Fortune’s Wheelhouse

Episode 49: Page or Princess of Cups

As our finale to the watery suit, we bring you the Page or Princess of Cups.  The earthy part of water, she is the world's dreamer, and her air of distant rapture belies her power.  She is a scryer, an oracle, a romantic, and a helpmate.  The talking, wish-granting fish speaks to her even when none else can hear! Flower of the Ace of Cups' promise, the Crystal Princess brings back secret wisdom from the western shores of death.  As Jung did with his Red Book, she grounds her dreams in this world's reality. In our conversation we speak about her astral travels, her role as Muse, her relationship to meditation, sacrifice, and redemption (as found in the Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius story), the fish and the lotus, the seashell and the cosmic egg, her connection with the 10 of Cups, desire and illusions, tortoises and swans, the geomantic figure Via and the I Ching hexagram 41 or "Decrease".  We consider 'La Hire' (the companion of St. Joan), the age of plague and chivalry, the myth of Paris and Helen of Troy, falling in love with love, and the active imagination. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the earthly magnificence of Rider Waite Smith Pages or Thoth Princesses, the sephira Malkuth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 48: Knight or Prince of Cups

This week we bring you the Knight of Cups (RWS) or Prince of Cups (Thoth) - a subtle, secretive and magnetic creature;  fall for his charisma if you dare!  The airy part of water, he acts as a bridge from emotion to intellect, and his feelings speak still louder than his words.  He is a consummate storyteller; his words weave spells and snares for the heart.  His fictions are full of truth - and his truths can equally be full of fiction - so listener, beware! In this episode, we talk about Truce, Disappointment, and Pleasure - as well as death, desire, and  sacrifice. We consider his role as Knave of Hearts (See the tart! Take the tart!) , the magician-seducer Nectanebo, the mercilessness of the scorpion, the fiery watcher star Antares, flying fish, hexagram 62, feathered serpents, eagles, snakes, healers, seers, unexpected windfalls and shocking reversals.  To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the airy willpower of Rider Waite Smith  Knights or Thoth Princes, the sephira Tiphereth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 47: Queen of Cups

Mystic, empath, archetypal anima - the Queen of Cups is veiled in feminine mystique.  Most sensitive of queens, she is associated with the watery part of water.  The Moon governs her tides, so while she is by nature nurturing and compassionate, storms can rack her moods as well.  In her watery domain are the last decan of Gemini and the first two decans of Cancer - love among the ruins.  In this episode we discuss sacrificial maidens, prophetesses, and femmes fatales - Circe, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Polyxena, Delilah, Princess Diana, and the Lady of the Lake.  The myth of Judith and Holofernes introduces a frisson of danger and betrayal; the Queen of Hearts shouts "Off with their heads!"  We consider blonde bombshells, Lilith and the astral realms, portals and magic mirrors, the world of dreams, the geomantic figures Populus and Via, waning and waxing moon, the mercurial ability to communicate and the lunar quality of  reflectio, the Beehive Cluster, the khephra beetle's journey through night, Castor and Pollux, Polyxena, the ibis of divination, the  heron of foreknowledge, the stork of motherhood, hexagram 58 (Duì or joy), desire and memory, purity and patience. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the watery mysteries of the Queens, the sephira Binah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 46: King or Knight of Cups

Here is the Lord of the Waves and Waters!  It's the King of Cups, as he's called in Rider Waite Smith - or the Knight of Cups, as he's called in Thoth.  (For a broad overview of the courts be sure to check out Episode 32, the King/Knight of Wands episode.)  Associated with the 'fiery' part of water, his is an ephemeral and brilliant nature, a reflected charisma.  Of all the heroic leaders of the courts, his calling is the most spiritual.  What is the nature of his mystical quest?  What rainbows does he chase as he races over the sparkling sea? In this episode we speak about his relationship to the 7 of Swords and the 8 and 9 of Cups, as well as to the major arcana: The Star and the Moon.  We consider the will to dream, the gifts of poetry, the call to chivalry.  We speak of gurus and diplomats, peacocks and snakes, Charlemagne and the Suicide King, fishy feet and wavy crowns, Pegasus and Bellerophon, the Grail quest and the elixir of immortality. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the fiery powers of Thoth Knights/Rider Waite Smith Kings, the sephira Chokmah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 45: Ten of Cups

