and people, just like everyone else, without a mother or father to sort it out, fix it or make it right for them.   He needs someone to be constantly on hand with a Band-Aid and a kiss and make it better approach.  This version of The Knight of Cups is extremely emotionally insecure but may not realise that is what is causing his unpleasant behaviour. We often see this type of personality among celebrities or the offspring of celebrities who live privileged lives, feel the world revolves around them and believe that their every need should be pampered to.

The Poor Friend Knight of Cups Reversed

The Knight of Cups Reversed often raises the question of how much you can trust your friends. There may be a certain person who is being disloyal, talking about your behind your back or spreading gossip. There may be envy and jealousy behind their behaviour or just a negative personality. They can be very two-faced; all sweetness and light to your face but conniving and duplicitous when you are not around. Be careful who you share your confidences and secrets with when this Knight appears Reversed for he traditionally carried all the gossip, secrets and lies in Medieval Courts and could cause considerable trouble. Gone is the peacemaker and in his place comes the gossip and dabbler in other people’s affairs. He likes to stir things up for his own amusement and pit friend against friend. He can become extremely bitchy and nasty.  If he is confronted he will deny everything and possibly blame another. Then again, it may be you who is not being the friend you should right now. You may be caught up in your own affairs but it is important to make time to offer help to a friend in need. Don’t wait until they have to come on bended knees, be the one to make the first move and stop being so reluctant. There may also be a situation where a falling out between friends or family is dragging on and on. This Reversed Knight may refuse to forgive or apologise. He could carry a grudge for a long time.

The Passive Aggressive Knight of Cups Reversed

A slightly improved version of this Aspect of The Knight of Cups Reversed is the personality who is normally great; friendly, warm, considerate and obliging, that is until something goes wrong or you have to tell them something unpleasant. They then regress back into the above personality and have to be slowly coaxed back with people apologising and saying they didn’t mean what they said or confabulate a whole lie just to back track. It can come as quite a surprise to people when they see this dysfunctional side suddenly appear as it is normally well hidden. This personality is extremely unpredictable and can be released without warning or with the slightest provocation. I worked with horses for years and got to know most of the crowd on the competition circuit.

(Personal Story) I remember one day when we were hosting a show-jumping competition there was a chap who I knew well from various competitions. He was always so courteous and mannerly and was there to cheer on his fellow team members. He always said please and thank you when dealing with me, and if I had to change his time or order for jumping there was never a problem. He owned his own business but did have family money behind him too. He could afford the good horses and as a result rarely missed out on a top placing in competition. However, on this particular day, the finals of a show jumping league, he arrived as normal and went about his business preparing his horse and fixing his stock into the most exquisite knot.

He was always immaculately turned out and had the best of everything. He had a first clear round which brought him into the semi-finals. In the second round they had to jump against the clock which he did well, crossing the line with plenty of time to spare and all fences intact. He then went into the jump off for the trophy. The first rider went clear with a good time but the second rider knocked the final fence.  He knew that all he had to do was come home clear and beat the first rider’s time which on his wonderful thoroughbred would not be a problem. He hadn’t knocked a fence throughout the whole league. And so it came time for him to enter the arena and he looked spectacular. He was given the bell and his horse jumped like a dream, turning on a six-pence in the air so as to position itself perfectly for the approach to the next fence. His time was excellent as he approached the last fence and the crowd became tense with apprehension. He met the fence in perfect stride and the horse took off sailing through the air. He was home and dry and ahead of time. Just as he was about to land the horse slightly dropped his hind leg and glanced off the top pole. It rattled and swayed before popping out of its cup and tumbling to the ground. The crowd collectively moaned and it took the rider a few seconds to realise what had happened for he was already punching the air as a champion might. When he realised what the pole was down he instantly reacted and started roaring at the judges pointing to the appointed staff who were responsible for replacing poles and up righting fences after they had fallen. There was a big uproar which the crowd found amusing, if not shocking. The rider who went clear joined them in the arena and eventually word trickled out that he was accusing the staff for not placing the pole back securely in its cup after the previous rider had knocked it. He was saying that his horse had never touched it, that it had fallen due to the wind created as he jumped over the fence because it had not been properly in its cup.

