Llewellyn's Complete Book of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
Page 34
That the King came forth and the King goes back.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
General
The King of Swords is master of the air, lord of the sky, and king of the western winds. He is the mature and masculine articulation of mental processes. The inner workings of the King of Swords’ mind is responsible for mankind’s scientific and mathematic advancement. He is the nature and rule of law and the power of logic in the mind. Like the Queen of Swords, he carries a sensitive side rarely seen by those outside of his inner circle. He states what he wants and has little patience until results are delivered. Above all things, he values truth and will stop at nothing until he receives the results he wants.
In You
The King of Swords operates within you as you work to meet a deadline. It is bold thinking, belief in the task at hand, and the quality of the mind. He represents having the utmost respect and ownership for your inner life, clearly listening to the tremblings inside of you and then making them known. He is a major authority figure, so when you lay down rules and regulations and when you reprimand others, you are activating this king. He’s at work when you find just the right words to express yourself and in that beautiful moment when you have the perfect verbal response to a situation.
In Others
Answers come quickly to the King of Swords, who shows up as a boss or father figure. He can be an intellectual and mature lover—the “older man.” His professions match the Queen of Swords; doctors, lawyers, and psychologists carry this mindset. The King of Swords also represents the archetypal military man or scientist.
Symbolic
Waite mentions how, like the Queen of Swords, the king emulates “the conventional Symbol Justice.” He adds the King of Swords contains the “power of life and death.” It all adds up to quite an imposing figure. His throne carries butterflies, and he has billowing clouds matching the sky along with the rest of his royal sword family.
He sits in judgment, holding the unsheathed sign of his suit. He recalls, of course, the conventional symbol of Justice in the major arcana, and he may represent this virtue, but he is rather the power of life and death, in virtue of his office.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Whatsoever arises out of the idea of judgment and all its connexions—power, command, authority, militant intelligence, law, offices of the crown, and so forth.
Reversed: Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention.
Page of Pentacles
Book T Title: Princess of the Echoing Hills; Rose of the Palace of Earth
Elemental Counterchange: Earth (Page) of Earth (Pentacles), Princess and Empress of the Gnomes, Throne of the Ace of Pentacles
Astrological: Season of Winter
In those moments, rarely known,
When the soul feels her wings,
Emblazoned upon star and stone
There flash immortal things;
Through Nature’s gates, wide open thrown,
A wild voice sings and sings.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
General
The Page of Pentacles, the youth of earth, is beguiled and entranced by everything she sees, feels, touches, and smells in the material world. She studies butterflies and crickets, makes playhouses beneath willow trees, and crafts fairy castles from cool slate stones and damp green moss. She is found in flower fields and deep woods, in mountains and glens. Nothing escapes her watchful eye and curious imagination. Nothing distracts her from earthly delights. The Page of Pentacles is the archetypal student. Once she is absorbed in a subject or book, play or project, nothing distracts her keen and careful attention.
In You
The Page of Pentacles is activated inside you while engaging in sensorial activities. The imagination is activated through tactile sensations such as crafting, painting, cooking, gardening, and activities involving exploration. All sense of “normal time” slips away. Responsibilities and concerns retreat to the background as you immerse yourself in your pleasure. The Page of Pentacles is activated when you are thrown into a new course of study or an engaging exercise regimen. You laser-focus on what lies before you, the ego slips away, and you enter a state of timelessness. Page of Pentacles activities lead to physical and quantifiable results because pentacles reflect the material world. Page of Pentacles results often include a finished creative product or diploma.
In Others
The Page of Pentacles is a princess type of girl with pockets full of pentacles. She usually has lots of money to purchase her heart’s desire. She loves fashion, accessories, and makeup. Don’t think she’s shallow just because she’s quick to grab red lipstick and a designer bag. She is the most grounded of all pages because she connects to the element of earth. She is fascinated by physical transformations in herself and others and is often engaged in sports, movement, and exercise. As a friend, she offers practical advice and down-to-earth conversation. Her energy can be slow and sensate, yet when she sets her sights on a goal, she always fosters success. She can be found daily walking in nature, hiking, and exercising as easily as she is found shopping and cooking. To top it all off, she’s an excellent student who pairs perfectly as your study partner. She will always show you something you’ve never seen before.
Symbolic
The Page of Pentacles stands on an earthen landscape near a plowed field. She holds a pentacle. The pentacle appears like a seed she might plant in the rich farmland behind her and reflects the page’s potential for growth and generation. The pointed tip of the right foot demonstrates grace and a gentle touch. The grove of trees in the distant background provides protection, should she need it. The distant mountain peak shows spiritual attainment as evoked by the powers of earth: “as above, so below.” The green landscape and yellow sky reflect a warm and nurturing environment. Seeds will germinate. All potentialities are possible.
