King of Cups: The Ecotherapy Practitioner
In the Jodorowsky/Camoin version of the Tarot de Marseille, flashes of purple appear throughout the deck. Like most of the ‘face cards’ in the Marseille, the figure fills the card, taking up all of the space. There is much blue in his clothing, and a hint of water near his feet (although these details differ from Marseille deck to Marseille deck, there being many variations).
Above: King of Cups from the Jodorowsky/Camoin Marseille Tarot.
It is these flashes of purple that catch my eye the most. Some Marseille enthusiasts dislike the use of purple in the deck, as this once-extravagant colour was hard to produce in the days of woodblock card-printing, meaning that many old Marseille decks couldn’t possibly have used it. (Although recently, the Philipe Vachier Tarot was discovered – the earliest known full set of Marseille cards from 1639 – which interestingly has purple all over it …)
To create their restored version of the Marseille Tarot, Jodorowsky and Camoin brought together every version of the Tarot de Marseille that they could get their hands on. They studied each one for years and then aimed – with their new version – to create one master deck that captured all of the tiny details which some of the older decks featured, yet others omitted. The sparing use of purple in this deck highlights something particularly spiritual, with purple being the most spiritual colour in all kinds of lore. There is a particularly pure spiritual teaching to be heeded when you notice a tiny splash of purple in this deck. Enter the King of Cups…
The King’s wrists are purple. Being the King of Cups – the watery suit of emotion, relationships and spirituality – this implies that he uses his hands to connect with the spirit realm. A healer, perhaps? As the King (element Air) blends with the suit of Cups (element Water), he becomes Air of Water: not as immersed in pure water emotion as the Queen of Cups (Water of Water), he steps back from getting too involved, but not callously – with care in mind. He considers each action before he acts because he wants the best result for the person he is supporting. The King of Cups would make an excellent counsellor for this reason: he is able to ‘go there’ whilst keeping a healthy distance.
In the Jodorowsky/Camoin Marseille deck, there is (what appears to be) a little purple doorway on his shoulder. (Or is it? What do you see there?) When we carefully consider the way we interact with other people’s emotions, we can open spiritual doorways for them. Therefore – as this is the Green Tarot blog, and we always ask our cards about our connection with Nature – perhaps our King of Cups encourages us to share our love of Nature with someone around us, skilfully, thoughtfully. Someone who is disconnected from Nature won’t necessarily go and hug a tree just because you say so. But perhaps you can suggest something that they will take on board?
If someone is struggling around you, take them for a walk if you can. Point a few interesting things out as you walk. Invite them to stop from time to time, to notice the sound of a bird singing. If you can’t be with them in-person, drop some subtle Nature-connection invitations into the conversation. ‘That park near you looks absolutely beautiful, have you been there lately?’
Let’s take a look at a couple of beautiful, more modern interpretations of this card from my favourite contemporary deck designer, Ma Deva Padma. Below are corresponding images to the King of Cups from two of her decks: the 14 of Water from the Sacred She Tarot (left), and the King of Water from the Osho Zen (right). On the left, I imagine a storyteller sharing ancient stories about the local land, a wise one who children and animals adore. On the right, the hands of a healer skilfully soothe someone’s pain. In both examples, I see ecotherapy represented – or, more specifically, an ecotherapy practitioner – whether a professional or simply someone who understands the power of Nature to heal. Someone who is willing to share that passion with others who need it.
Above left is from the Sacred She Tarot, above right is from the Osho Zen Tarot.
You can become this King when someone in your life needs you to be. You hold this little purple doorway on your shoulder, you have this power. When your mouth opens and a (careful) invitation to connect with Nature emerges from it, the wee purple door opens along with your mouth. Your loved one might just step in there, into this beautiful world of Nature that they may have been neglecting.
That’s all for now, friends. Thank you for being here – and please check out my Therapeutic Tarot Sessions and my courses embracing Tarot and Nature if you’d like us to work together. You can also sign up for the Tarot Blog newsletter (different to my main newsletter) below to receive occasional email updates (roughly monthly) with the latest posts.
Smiles from Scotland,
Stephen