The argument continued until eventually the company who were professionally filming everyone’s round, with a view to selling it to them later on, was able to show to the judges and the rider involved that indeed his horse’s hind leg had made contact with the pole. The rider upon discovery of this did not apologise or feel ashamed of his behaviour. Instead he became worse and started complaining that the arena had not been raked after the previous rider, that someone had opened an umbrella in the crowd, that he had heard someone’s phone ringing just as he was about to jump the last fence. Regardless of his complaints, the other rider was presented with his trophy putting the aggrieved rider in second place. This may not be bad for some but he was used to everything going his way.

He didn’t stay around for the presentation. Instead he packed up his horse in a sulking temper and nearly knocked over the stable girl who tried to help him load his horse into the box. She reported back that his eyes were red as if he had been crying. He left without paying for his entry and tore up the driveway leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. He was the talk of the day after that and down in the pub that night. No one could get over this sudden turnaround in his behaviour and we were all shocked. He had been melodramatic and someone said he needed a good slap. It was only a local show jumping league after all and not the Olympics. We found out that day that beneath his mannerly and friendly manner lurked an immature man who could not contain his emotions when things did not go his way. We felt sorry for his partner and those he employed, as one wouldn’t know what might trigger him. It would be very unnerving working or living with someone whose potential moods and explosive  emotional outbursts were never far from the surface. The terrible thing is that when he was being nice he was very, very nice but when he was being bad, he was absolutely horrid. He made a complete show of himself that day and probably spent weeks after that brooding on the whole thing, feeling personally injured and blaming everyone rather than accepting responsibility. In fact we did receive a letter of complaint from him, which of course we never replied to.

The Ineffective, Timid and Simpering Knight of Cups Reversed

The Reversed Knight of Cups can become ineffective and loses his true Knightly sense. Passive and lacking assertiveness, he dithers, cannot make decisions and becomes fearful of life. He finds it impossible to face up to his responsibilities or duties and cannot confront problems or issues head on. Instead he prefers to bury his head in the sand and sweep problems under the carpet pretending they do not really exist or are not his. He may put a spin on troublesome issues by sugar coating them so that they look benign and simplistic. When there is a crisis or something difficult has to be done, he will make himself scarce as he won’t want to get his hands dirty or have to deal with any unpleasantness. Mind you he will have no problem whining and moaning about situations behind the scene, but will stand back and let others do the dirty work for him rather than get stuck in with them. He is a fence sitter and people pleaser preferring to go with the flow rather than stand up for himself or anyone else. He is gullible and easily influenced or impressed. He is a name dropper and can carry airs of grandeur and importance about him because of his connection with those in the know or higher circles. He rarely amounts to anything himself as he can never accomplish that which he sets out to achieve for he has no staying power, tenacity or stamina. He lacks initiative but can get caught up in unrealistic schemes and plans, becoming out of touch with reality and infatuated with fantasies.  The Reversed Knight of Cups in this Aspect is a procrastinator. He can aim to impress by alluding to the book he is going to write or how he is going to make it big in the movies any day now. These are but just fantasies or a Walter Mitty approach to life, and never amount to anything.

He generally does not earn respect by actions or deeds but instead uses flattery, fawning and wheedling to get what he wants or to get ahead in life.

The Con-Man, Swindler and Fraudster Knight of Cups Reversed

In The Knight of Cups Reversed we can find the con-man, the swindler, the thief and fraudster who uses his charm and cunning ways to manipulate situations, and especially people. He comes across as sincere and gentlemanly like, but he is two-faced, dishonest and deceptive. He doesn’t mean a word he says and doesn’t a care a jot about you. If he has singled you out for attention then it is because you have something he wants; something of value, and he will be very crafty and duplicitous in how he goes about getting it. He could lure you into a scam by seducing you with showy presentations and glowing testimonials that play to your emotions. He will reel you in by offering to fulfil your deepest fantasies and desires, but it is all a façade and a front, and more fool you for being duped by his scheme. He can read people like a book by negatively using his natural powers of intuition and perception for self-gain. He knows who he can easily influence and doesn’t waste his time on those who would prove difficult to persuade; the cynical, sceptical, naïve and trusting.

