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This was originally posted on the Archer Tarot blog on January 19, 2012.
Rachel pollack writes that the 2s represent positive action.
The hexagram is 1, the Creative. It is made up purely of yang lines, reinforcing the idea of action. Hilary Barrett writes:
“It begins with an opening to the source of the creative impulse – not plans or intentions, but the vital energy that powers them. Then you create success by sustaining a continuous, two-way flow between source and action. You step into the heart of a process of creation, welcome its momentum and find ways to join and work with it.”
Usually, the 2 of Cups describes a connection between people, something that exists or occurs without conscious effort. Yet the word “love” is a verb. To Love. I love. You love. Be loved. Love.
Despite the earnest nature bestowed on it by its title, the colours are bright and the peacock cocks his head in friendly flirtation. It’s a question, an invitation to play. This isn’t the Lovers, it’s just a two. Yes, there’s something there – a spark of recognition, a connection, a kindred soul – but without action it will come to nothing.
I always think of this card as having a subtitle: Beauty. The peacock is beautiful and he knows it. He uses it to his advantage when seeking a mate. It is important to bring something to the relationship.
I don’t read reversals but if I did I would see this card representing vanity, self-love, and superficiality. The cups would be upside down and unable to hold anything. All love flows back to the source.
The Daughters in the Haindl Tarot roughly relate to the Pages in more traditional Tarot decks. (Although really I think it’s a mistake to try and make the Haindl court cards fit into the standard court card template – they don’t take well to being pigeon-holed.)
Pages are sometimes thought of as messengers and this made me wonder about the Daughters and what messages they bring me.
Radha, the Daughter of Wands, shows me how to enjoy life. She tells me to play, dance, laugh, and love – to appreciate beauty and music and art in all its forms. She reminds me that life is something to be enjoyed.
Brigid, the Daughter of Cups, shows me that I am part of something much bigger than myself – something that existed before I was born and that will keep on after I die. She reminds me to honour the connection with my past, my ancestors, and the places I come from. She tells me to care for and celebrate my family and cultural ties.
The Daughter of Swords, Isis, shows me how to learn and to listen. Learning isn’t something that just happens in formal education – it’s something that we do every day, every time we meet a new person or find ourselves in a new situation. Isis tells me to be open, honest and humble, and to remember that everyone can teach me something.
White Buffalo Woman, the Daughter of Stones, tells me how to value my material possessions and to see them not just as possessions but as gifts that help me live my life. She teaches me that it’s not just sacred items that should be cherished, but everything I have, from the shoes that protect my feet to the house that shelters my family. She makes me want to get rid of everything I have that I don’t value.
A little while back, I was browsing an old Aeclectic Tarot Forum thread about the Haindl and found a list of keywords for the court cards that had been posted by Lee Bursten. These keywords are actually taken from the Quest Tarot, which is based on the Haindl, but I think they work very well with the Haindl cards themselves.
I love the court cards in the Haindl, I think they’re the best part of the deck. However, it does take a bit of effort to get to know them which is why these keywords are so helpful. Here they are:
Mother of Wands: CREATOR. Untamed energy.
Father of Wands: INTELLECT. Keeper of tradition.
Daughter of Wands: LUXURY. Sensual creativity.
Son of Wands: CHARISMA. Sensual hero.
Mother of Cups: MOTHERHOOD. Oldest truths.
Father of Cups: FATHERHOOD. Sacrifice for knowledge; harsh authority.
Daughter of Cups: CONNECTION. Keeping alive the inner flame.
Son of Cups: SEEKER. Courage to act responsibly.
Mother of Swords: MYSTERY. Gentle protectiveness, with something held back.
Father of Swords: LEADERSHIP. Harsh, fair analysis.
Daughter of Swords: CONFIDENCE. Dedication.
Son of Swords: FAIRNESS. Compassion.
Mother of Stones: PERCEPTION. Serene creativity.
Father of Stones: GUARDIAN. Quiet helper.
Daughter of Stones: POSSIBILITIES. Explaining the sacred in daily life.
Son of Stones: ADVOCATE. Articulating ideals.
This was originally posted on the Archer Tarot blog on January 8, 2008.
In the Haindl Tarot, the suit of Cups is associated with the North, Europe and the element of Water. The Ace of Cups represents the Holy Grail. This theme is repeated later in the suit, when Parsival adopts the role of the Son of Cups (similar to the Knight).
The cup seems to be forming before our eyes, with golden light and water spiralling upwards into the shape of a cup. Rachel Pollack says this symbolizes evolution, “the spirit rising through its experiences to a higher level”. As the Holy Grail, the Ace of Cups seems to me to represent both the end point as well as the beginning. It is both the thing that we seek and the call to seek it. It calls us to begin our own personal Grail quest.
