This is a card of…

Emotional repression

Discomfort

Paternalism

Artistic achievement

“All real acts of chivalry are forms of repressed behavior.”

-Steven Erikson, Reaper’s Gale

The King of Cups, like her Wands counterpart, sits a little uneasily on her throne.  She values artistic and spiritual exploration, as well as one-to-one human connection. Her responsibilities leave little room for her creative growth, and her leadership role alters her relationship to others.

She dreams not of running off to conquer new worlds, but of a life of less separateness from others. Often she will try to make a close-knit “family” of those who serve her. In the most negative expression the King of Cups is the boss who demands to be liked as well as respected, asking too much validation and emotional intimacy of employees. In her most positive expression she tempers her authority with her genuine compassion, and a sense of paternal care: the boss who will quietly aid a struggling employee, or mobilize the office to help a coworker in need.

This leader can also have the watery quality of a still surface that hides turbulent undercurrents. Her emotional exterior may be kept calm because there is so much tumult going on beneath the surface that she needs this veneer to be functional.

This King can indicate high achievement in fields associated with the artistic, emotional or spiritual; such as visual art, creative writing, music, spiritual or psychological counseling, or theater.