By Sarah Taylor
Healer. Lover. Ruler. The reading this week brings you into a close encounter with three aspects of the masculine — more specifically, your masculine — or something or someone who embodies a masculine nature reflected back to you. (It is worth remembering that the masculine and feminine are inner aspects or qualities we all share, no matter what gender we are.)
Knight of Disks, Six of Cups, The Emperor from The Röhrig Tarot deck, created by Carl-W. Röhrig. Click on the image for a larger version.
It’s really quite an extraordinary reading, and I can’t quite put my finger on it — yet. Perhaps it is extraordinary because we have, in each card, a separate sub-section of the tarot deck: on the left, there is a Court Card; at centre, a card from the Minor Arcana; and on the right, one from the Major Arcana.
Or perhaps that extraordinariness has something to do with the aspects of the male figures themselves: the Knight (the King in the Rider-Waite Smith deck) — Healer — is looking directly at us, while The Emperor as Ruler looks off the right of the card beyond the reading, his vantage point affording him something in the near future that we are not yet able to see. Finally, the Lover in the Six of Cups seems consumed by the sensation of running his lips over the neck of the woman in his arms — eyes closed, upper part of his body visible, arms drawing her into him.
Sober; sensual; regal. All ornate, however. There is not one card here that speaks of ‘austerity’. It is an immersive, sensory layout that sees the coins in the Knight’s headdress moving into the smaller moons on the woman’s scarf, finally finding themselves as the cosmic dust that gathers in the wake of The Emperor.
Yes. This is immersive. You feel this reading rather than think it.
And if you were to feel the three cards — how they talk to each other, how they are interlinked, what they weave — what would they offer you? What structures and progressions of sensory immersion are played out through your body when you move your eyes from one to the next, to the next, and back again?
Who are you when you look at these cards? Who do you become as a felt sense of each of them? What are they communicating to you in terms of how they move you, and how you move with them? What guises and personae, what actions and drives, do you feel activate in you?
You are Healer. You are Lover. You are Ruler.
As each of these, you engage with yourself and the world differently. Yet while they appear together in one reading, and there is a synergy to them that feels unmistakable, each of them faces in a different direction.
And, as I look closer, more to this story emerges.
The two outer cards are authority figures in the traditional sense: a King and an Emperor. Both reach their positions of authority either by birth, or by an assertion of that authority, whether declared through legislation or an act of war. They are not democratically elected; they assume power. A King is generally considered as ranking lower than an Emperor, though both rule their realms. The card at the centre also speaks of the masculine figure as dominant — except here it is in the context of the intimately interpersonal. Here there is the presence of another who may be the one who is being held and who is positioned as physically submissive, but who feels a wholly equal and essential participant in the tryst.
I wonder if they are not just engaging with the world differently but, more specifically, with their counterparts, whether present or implied? And so I wonder if there are different ways that you engage with another or others depending on the hat you are wearing, the role you are playing, the energy that you are bringing to bear on your life.
Maybe you have more options available to you in how you bring yourself to others than you may at first have believed? Maybe it is entirely natural to feel differently and to act differently depending on the role of authority that you are assuming in your life?
Healer: direct, compassionate engagement. Lover: bold, passionate embrace. Ruler: regal, dispassionate regard.
All three coming together in one place: you. Remember that this is about your own sensory experience of holding these separate yet complementary qualities. Don’t think about it too much. Rather, experience yourself as each one and see where they take you, what they show you, and how you unfold to yourself.
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Knight of Disks (the fiery aspect of earth), Six of Cups (Sun in Scorpio), The Emperor (Aries)
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
Sarah, this resonates perfectly with me today. As I look these cards over I see my reflection.
Today I am the Captain of my ship and I have supreme inner confidence in who I am (Knight of Disks the King) and looking out from there – no one can make me feel less.
I am a passionate human being with many desires and completely honest in its expression. I feel little interest in what others may expect. (Passion)
I am set in my direction, knowing only what I know but content to witness the unfolding path as I become ready. (Emperor) I sense that I know more than I realize but yet too much pondering only confuses my conscious mind so I just stay the course. Today I am confident of that and when I am not I focus on the now and take another step. It is set and nothing will change that.