Relationship and Love Reversed

The Commitment Phobic and Flighty Knight of Cups Reversed

When The Knight of Cups appears Reversed in a Relationship Reading then you had better prepare for the departure of love and romance instead of the arrival of it. He can herald the end of a relationship, a broken engagement or the cancelling of a marriage.  This can be for several reasons. If he became too emotional early on in the relationship and then let Fire rush him forward, he may have made some hasty or impulsive move, committing to a person or even proposing but then discovering shortly down the line that he could not follow through. He often confuses Lust with love. The initial Fire of Passion can either blown out or becomes barely a flicker.  He can realise this at the eleventh hour as he returns from fantasy land and the world of rose-tinted glasses. He then cannot go through with any undertakings he has entered into with his partner.  He can suggest broken promises, going back on his word, the withdrawal of emotions and affection and a change of heart. The guy, who wanted it all, suddenly doesn’t want it anymore and may be in a terrible hurry to get away from you and the situation in general. This Reversed Knight of Cups can leave you high and dry, in utter disbelief at his heartless and thoughtless manner. He is the ultimate heart-breaker. He may not even have the decency to tell you to your face. He may or may not leave a letter, you certainly won’t get a phone call, but you might get a text or find out through one of his friends, or a friend of your own who hadn’t the heart to tell you before.  He blows hot and cold and could deliberately manipulate a situation to erupt into a row, thereby giving him the excuse to walk out the door. Consider yourself lucky for you have been saved from making a great mistake.

The Reversed Knight of Cups often lacks the courage to speak up when he is unhappy in a relationship and can let things drift for some time. Even if provoked by his partner into telling her or him if something is wrong will generally deny it as he will not be able to cope with the emotions or tears that follow.  He will appear normal one day and then withdrawn and distant the next which causes a terrible unsettling atmosphere for his partner. He may be waiting for you to do his dirty work.

The Loves Too Much Knight of Cups Reversed

This Reversed Knight of Cups only crime may be that he is guilty of being overly romantic and too idealistic about love. The intensity of his feelings and affection may be cute and wonderful at the beginning of a relationship but can get bloody boring and tedious after a while. His feminine side can become top-heavy as a result and he needs to balance this out with some manly or macho behaviour by bringing in the Fire energies. He is too much and too overpowering needy and slobbering. This can be a terrible turn off but this Reversed Knight may fail to see where the problem lies. This results in him continuing to chase love but never being able to sustain it further than the initial stage. He will be at pains to understand why. To learn more about this Aspect, please read The Section        in the Upright definition. This Card also deals with the area of Co-dependency.

The Seducer, Cad and Womanising Knight of Cups Reversed

This Reversed Knight of Cups is not in love with being in love like his Upright Aspect. Instead he is in love with being in lust. He prefers one-night stands to developing a relationship. The Fire within keeps moving him on and he can build quite a reputation for himself when he tots up his number of scores. Yes, score, that is what he is after and nothing else. He is the artful seducer who uses his charm and magnetic appeal to lure his prey and will manipulate the situation for his own gain. He is after only one thing and will use any means possible to get it. He doesn’t really have to try that hard for he has learned his art or skill well and is the master of seduction. He is a womaniser, a cad and a scoundrel. He may pretend to be gentlemanly like but he is a blackguard who preys on women and their emotions. He knows all the chat up lines and what women like to hear.  This Reversed Knight has absolutely nothing to offer you. His cup is empty even though he may pretend it is full. He has no respectable intentions towards you and regardless of how adorable he may appear you are best giving him a wide berth. Better still, ask around about him and you may find may who will be happy to offer their opinion of him.

The Sex Addict and Abusive Knight of Cups Reversed

He usually gets women without a problem but he does also have a penchant for prostitutes and frequenting brothels where he can indulge his sexual fantasies. He is a sexual deviant who likes to experiment. He could be a sex addict who lives on a diet of porn, group sex or threesomes. He is prepared to try anything, and as his addiction grows he needs to feed it with even wilder abandon. He has little or no respect for women and uses derogatory and degrading language when talking about them. What he doesn’t realise is that he also has no respect for himself or his own body.

In his most negative sense, this is The Reversed Knight who will spike someone’s drink at a party or on a date and take advantage of them once the drug has taken effect. He is underhand and not to be trusted.

