KING OF CUPS
- Joshua Baird
- Mar 30, 2023
- 17 min read
Updated: Sep 30
THE TRADITIONAL TAROT
KEY IDEAS: Advisor, Balance between head and heart, Compassionate, Counselor, Devoted, Diplomatic, Emotionally balanced, Wisdom. REVERSED: Anxious, Cold, Emotionally manipulative, Inner feelings, Moodiness, Overwhelmed, Repressed, Selfish, Withdrawn.
ALTERNATE NAME/S: The Artist
The King of Cups represents emotional mastery, balance, and compassion. In the card, he sits on a stone throne, dressed in a blue tunic and golden cape, symbols of wisdom and authority. A fish-shaped amulet hangs at his neck, pointing to creativity and spiritual vitality. In his right hand he holds a cup, representing the emotional realm, while his left grips a scepter, signifying control. Unlike other figures in the suit, he does not gaze at the cup, suggesting he has already mastered his emotions and need not dwell on them.
The background reinforces this calm authority. The King rests on a granite block amid turbulent seas. To one side, a fish leaps from the waves; to the other, a ship sails steadily despite the storm. These symbols show the integration of creativity and practicality, and the King’s ability to remain composed when surrounded by chaos. Rather than suppressing impulses, he has learned to channel them constructively.
In readings, the King of Cups signals maturity, urging you to acknowledge emotions without letting them dominate your actions. He encourages firm boundaries and a balanced response to negativity. His presence highlights leadership that combines intellect with empathy, emphasizing harmony as much as achievement. He may appear as a mentor, healer, or guide—or as an invitation for you to embody these traits yourself.
Ultimately, the King of Cups reflects the harmony of heart and mind. He reminds us that true strength lies in compassion, self-awareness, and stability amid life’s storms.
THE MORMON TAROT:
THE FOUNDATION: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” —Eph. 2:19–21
CELESTIAL MASONRY: “I am convinced that in the study of Masonry lies a pivotal key to further understanding Joseph Smith and the Church.... The many parallels found between early Mormonism and the Masonry of that day are substantial.... I believe that there are few significant developments in the Church, that occurred after March 15, 1842 [the day Smith became a Mason], which did have some Masonic interdependence.... There is absolutely no question in my mind that the Mormon ceremony which came to be known as the Endowment, introduced by Joseph Smith to Mormon Masons, had an immediate inspiration from Masonry. This is not to suggest that no other source of inspiration could have been involved, but the similarities between the two ceremonies are so apparent and overwhelming that some dependent relationship cannot be denied. They are so similar, in fact, that one writer was led to refer to the Endowment as Celestial Masonry.” [16]
A BINDING CONTRACT: "Freemasonry is one of the strongest binding contracts that exists between man and man.” —John Taylor, Mormon Apostle & Prophet [11]
ALCHEMICAL REFERENCES IN FREEMASONRY: "In Freemasonry, the sun and the moon are still prominent symbols within the lodge, both giving light. Some lodges in the eighteenth and nineteenth century were known as full moon lodges, as they met on the night of the full moon, or on the nearest particular night to a full moon, as to light the way home in an age where there were no street lighting....The stages of purification are reached in the alchemical process, the transmutation of a base metal (lead) into a noble metal (gold) being similar to the perfection of a Mason, the new Master Mason being reborn during the third degree after the symbolic death of the old Master, in a symbolic never-ending cycle of life, death and rebirth. The education of a Mason as he completes the lessons of the degrees, perfecting him and making him a better man....This union of the sun and the moon can be seen in the alchemical masterpiece Splendor Solis, (1582), London BL, Harley 3469 fol-10, King & queen with sun & moon. The White Queen can be seen standing on the moon, the Red King standing on the fire of the sun, both moon and sun hang above them. The colours are also important in the alchemical process....The rich symbolism of the sun and the moon is as powerful as ever, and for those who learn from this symbolism within Freemasonry, a deeper understanding can be achieved of the Master Masons degree, that of the death of the old Master, and his rebirth as the new Master Mason, a symbolic resurrection." [5]
JOSEPH SMITH, MASTER MASON: Circa 1842–1844. Abraham Jonas, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, formally organized a Masonic lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois, on 15 March 1842. Although a number of Latter-day Saints had joined the fraternity previously, Joseph Smith had not. He was initiated into Freemasonry on 15 March and raised a Master Mason the following day. Masons wore aprons to symbolically protect their clothing. [12]
THE REBIS: "Together in sexual union, the sun and moon create the Rebis, sometimes referred to as a Divine being that has both male and female qualities, a reconciliation of spirit and matter." [5]
THE ANDROGYNE: "The androgyne (from the Greek andros, “man”, and gune, “woman”) is a creature that is half male and female. The Bible states: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). According to the Genesis, the first man created was androgynous, so Adam gave birth to Eve....The Museum of Notre-Dame à la Rose, in Belgium, has among its collections an astonishing and unique work of its kind. The painting, from the end of the sixteenth century, represents “the Lamentation around the remains of Christ”. The work, probably commissioned by Augustinians nuns, was restored during the twenty-first century. Unexpectedly, restoration discovered an androgynous Christ, occulted under a layer of paint on the upper torso. Indeed, we observe some additional female characteristics of Christ, such as breasts, and feminine curves. Jesus finger, delicately placed on his nipple, further reinforces the symbolism of divine spiritual breastfeeding." [14]