Waite explains how the Page “moves slowly, insensible of that which is about him.” A slow-moving quality is applicable to all pentacle court cards. The quality of earth is slow and steady, not quick like air (swords) or flammable fire (wands). The element will often reflect the energy of the situation at hand. In “The Tarot: A Wheel of Fortune,” Waite also describes the page as “looking at a talisman.” A talisman is an object or charm whose presence contains a powerful influence on human feelings and actions. The appearance of the Page of Pentacles card suggests it is time for you to discover your own personal talisman. It is time to find a symbol, piece of jewelry, art piece, or new tattoo. The tarot deck operates as a powerful talisman. Waite claims this card “really typifies a scholar” and further expresses the ideal student archetype of this card.
Pamela pulls from her deep knowledge of stage costuming as she fashions the page’s clothing. She is wearing a Shakespearean-style tunic and roundlet. A roundlet is “a stuffed roll of cloth joined into a circle, with a long strip of cloth laid across it, a long end hanging down, and a short one standing up in a cockade or drooping. This hat was common in Italy, where also the Fez-shaped cap (generally red) was worn in the fourteenth century.”59 See the Seven of Swords for the Fez appearance.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Application, study, scholarship, reflection another reading says news, messages and the bringer thereof; also rule, management.
Reversed: Prodigality, dissipation, liberality, luxury; unfavourable news.
Knight of Pentacles
Book T Title: Lord of the Wild and Fertile Land, King of the Spirits of Earth
Elemental Counterchange: Fire (Knight) of Earth (Pentacles), King of Gnomes
Astrological: Virgo (Mutable Earth)
And the earth no more is barren: from the seed
A harvest springs, and the whole land is filled with plenty.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
General
The Knight of Pentacles is the expansive quality and heavy energ
y of earth. The Knight of Pentacles is a slow landslide of momentum gathering toward inevitable manifestation. He is the stability of the ground beneath your feet. He brings about needed and lasting change. He is slow, steady, and thoughtful. The Knight of Pentacles listens for things in unexpected places. He senses what people and places need. Physicality is important to this sensual knight who is comfortable in his skin and bones.
In You
The Knight of Pentacles is activated when you act with care. You examine all options before proceeding. He is activated when you attend to worthy work. Worthy work makes your heart sing and your soul happy. It leaves its mark in the world. It could be a garden, a house, a foundation, or a school. He is a natural introvert who gains inspiration from the natural world. You’ll activate him during moments when you draw a hot cup of tea close and stare out your window while figuring out a problem or curl up in a hammock under your favorite backyard tree.
In Others
The Knight of Pentacles reflects a slow and deliberate romantic suitor. The pentacle in his hand reflects a gift similar to the Ace of Pentacles, given to you by someone you admire and respect. He is the slow and careful financial planner. He is the farmer that feels the land to determine what he will plant. He is the medical intuitive or talented masseuse who intuitively knows where to move his hands and where to find the pain. He heals.
Symbolic
The expansive plowed field behind the Knight of Pentacles reflects the secret of the card. It is the largest planting field in the entire deck and what the knight chooses to plant shall grow to fruition. His brilliant green plume which is a symbol of growth and manifestation reminds us of his generative properties. His nurturing energy brings all things to fruition. Look to the horse’s gate on any Knight card to determine the quality and pace of action. His horse matches his master’s motion as a slow and steady animal of tremendous strength. The horse, a Clydesdale—who is traditionally used for farming, logging, and carriage pulling—reflects power and steadiness. The horse reflects the energy of the situation at hand is slow moving. The knight’s armor is heavy and protective expressing the knight’s experience in battle. Waite points out “He exhibits the symbol, but does not look therein.” Readers often examine the card and believe he is gazing into the Pentacle. It is the difference between looking at an object or focusing on the object’s potential result. According to Waite, the Knight is most concerned with results he can see, feel and touch.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Utility, serviceableness, interest, responsibility, rectitude—all on the normal and external plane.
Reversed: inertia, idleness, repose of that kind, stagnation; also placidity, discouragement, carelessness.
Queen of Pentacles
Book T Title: Queen of the Thrones of Earth
Elemental Counterchange: Water (Queen) of Earth (Pentacles),
Queen of Gnomes
Astrological: Capricorn (Fixed Earth)
The dusk Queen waits.
Sustain, sweet mother, Earth.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
General
The Queen of Pentacles is the queen of earth, goddess of the garden, and mistress of the mountains. As such, she wields power over all that is seen, felt, and touched. Her grace is evident though our sights, sounds, and tastes. Every physical thing is reflected in her eyes, and she represents the beauty of the physical world. Beauty opens the spirit and the soul, like laughter. Beauty resides inside the eye of the beholder. New, challenging, and unique forms of beauty take shape every day. These are the doorways opening new worlds and new possibilities for us. Every flower in a summer garden, every pebble glistening in the surf, and every orange sunset bears her touch.
In You
The Queen of Pentacles is operational within you when you are decorating your apartment, shopping at the market, and cooking dinner. The queen is there as you tidy and clean your house, thus rearranging your personal energy. Theoretically, you rearrange your space and rearrange your world. The Queen of Pentacles is the ultimate homemaker; she’s there as you chop, slice, and dice dinner. She’s you as you shop at Trader Joe’s. She’s even there when you order junk food delivered to your front door. She operates over the entire spectrum of health, the body, and self-care.
