Bohemian Gothic Tarot

KNIGHT OF CUPS

Lighter or more conventional meanings

A creative, sensitive person * An "arty" type who can be rather impractical * A great lover who tends to idealise the object of his (or her) affections * An enthusiastic advocate for all creative and artistic endeavours * A passionate belief in love, beauty and the Arts * A romantic dreamer who isn't so good at putting the dreams into action.

Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings

A creative person whose energy is sometimes wasted in conflict and fighting * A tendency to charge into things using too much emotion and too little rationale * A fantastic imagination, that might be put to "dark" arts * Someone who is too lost in dreams, fantasies and nightmares to be able to achieve much.

The Knight of Cups is the most romantic of the tarot Knights and in some respects he is also the most likeable. In common with all the Knights he is a passionate enthusiast. The Knight of Wands could be characterised as being enthused about action and adventure (not to mention rather keen on himself), the Knight of Swords with winning both physical and intellectual conflicts and the Knight of Pentacles as avid about being careful, dutiful and diligent. While all these can be good qualities in their own way, there is something uniquely touching about the Knight of Cups' distinctive passion for love, courtship and chivalry, as well as the arts and all things creative and visionary.

In the image on this card we see a classic chivalrous knight charging out of a castle and across a bridge. He's armoured and ready for anything, and holds high in his hand a large golden goblet, as though it's either a trophy or some kind of important object that he has to protect. It reminds us of the association that's often been made between this tarot Knight and the knights of the Grail Quest - Perceval and Galahad. As only the pure of heart could successfully complete the quest, this link suggests that we see this Knight of Cups as someone of honestly high morals and unselfish motivation who stands against evil. A carving on the stonework of the bridge shows a devil with forked tongue. It tells us that the castle is, symbolically, a dark place, full of deception and devilry trickery from which the Knight is escaping with the precious cup.

In a reading, this card can indicate a courtly and high-minded purity of spirit. But it can equally point to someone who is a little lost in dreams of gallantry and romance. Ask yourself what this person's quest is, and whether it is real or simply a charming fantasy.

Some further ways to consider this card

Whose castle is this? Is the knight riding out on his own or is he being pursued?

I resumed the narrative of Sir Launcelot, which thus proceeded: "And now, the champion, having escaped from the terrible fury of the dragon, bethinking himself of the brazen shield, and of the breaking up of the enchantment which was upon it, removed the carcass from out of the way before him, and approached valorously over the silver pavement of the castle to where the shield was upon the wall; which in sooth tarried not for his full coming, but fell down at his feet upon the silver floor, with a mighty great and terrible ringing sound." No sooner had these syllables passed my lips, than - as if a shield of brass had indeed, at the moment, fallen heavily upon a floor of silver - I became aware of a distinct, hollow, metallic, and clangorous, yet apparently muffled, reverberation. Completely unnerved, I leaped to my feet.
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher", Tales of Mystery and Imagination.