The Alcoholic, Drug Addict Knight of Cups Reversed

This Aspect of The Knight of Cups is prone to addictions. He may be drinking excessively or using recreational drugs to heighten his sensitivities and pleasure.  He could be burning the candle at both ends. He is out of control and heading down a slippery path. At the root of this is deep unhappiness and a desire to escape from the harsh realities of life. He may not have the capacity to give or receive love. The cause of this is usually rooted in his past.

The Got No Time For Love Knight of Cups Reversed

There is also a chance that this Knight of Cups Reversed just doesn’t have the time for Love or Relationships. He may be working hard, trying to build a business or concentrating on his career. If he is single then he is affecting no one but himself but if he is in a relationship then his partner will be suffering and there is risk they may drift apart due to lack of intimacy and too much time spent apart. However, due to the Spiritual Nature of this Knight, it could highlight that he has entered the clergy and taken a vow of celibacy. Like-wise this Card can suggest leaving a Religious Order or way of life.

The Unrequited Love, Cheating and Unfaithful Knight of Cups Reversed

The Reversed Knight of Cups can suggest un-requited love, cheating or deception. Something may be going on that you are unaware of.  Look to the Surrounding Spread to see if it provides any corroborating Cards. Open your eyes, for not all is as it seems. If you have met someone recently who seems too good to be true and you are getting niggling doubts about them, there is a good chance you are being very perceptive when this Knight appears Reversed. Trust your gut instincts and observe him carefully. This Aspect of The Knight of Cups is very clever at concealing any knavery he may be up to. He will act angelic, as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Try not to fall for this ruse.

If his love is un-requited or abused, this Knight can fall into a morose depression and can suffer real heart-break and deep rejection. His capacity to experience emotional hurt can be extreme and he may find it hard to get over an old flame. Hurt, upset and sad, he may sink into a melancholic state and become completely unsociable. His friends may find it hard to bring him back from despair. He will feel the intensity of a relationship break-up in the same manner he would bereavement. Should his partner be unfaithful and cheat it will cut him to the bone and eat his heart out. He will need plenty of time to get over it, and careful handling after, as he will be fearful of letting his heart get involved again. This may cause future problems for him as he is wary of committing to anyone. The Reversed Knight of Cups also has difficulty letting go. He may find it hard to forgive and forget, so can carry a lot of emotional baggage and unhealed wounds which he will project onto others. He could blame a new partner for what an old one did and take out his grievances by doing to them what was done to him. His emotional wounds can take a long time to heal.

The Won’t Take No For An Answer, Harassing and Stalking Knight of Cups Reversed

On the other hand, he may refuse to accept that his romantic advances are not welcome or that his relationship is over.  He may be incensed by this rebuff or totally dismiss it as just playing hard to get. He may become obsessed about the subject of his attention and be determined to wear them down regardless of how much stress he is causing them. This is due to a form of personality disorder and emotional dysfunction. He may become a nuisance by harassing his subject, following or stalking her and constantly ringing or texting. In general, after a show-down or threats of legal action, this Reversed Knight of Cups will reluctantly back off and move on but sometimes the infatuation turns to obsession with the distinct impression that he has laid claim to her, owns her. At this stage it doesn’t really matter if she likes him or not as long as he can continue to indulge in his fantasies.  This twisted Knight’s interest shifts and morphs from supposed love, to a desire to instil fear which may be a form of punishment for rejecting his advances or love. Taken to the extreme, legal intervention or protection may be required, along with a change of telephone number, locks on doors and sometimes a change of address.

The Misogynist Knight of Cups Reversed

In extreme cases, the disturbed Reversed Knight of Cups can develop misogynist traits and begin a hate campaign towards her or women in general. He believes that he is superior, and that no woman should turn him down. Women are there for his pleasure, company and use. When they fail to fall for his charms, he takes it personally instead of what most men do in his case which is, just get over it and move on. He then makes it his business to make them pay. Surrounding Cards would have to be very negative to imply such depths of deviation or personality disorder. One would be very worried indeed if the cards pointed to such behaviour but in general, The Querant would be aware of this threat and is probably visiting you for that reason. There is a huge difference between not wanting to take no for an answer and refusing to take no for an answer.

