Page / Princess of Cups (Earth of Water)
Page of Cups by G A Rosenberg
Sandbars at low tide
Summers spent in innocence
We drank of life’s joy
Inspired to dream
by a child’s questions
quite unexpected
my eyes opened to wonder
by innocence
my staid adulthood tamed
to submission
by wide eyes
and guileless charm
as answers fell into place
around me.
Private thoughts that made me smile
as to the senselessness of all
now came crystal clear
as I realized the joke was on me
All day our talk continued
histories shared,
revelations
Now the child is gone
returned
and my life begun anew..
— GAR
The suite of Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions.Pages (or Princesses as they are called in many decks) represent the grounding or emergence of the energy involve. Water is the medium for crystallization. When enough of a substance is combined with water it crystallizes and a new substance is born. The questions that come from an innocent mind can often form new realizations in even the most jaded of hearts.
The Page of Cups has many of the best qualities we associate with childhood. He or She is open-hearted and imaginative, sympathetic, seeking to understand and learn. Often they exhibit psychic abilities and can be very dreamlike. The archetype that springs immediately to mind is The Little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book of the same name. There is much inspiration and realizations sparked by the questions and play of our inner child if we were to listen.
I Ching Correspondence – 41) Sun – Decrease
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The trigram for the Mountain is over that of the Lake. As the lake evaporates, its moisture enlivens the mountains. Our childhood dreams and imagination spurs us on to the adults that we become. If we can hold on to that spark of open-heartedness then it can continue to inspire us no matter what period we have reached in our lives. At times we may need to dissolve some of the misconceptions that have arisen along the way and dip back into this pool of dreams in order to build anew.
This hexagram reminds us that everything comes in its time but to balance out both our inner needs and our outer experience. Just as the lake nourishes the mountain, the mountain also sustains the lake. To continue expanding as a person without stagnation, it benefits us to sustain our inner child.
When the Page of Cups is seen in a reading, it often tells us that we need to access the child within and to take time out to dream and play. It may also be telling us that we need to rely on our intuition and what’s more to trust it. The card may also be suggesting that it is time to gain a greater spiritual understanding either within the system we followed when we were younger or in a new direction that will re-spark our inner life. The Page of Cups may refer to a child coming into our lives who will reawaken our sense of wonder.
The Page of Cups reversed in a reading may refer to a time when we have let ourselves play a little too much. Perhaps we have confused our inner and outer realities and have caused discomfort to ourselves and others. We may be acting impulsively and ignoring some of the consequences of our actions. The card may also refer to either ourselves or someone around us becoming disturbed by psychic flashes or visions that they are having. It indicates that it is a good time for a reality check.