In Others
The Queen of Pentacles appears when you encounter an individual who dedicates themselves to the physical comfort of others. This nurturing quality shines through while renovating the home and helping out little ones with homework. She may run food pantries and organize
gift drives and fundraisers, as she is excellent at managing and raising money. She instructs cooking and gardening classes, and she often works as an interior designer or architect.
Symbolic
Waite describes his mother in his memoir Shadows of Life and Thought. He does not specifically connect the Queen of Pentacles but he writes of pentacle-like qualities “how above all my Mother—without experience—acquired the art of living in a minute income and yet having food enough, garments for three to wear and rooms that were not slums will not be told on earth.” His mother found a way to make everything work despite having little money. This is the hallmark of the Queen of Pentacles.
The Queen of Pentacles is illustrated inside a lush garden. The animalistic symbol of fertility, a bunny rabbit, sits next to her. She could be the Empress, yet she focuses only on the material world while the Empress is the doorway of two worlds. A goat, the symbol for Capricorn, is on the armrest of her throne, and to the right is the figure Pan, half man, half goat, playing his pipes. Pan, a nature god, symbolizes fertility and is the god of wild places, forests, glens, and mountains.
Waite notes the Queen of Pentacles treats her pentacle in opposition to the knight as she “contemplates her symbol and may see worlds therein.” These eight simple words hold tremendous magic for those with eyes who want to look deeper. To examine or observe any object, the closer you gaze, the more you will see. Nothing ends at its surface. Placing our attention and focusing on something will allow new worlds to appear and discoveries to be made. It is how a painter looks at a subject or landscape, seeing the colors beneath the colors, the muscles, tendons, and structures beneath the skin. It is how the mystic discovers an entire universe in a single blade of grass. This is how the Queen of Pentacles looks at the world. It is her greatest secret. Now it is yours.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Opulence, generosity, magnificence, security, liberty.
Reversed: Evil, suspicion, suspense, fear, mistrust.
King of Pentacles
Book T Title: Prince of the Chariot of Earth
Elemental Counterchange: Air (King) of Earth (Pentacles), Prince and Emperor of the Gnomes
Astrological: Taurus (Fixed Earth)
And over a thousand changeful turrets and towers,
The morning glory of heaven blooms over and calls
To morning glories of earth in a thousand bowers.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
General
The King of Pentacles is the king of earth, master of money, and ruler of the material world. The King of Earth wields seismic power. He consciously commands each and every molecule of manifestation on the earth. His energy reverberates through caves and caverns; he casts tectonic plates like runes. As the king of manifestation, he is in every growing and every tactile object. He reminds us of the physical power we have over our bodies and the objects in our lives through the choices we make. He is the master of finance and builds kingdoms of security.
In You
The King of Pentacles is activated in you when you take small steps toward accomplishing large goals or massive changes in behavior. The smallest changes often usher the largest consequences. The King of Pentacles, who is slow, methodical, and purposeful, understands this perfectly. He hangs back while others rush foolishly ahead. You also activate this king
when financial planning.
In Others
This king looms large, like a Viking: full of power, potency, and fecundity. While he may not be a man of many words, his quick mind is always working underneath the surface. His physical stature makes him ideal for the physical demands of fire fighting, farming, and carpentry. He is the archetypal farmer or winemaker using years of experience and an authentic and intuitive knowledge of the land on which he works.
Symbolic
Waite mentions the King of Pentacles being “lethargic in tendency,” which is a nod to slow- moving, earth-like qualities. He says the “bull’s head should be noted as a recurrent symbol on the throne.” The bull, four of which are placed on the king’s throne and one beneath his foot, is the symbol for Taurus. Bulls were often the sacrificial animal for early agricultural societies as they were highly valued and considered a meaningful offering to the gods. His frock is covered with grapes, and the wall behind him denotes security while the buildings and city suggest commerce and wealth. He appears to grow from nature itself.
Waite is coy when he tells the reader earlier versions of this card deal with money specifically but that “the consensus of divinatory meanings is on the side of some change, because the cards do not happen to deal especially with money.” He is not letting on to the fact pentacles reflect the element of earth and the nature of the entire material world.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Valour, realizing intelligence, business and normal intellectual aptitude, sometimes mathematical gifts and attainments of this kind; success in these paths.
Reversed: Vice, weakness, ugliness, perversity, corruption, peril.
[contents]
59. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/romeoandjuliet/romeocostumes.html.
chapter nine
Yesod (Foundation)
How to Read the Cards
Reading tarot is a lifelong pleasure and practice evolving and growing right alongside you. We each bring all of our beautiful life experiences and unique sensitivities to tarot. We are natural-born storytellers. Read the cards with a quiet, focused mind and a vulnerable heart. Maintain a curiosity allowing your imagination to run wild with the cards.