I was watching the video below about stormy seas and it got me thinking about stormy seas in the Tarot.
Two cards in the Rider Waite Smith deck show boats facing very rough waters, though like the boats in the video, they seem to be up to the challenge.
There’s a ship in the water behind the King of Cups, and two riding the waves in the background of the Two of Pentacles.
Water, of course, is a symbol of the emotions, and a choppy sea suggests emotions that are in turmoil or somehow disturbed.
A boat on a rough sea might represent an emotional journey, or an effort to ‘navigate’ one’s way through an emotionally tumultuous situation.
The King of Cups is surrounded by a turbulent ocean, yet he appears calm, collected, and very grounded, not at any risk of capsizing.
And within the deck that’s this King’s specialty. He understands relationships and how they work.
He’s a master of emotions and when things get rough between people, there’s no one better to turn to for mediation.
In the Two of Pentacles, though the waves are high, the boats stay afloat and the man with the disks keeps on juggling.
This card speaks of an emotional yet practical change, with lots of little details to take care of as you go along.
The lemniscates around the disks reflect the curves of the waves, and reminds us that to succeed it’s a matter of finding our flow, or moving with the waves, not fighting against them.
If we can be cool, yet compassionate like the King, and even keeled like the juggler, we can probably face most emotional situations with strength.
But there’s no question about it, the ocean can be a very scary place when the winds start blowing.
