Journey through My Decks: King of Cups (by Zanna)

In this series of posts, I plan to discuss all of the Tarot cards in order, using a different deck for each card. Today I'm exploring the KING OF CUPS from the Tarot of the Era of Aquarius*. Having studied Russian language and history, I was naturally drawn to this deck designed by Marina Bolgarchuk and published in 1998. The scenes and characters on these cards carry a distinctly "fantasy" feeling to them (as opposed to a "Russian Culture and Civilization" feeling). The characters wear sweeping, swooping capes and garments with voluminous sleeves.

The LWB for this deck states that in general, Cups usually signify such ideas as love, luck, happiness, joy, goodness, and other deep or profound emotions. The suit also refers to marriage, children, and material delights. The Cups cards express wishes and desires that satisfy us in various ways, including love, celebrations, and rest or relaxation.

Kings in general are described as embodying authority, power, and might -- and they do not always take the form of an actual person. The characteristics of the suit influence the nature of any King, but there is usually a foundation or personality that exudes power and authority.

The King of Cups is viewed in this deck as being creative and thoughtful, with an engaging personality. He tends to be attentive and kind and may be connected with the arts, sciences, or religion. Reversed, there may be tendencies toward destructive behavior, self-destruction, or frivolity.

In Tarot of the Era of Aquarius, the King of Cups is dressed predominantly in red (passion, will-power, courage, strength, aggression), green (health, fertility, prosperity), and purple (power, royalty, imagination, mystery). He has a dreamy expression on his face, and one can't help wondering what is creating the silver smoke or steam that billows from his goblet.

Note: I take full responsibility for any errors that may have been made in my translation of the material in the LWB, which is written in Russian.