Non-Traditional or Unconventional Relationship Knight of Cups Reversed

The Knight of Cups Reversed also represents relationships that are non-traditional and perceived to be unconventional. Therefore he can suggest homosexuality as the feminine energies of Water become abundant or in excess. This Knight of Cups Reversed may be about to declare this to the world and put an end to secrecy and hiding the facts from family and friends. He can suggest that now is the time to come out into the open.

Careers and Business Reversed

Offers Falling Through Knight of Cups Reversed

Where Careers and Jobs are concerned, The Reversed Knight of Cups can imply that you will not be offered a position you have applied for or the college place you hoped to secure. Alternatively you may turn an offer down after examining what is involves. The offer may amount to nothing or not be as advertised. It may have been dressed up to lure applicants but nothing of any value can be gained from it. You may be bitterly disappointed with the Outcome as you had been looking forward to availing of it. You may also have had a change of mind or change of heart.

Leaving or Losing a Job Knight of Cups Reversed

This Knight of Cups may also be inferring that you will soon be leaving your job or there may be a possible job loss. If you are leaving your job it is because you are not happy there. It may not fulfil you emotionally or you may not have the opportunity to creatively express yourself or use your natural talents.  The working atmosphere may be hostile and unfriendly. This Reversed Knight of Cups can also be trying to tell you that the work you are doing does not suit you. You are not realising your full potential and there will be little opportunity for you to do so. However, it all depends on what your priorities are. Money may be key in your life now and you may choose a job that does not fulfil you but pays well.

If you have been burning the candle at both ends, drinking heavily or taking drugs, then this is bound to be having a negative impact on your work. You may be missing too many days due to exhaustion, hangovers or just being totally out of it. You won’t be able to get away with this indefinitely so it is time to pull yourself together or prepare to lose your job in the near future.

The Drifter Knight of Cups Reversed

The Knight of Cups Reversed can be a bit of a drifter. He may find it hard to stay in one job for too long or develops a habit of moving on when it becomes difficult or challenging. Instead of dealing with issues in work, or with colleagues  head-on, and in a direct and forthright manner, he prefers to leave, blaming all those left behind as being responsible for his troubles. He will find that this happens in most jobs he secures. There will always be something that upsets him and makes him want to leave. Your work may be uninspiring or lacks imagination.

Lost Business Opportunities and Fraud Knight of Cups Reversed

In business you may miss out on a golden opportunity or you are not invited to take advantage of it. You may have moved too slow and lost your chance. Then again, you may have been duped and conned into getting involved in a scheme that is fraudulent or non-existent. You might have invested in a product or company that has turned out to be a scam. This may have resulted from moving too fast or making impulsive and hasty decisions before properly checking out all the details. You may have been swindled out of money by dishonest practices.

The Unsavoury Business Knight of Cups Reversed

Then again, it may be you who is behind all the scheming and underhand business dealings. Your business may involve Fraudulent Practices, Embezzlement or Extortion. You could also be working in the vice business, porn industry, drug dealing or illegal trafficking of goods.

The No Business Savvy Knight of Cups Reversed

If business is failing, this may be due to a lack of creative imagination on your part. Your business is jaded and could need re-vamping. You may be trying to push a business that holds little appeal to the public.  You are out of touch and have your head in the Clouds. You might need to address your public image and learn how to sell to people on an emotional level. You could be taking a very logical approach or listening to unsound advice from others instead of listening to your intuition and paying heed to gut-feelings.

Then again you may not have the stomach for business. You could realise this too late after entering into dealings with another or investing. You may be too soft and unable to deal assertively with staff, suppliers and clients. Making business decisions may leave you stressed and worried. You might take your work problems home with you and brood or dwell on them.

You might be spending your business profits on wining and dining business clients along with trying to make an impression with flashy car, clothes and premises. You might have a habit of closing down a business at the first sign of trouble instead of having the courage to see it through. You will probably not learn your lesson from this and continue to open and close businesses on a regular basis. Here today and gone tomorrow.

The Lack of Business Support Knight of Cups Reversed

If you have asked for help in relation to your business, be it through friends, family or financial institutions, you might be upset and let down when they refuse you or withdraw their initial offer. You on the other hand may refuse an offer made to you when you realise that it comes with strings attached.

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Pages Intro   Knights Intro   Queens Intro   Kings Intro

Knight of Wands   Knight of Cups   Knight of Swords   Knight of Pentacles

Water Signs – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

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