A Compassionate Inventory

King of Cups as response to Justice

We’re chest-deep in Scorpio season, and today’s post is one in a series in which I explore each court card, via their astrological correspondence, as an embodiment of the lesson of the prior astrological season’s corresponding Major card.

As always, this concept feels awkward to explain (and in fact, I’ve taken to copy-pasting these intros) but it’s really simple at heart: take a look back at the other posts if you haven’t already, and you’ll definitely see the theory at work: Knight of Wands (Sagittarius) as a response to Death (Scorpio), Queen of Pentacles (Capricorn) as a response to Temperance (Sagittarius), King of Swords (Aquarius) as a response to the Devil (Capricorn), Knight of Cups (Pisces) as a response to the Star (Aquarius),  Queen of Wands (Aries) as a response to the Moon (Pisces), King of Pentacles (Taurus) as a response to the Emperor (Aries), Knight of Swords (Gemini) as a response to the Hierophant (Taurus), Queen of Cups (Cancer) as a response to the Lovers (Gemini), and King of Wands (Leo) as a response to the Chariot (Cancer), Knight of Pentacles (Virgo) as a response to Strength (Leo), and Queen of Swords (Libra) as a response to the Hermit (Virgo).

King of Cups is the Scorpio court card, and Scorpio follows Libra, whose Major card is Justice. So today we’re asking: how is King of Cups a response to, and embodiment of, the lessons of Justice?

When I think of the influence that Justice has had on King of Cups, I think of the 12 Steps. Specifically, I think ‘searching and fearless moral inventory’. That is the highest expression of Justice, a card that is about facing reality and facing the consequences of our choices. Justice asks us to look deeply and unflinchingly at where we are, and how we got there—not to shame us, but to empower us. Yes, we chose unconsciously, we acted from our wounds---and we built a reality out of those choices. We hurt other people, we disappointed ourselves. In Justice, we must acknowledge that—and when we do, Justice reminds us that should we choose differently, from a more conscious place, then reality will shift around us. We will create a different kind of life.

That’s essentially the 12-step process. It is a spiritual awakening that rests on the foundation of this sort of truth-telling. You don’t get to bypass your shit in the 12 steps or in Justice. You have to own it and take responsibility for it before you can change it.

King of Cups is someone who, because of their encounter with Justice, has become an emotional safe space. They offer absolutely non-judgmental witnessing of another’s experience, and they can do this precisely because they have searched all their own dark corners. They have undergone the fearless moral inventory. They are deeply human, aware of their own flaws, but also aware of the redemptive power of honesty, of humility, of compassion.

If you’ve ever spent time with a sober alcoholic who’s been working the steps for a while and really committed to it as a spiritual practice, you’ll know the quality of this energy. It’s a relief, an exhale. Because you know that you’re not going to scare them or shock them. Shame has no place in their relationships; you don’t have to hide any part of yourself. An alcoholic knows what it is to hide, and to numb—that is the shadow of King of Cups. But Justice has called them out of hiding, and having experienced the liberating quality of exposure, they invite others to come out of the shadows and discover that they are still loved.

King of Cups is deeply loving, and so is Justice. Justice corresponds to Libra, so it’s ruled by Venus. I’ve written about this here before: the relationship between Venus (the Empress) and Justice is best summed up by this quote from John O’Donahue: “one can only learn to see who one is when one learns to view oneself with the most intimate and forgiving compassion.”

That gets to the heart of King of Cups as an embodiment of Justice’s lessons. It is the intimate and forgiving compassion not in spite of who we are, but because that’s the only way we can see the whole of ourselves, and the whole of another.

For a prompt today, because we’ve talked about AA, I recommend pulling for the Serenity Prayer. You can just do one card, or if you’d prefer, it works well to pull for each of the 4 lines.

Grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.