Knight of Cups
Graceful, but not warlike; riding quietly, wearing a winged helmet, referring to those higher graces of the imagination which sometimes characterize this card. He too is a dreamer, but the images of the side of sense haunt him in his vision. Divinatory Meanings: Arrival, approach–sometimes that of a messenger; advances, proposition, demeanour, invitation, incitement. Reversed: Trickery, artifice, subtlety, swindling, duplicity, fraud.
A. E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)
Here comes the image of the true romantic and poetic spirit, the worshipper of love who is the defender of perfect love, which ultimately exists only in the spirit. But anyhow it is time for the individual to experience the sensitive dimension of love, he falls in love and there can be also a marriage. But he still idealizes the mother, his first love and seeking the ultimate experience of holy love and mere bodily satisfaction does not interest him. With his receptivity he is intuitive and even clairvoyant, but at the same time highly impressionable, still subject to crazes and passions, emotionally naive and vulnerable. It is an initiation and the awakening of sexuality. Be ready for enchantment.
Knight of Water: Trust
Now is the moment to be a bungee jumper without the cord! And it is this quality of absolute trust, with no reservations or secret safety nets, that the Knight of Water demands from us. There is a tremendous sense of exhilaration if we can take the jump and move into the unknown, even if the idea scares us to death. And when we take trust to the level of the quantum leap, we don't make any elaborate plans or preparations. We don't say, "Okay, I trust that I know what to do now, and I'll settle my things and pack my suitcase and take it with me." No, we just jump, with hardly a thought for what happens next. The leap is the thing, and the thrill of it as we free-fall through the empty sky. The card gives a hint here, though, about what waits for us at the other end–a soft, welcoming, yummy pink, rose petals, juicy...c'mon!
Tarot of the Ages - Mario Garizio ©1988 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Unlike two of the other Knights, those of Wands and Swords, the Knight of Cups is not dashing across the land with the wind blowing through his hair. His horse moves forward, but slowly, giving an impression of calmness and peace. Indeed, the Knight of Cups is the most feminine of his group of four, though that does not mean by any definition that he is any less of a Knight. He is in touch with his intuition and emotions, and he uses them for his own good during his quests of romance and seduction. He can manifest as an event, a person in your life, or as a part of yourself.
The posture of the Knight of Cups implies that of a messenger, so it comes as little surprise that he often manifests as a bearer of news. He represents invitations, messages of love and proposals of marriage. In addition to the physical sources of information, the Knight of Cups can also represent wisdom that comes from your dreams to help you surmount obstacles in your life at the moment. Sometimes this card can represent the start of a relationship, but in this case if often serves to warn one or both partners. It shows daydreaming and idealism, and it can highlight relationships in which one partner is placed on an unfair pedestal.
Given that, it's easy to see that the person represented by the Knight of Cups will be a dreamer, one who is prone to wild ideas and flights of fancy. His wild imagination puts a bit of a spark in any relationship he's involved in, and he always seems to be in a relationship of some kind because he's a born romantic - and a hopeless flirt. Beneath his calm exterior he is a man of intense passion, though he generally diverts this passion towards reaching his goals and making his dreams come true. His is an idealistic view of life that is scorned by the active and despised by the realist. Inversely, he has no tolerance for people who cannot believe in their dreams.
When you are getting too wrapped up in your dreams, or when your idealism is starting to blind you, the Knight of Cups will appear as a warning. When you have no dreams and your view is too realistic, he will appear to show you what you are missing out on! As the Knight of the suit of Water, his view of life is fairly moderate in the majority of cases. Follow your dreams, but do not let them become an obsession. Develop your imagination, and let it guide you, but never let it rule you or lead you to ruin. Show love but do not go overboard and become committed to something you cannot handle. Make sure you are in control of your life, and your dreams.
Tarot of the Dream Enchantress ©2009 Lo Scarabeo