Be Careful What You Wish For! for here is the 10 of Cups - and it's even more special than you think. Also known as the Lord of "Satiety" or "Perfected Success" it's associated with the final decan of Pisces - the end of the zodiacal year.  Fiery Mars rules over this watery final decan, and fiery Mars will rule over the first Aries decan as well. Where fire and water meet, we find rainbows - like the one crowning the Rider Waite Smith version of this card.  Here are strange combinations of desire and dissolution, the powerful drives of the hungriest god foundering in the mystic seas of the cosmic fish! In this episode, we consider the poppy as oblivion and beauty, the Shekhinah as bride-queen-mother, excess of appetite, morbid hunger, the false hopes of Elpis versus the foreboding of Moros, Prometheus, the homeland, the perfection of Atlantis, the seeds of destruction.    We ponder lust of result, the magical backstage, the final bow, pipe dreams, the great lotus and the tilted cups. To learn more bout the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the ripe transformation of the number Ten, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 44: Nine of Cups

Congratulations! You win! Well done!  Welcome to the 9 of Cups, the Lord of Happiness or "card of wishes" - a card so perfectly delightful you just want to kick back and bask in its good fortune.  The card is associated with the middle decan of Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter (who is also the classical ruler of Pisces).  The greater benefic thus brings twice the blessings.  And because 9 is a number of immense power and potential, it does so in the most magical of ways - as you would expect of a card whose associated major arcana are the Wheel of Fortune and the Moon. Along the way on this adventure we discuss the geomantic figure Laetitia, the Holy Grail as the receptacle of Yesod and the Hanged Man as the water in it, thunderstorms, Ganymede, Falstaff, the trickster daemon Dolos, Truth and Falsehood, the wishbone, independence and idleness, and water in its highest material manifestation, talking fishes... and the wishes they grant. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the magic and power of the number Nine, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 43: Eight of Cups

Abandon success all ye who enter here!  It is the 8 of Cups, the becalmed and benighted Lord of Indolence. Lead-footed Saturn governs the first decan of Pisces; dark clouds and eclipses rule the sky.  Emotional baggage burdens the intellect, and in this dark night of the soul a journey towards redemption begins. Yet although Crowley called this card 'the apex of unpleasantness,' it also sponsors acts of power and empowerment.  Here those who have reached their limits find the wherewithal to walk away into the unknown.  The labyrinth of the imagination is a realm of questions, not answers - but how can we ever learn or grow without embracing uncertainty? In this episode we will encounter the deadly sea, the collective unconscious, the lighthouse in an angry sea.  We wander the garden of Kundry, hearing out the tale of the ancient mariner and, at last, running aground on the shores of sleep. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah,the intelligences and systems of the number Eight, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 42: Seven of Cups

In this episode we explore the 7 of Cups, a card of debauchery - or is it illusionary success?  The 7 of Cups is a hologram, a trick of the light, a mirage.  Here Venus rules the second decan of Scorpio, as well as ruling the 7th sphere on the Tree of Life.  She is powerful here, but also in detriment as she passes through the house of Mars.  Here Eros meets Thanatos; the drive meets the death drive.  When Death meets the Maiden, expect secret corruption, glamor and fairy gold. Beauty is strong here, but the magic mirror of Venus distorts as well as reflects.  We speak of the peacock's tail, the sheen of oil on water, the memento mori.  Here are will o' the wisps, psychotropic substances, delusions and hangovers.  It is the card of the artist, whose inner vision creates its own truth in alternate realities.  Where else will you find Circe and Miss Havisham, Indiana Jones and Kubla Khan?! To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the quests and love goddesses of Netzach/the number Seven, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 41: Six of Cups

This week, we explore the 6 of Cups, a doubly solar card.  As a Six it is associated with the sphere of the Sun, Tiphereth, and astrologically it corresponds to the Sun's rulership of Scorpio's middle decan.  Here we find Pleasure in the heart of Death!  This is a sacred sacrifice, where in the dying glow of yesterday the Sun bargains for tomorrow.  The glint of light on water offers a promise of redemption, but also a guarantee of change. Here on the other side of time, the spirit is liberated.  Our conversation ranges over the islands of the blessed, the concept of saudade, the solar twins, nostalgia and memories of childhood, serpents, scorpions, eagles, the nature of consciousness, the Ode to Joy, transformation (and how we love and hate to talk about it), Elysium, and waters both shallow and deep.  To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the sacrificial gods of Tiphereth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 40: Five of Cups

...in which we brace ourselves for Disappointment and, if that's not enough, Loss in Pleasure.  In this first decan of Scorpio, Mars rules thrice over - governing the decan, the sign (in classical rulership schemes), and the number 5. His fiery ferocity unleashes a searing wind over the watery suit of cups, blasting everything in its path.  The Tower meets Death, and devastation ensues. In this conversation we talk about the phases of death - the violent curtailment, the freeing of the spirit, the new growth that follows.  We consider the five rivers of Hades, the thinning of the veil, and emotional severity.  We consider marriages and legacies, hungry ghosts, mourning, love and loss, fish, pentagrams, and the dire geomantic figure known as Rubeus.  It is a perilous journey! but fear not - we're right there with you all the way. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, the war gods of Geburah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.