Last week you had me making a leap of faith across a vast void. It looked like I would make it but as I pondered then I was not at all sure, so I took comfort in the card and focused on now, then;)
I appreciate your readings. They are a vast reinforcement and sometime direction for my journey this last many months. Love.
Interesting how the woman’s cape seems to flow pretty much perfectly into the dust behind the head of the Emperor, as if reminding us that even when we try to be completely objective and rational, we can never quite let go of our passions and desires.
The Knight of Disks seems to be detached from the other two because of his direct gaze, which almost appears to be saying: check out the message on these cards – it’s important.
Funny, all three of these cards feel somehow sensual (and more solid than many of the Rohrig cards) to me. Maybe that’s partly because I’m attracted to men? But even though the King has coins and such springing from his head, it suggests things (and a face) I could touch; and even though the Emperor has an other-worldiness to him, I just want to stroke that ermine cloak and his cheekbone/jawline.
Not sure what that means, beyond the idea of “embodiment” — which, I suppose, is fitting given that a theme of the reading is embodying these three complementary masculine aspects.
…that, and Venus is *definitely* in Taurus right now…
😉
As a strong fire sun sign myself, this reading gives me the opportunity to feed my masculine strengths, but also to remember that it is a reflection of the men in my life.
This week was the first time I saw and felt the healer in my beautiful man (of almost 18 mths) and when I was the one out of control, he was the healer, the lover, and the ruler, something my independent nature always rebelled against – someone ruling me. But in this particular drama of ours this week, it was exactly what was needed, for me to let him be the ruler, which allowed for healing and a deeper love and passion for each other to unfold.
Thanks Sarah. The Knight of Disks even looks so much like my wise and handsome man….how could I possibly not let a beautiful man like that rule me every now and then……hehehe!
Hi Sarah
Could it be that this reading follows on from last week http://members.planetwaves.net/weekend-tarot-reading-sunday-mar-8-2015/ (which could also be when adults step into creative life they get back to bedrock (unmask themselves and fire on all cylinders), live fully, deal with ongoing social and family histories (breaking the chains) and free up the lives of their kids to live their own lives and not inherited stuff). But anyway you leave last week with a conscious youngster not quite integrated – but on the way.
This week is a portrait of the individuated person and how (s)he engages with ‘now’ (and others), others (while being fullly him or herself), and looks to the future (responsibility, awareness, work, love…). All these ‘stances’ suggest ‘birth’ and renewal. Healing (knight of discs), new life (lovers), the future (emperor).
All these ‘stances’ suggest ‘birth’ and renewal. Engaging in the present (knight of discs), procreation (lovers), the present that implies the future (emperor).
(Just an essay)
xxxp
PS the lovers – any way that be more living and live: new life, renewal, aliveness, birthing etc etc
And ovely post for 29 mar too Sarah. Thank you.
(Sarah, having just reread what you wrote here, I said exactly the same thing. Read your piece some hours ago and was bringing the images to mind again; duh!)
Basking in the masculine of this reading. It sure feels right Sarah. Two things jump out at me. The Knight (Healer) has a crown and backdrop made of money. I’ve been in a facebook conversation about charging money in advance for healing and transformation work. What is this oracle saying?
The 5 of cups has been my constant companion so the last time it appeared I finally looked up the six of cups to see what the hell comes next. Astonishing that disappointment is followed by pleasure. So glad that your reading has picked up the shift. Woo hoo!
Because my life path card is Empress, I perk up when the Emporer comes around. He is perpetually aloof and preoccupied, a philosopher under his coronet. Though this emporer does not bear a crown, unless it is the cosmic dust. His Empire is not earthly or political.
I agree that I can’t grasp with my mind all that this means, but this reading feels like the very thing I am asked to pay attention to. It supplies something I need to move forward.
Cowboyiam – thank you, and I am happy and grateful to the cards that they are giving you reinforcement and direction.
Amy – thank you for your observation about the Knight of Disks. I agree.
Amanda – this is *such* a Venus in Taurus reading! Embodiment, sensuality, presence.
Leilani – beautiful! Sometimes in the surrender there is great power.
pam – yes, absolutely: there is a maturing and shift into a certain way of being that ties in with last week, with a grounding in of what can be held once the chains and masks no longer keep us.
DivaCarla – I think your observations, including the one about paying attention, are valid: something is yet to be revealed, and all three cards have their role to play.