Rachel Pollack goes on to say: “As the Grail turns, it gives off water mixed with light. This too symbolizes the idea of development. The emotions – water – become “enlightened”. A personal Grail quest shows us the truth in our lives.” In the Grail Legend, Parsival has to go through many trials before he can achieve the grail – when he first encounters it, he’s not ready because he hasn’t experienced enough for his spirit to have risen to a higher level.
I haven’t yet had much contact with this card – it hasn’t come up in any readings I’ve done. I think it is a thing of beauty, and it strikes me as very spiritual – very pure and holy (which of course, as the Holy Grail, it is). The cup seems like a vision, somehow not real. I imagine that if I could reach into the card and try to hold it, my hand would go straight through it. I can’t just take love (in the broadest sense of the word) for granted. I can’t expect to take it when I please. A true awareness of love comes only through sadness, loneliness, loss, friendship, joy – all the things found in the other cards of the suit which must be experienced first.
Brigid of Ireland – Daughter of Cups in the North
This was originally posted on the Archer Tarot blog on November 7th, 2007.
To me, this card speaks of belonging. Brigid is shown as inseparable from her homeland; it is part of who she is. She lives in the place she was born, in the place her mother and father were born, and where her children were born. She is the daughter, but not the end; instead she is a link in the chain that binds generations together.
To me, this card speaks of roots, of tradition, but not the stuffy, rigid tradition of stubborn old men. The traditions of Brigid’s people are living and breathing, weaving in and out of daily life, moving with the rhythms and patterns of the years; traditions honoured together.
To me, this card is about where you come from – your blood and your creed. It’s about who you are deep down, the part of you that is more than you; the part of you that is also your mother and your father, your grandmothers and grandfathers. It’s about your home, your family, your past; but also today and tomorrow. It’s the song your mother sang to you that you will sing to your children and the way your hands slowly become more and more like hers.
Odin – Father of Cups in the North
Continuing the family theme, this week Uncle Odin is visiting. (Yes, I know he’s a father, but he’s not my father. He seems much more Uncle-ish to me.) People think he’s a bit mad, what with his one eye and his two pet ravens and his penchant for hanging upside down from trees, but to me he’s just dear old eccentric Uncle Odin. He looks a bit like an old sea pirate and, who knows, maybe he once was.
If you ask him how he lost his eye, he’ll reply, “I didn’t lose it. Losing things is careless. I swapped it for a heart, which took great care”. Press him further and he’ll tell you the story of how he met, fought for, and eventually married a beautiful teacher, the woman who was his wife for 55 years until she died. He never complains about his missing eye, never regrets a thing. “It comes down to this,” he says. “How much are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? I only had to pay one eye, but I would have given more.”
He’s a romantic, of course, but not a sap. Loyalty, faithfulness, and commitment are the codes he lives by. He dreams big, with his whole heart and mind, and fully commits himself to everything he does – otherwise, why do it? The day you let fear bind your heart is the day you relinquish your right to happiness, as Uncle Odin likes to say.
This, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with Odin, but my imagination was captured by what Rachel Pollack wrote in the Reader’s Handbook:
“Imagine studying with a professor who lost his right eye in an experiment, but who would do it again for the sake of knowledge, and expects the same kind of commitment from his students…Odin can teach us about commitment and firmness of purpose. Even if we would not go as far as he did, if he comes to us as a teacher in our reading; we may need his lessons. Odin teaches us to take ourselves and our quests seriously.”
Which reminded me of Captain Scott, who is one of my heroes and who famously perished in Antarctica after failing to be the first to reach the South Pole. (Actually, reaching the pole was never the point of his expedition but he needed to throw that in to secure funding for his real task: exploring and recording the area’s natural history to expand knowledge of the world’s species.) Anyway…Scott and everyone in his party knew the risks, but they were driven by a desire greater than the desire to live a long, safe life. The ad placed by Scott to recruit members for the expedition read:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful…..”
The Father of Cups, unlike the Son (Parsifal), has the benefit of hindsight. He knows how much he has needed to sacrifice and what it got him. I get the feeling that - even if he hadn’t won his wife’s heart - Uncle Odin still wouldn’t regret losing his eye.
Illusions of Success
Six upright cups on the outside, one upside down on the inside. An empty shell. Nothing of value on the inside. Lights are on but no one’s home – but emotional. Emotional investment in outward appearances.
Perhaps the one upside down cup suggests a problem that is not insurmountable. Fly in the ointment rather than total disaster. A blip.
Also, odd one out, sore thumb, black sheep – in some kind of relationship, or having a feeling/doubt that conflicts with your other feelings.