MASONIC TRACING BOARD: Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees. [13]
THE CALL: "On February 8, 1835, Joseph Smith asked brothers Brigham and Joseph Young to sing to him. The Prophet then received a revelation that it was time for the Twelve Apostles to be called....Six days later, the Saints gathered. Joseph Smith said that one of the primary purposes of the meeting was for the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris—“to choose twelve men from the church as Apostles. Oliver and David had previously received that assignment in June 1829, but although they had “sought the Lord by fasting and prayer” to identify the Twelve, the time had not yet been right. Now, Joseph said, the time had come....The Twelve (in the order presented at the meeting) were Lyman Johnson, age 23; Brigham Young, 33; Heber C. Kimball, 33; Orson Hyde, 30; David W. Patten, 35; Luke Johnson, 27; William E. McLellin, 29; John F. Boynton, 23; Orson Pratt, 23; William Smith, 23; Thomas B. Marsh, 34; and Parley P. Pratt, 27. All had previously served missions. Eight had accompanied Joseph Smith on the Zion’s Camp expedition the previous summer...After their designation, each of the Apostles was ordained Their ordination blessings were filled with promises of missionary success. Heber C. Kimball later remembered that the blessings “predicted many things which should come to pass, that we should have power to heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead, give sight to the blind, … remove mountains, and all things should be subject to us through the name of Jesus Christ....Oliver Cowdery also emphasized the difficulties they would face: “Be prepared at all times to make a sacrafice [sic] of your lives, should God require them in the advancement and building up of his cause.” Oliver encouraged the Apostles to seek personal knowledge of Jesus Christ so that they could testify of His existence with surety: “Never cease striving until you have seen God, face to face.” [3]
THE SUN & MOON: "In alchemy there is no creation without the union of opposites….The moon (silver) represents fertility, resurrection and immortality, and is a feminine property – the White Queen that alchemists would integrate with the sun to create sublime balance. There would thus be marriage between the sun and the moon, creating sexual union and rebirth, and they can both sometimes be seen on Christian iconography situated at either side of the cross, indicating resurrection of the Divine....The sun (gold) is masculine, is associated with the imagery of the Red King, and signifies the Divine spark of man. It is this union between the sun and the moon that is so vital to understanding the life, death and rebirth of nature; the sun rising in the east enlightening and ruling the day, setting in the west, and after the darkness, rising again. The moon however can take away the darkness of the night, guiding people home through the uneasy dark night. It was said to change people’s characters when full, and in folklore, was to govern the spells of witches and magicians. Together in sexual union, the sun and moon create the Rebis, sometimes referred to as a Divine being that has both male and female qualities, a reconciliation of spirit and matter." [5]
THE REBIS II: (from the Latin res bina, meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the alchemical magnum opus or great work....After one has gone through the stages of putrefaction and purification, separating opposing qualities, those qualities are united once more in what is sometimes described as the divine hermaphrodite, a reconciliation of spirit and matter, a being of both male and female qualities as indicated by the male and female head within a single body. The sun and moon correspond to the male and female halves, just as the Red King and White Queen are similarly associated." [10]
VIA UNIVERSALIS PARTICULARIBUS INCLUSIS: "There is a plate in the Splendor Solis inscribed " Via Universalis Particularia Inclusis." Joe Henderson calls this plate a description of individuation, Jung's term for that basic psychological discipline by which an individual, over time, can come to know himself both in the terms of his inborn capacities (genetic and psychological) and his situation in the outer world (family, race, culture, history)....The Splendor Solis is a sixteenth century manuscript which contains three series of imaginal plates. Each plate is both complete in itself and a part of a sequence. Also, each plate represents a specific situation. At first glance they seem like illustrations of faintly familiar situations which, as one continues to look, become more mysterious and evocative. The Via Universals is the alchemical term for the universal symbol of the Way, the Tao, the Journey, the strait and narrow way, the gateless gate, etc., which leads to an unknown, felt, but only dimly perceived, source or center....However, the particularia of the alchemical Via is made up of many, many separate facts, events and details. The Way lies in the events of our continuing ordinary daily lives. Our consciousness of it can range from an earned understanding of its symbolic meaning and reality to those lived, but unknowable constancies of breath and heartbeat and all the range of our being which lies between. Each one is a particularium of the whole Way." [6]
THE 12 APOSTLES & FREEMASONRY FACTS & TIMELINE:
8 EX-COMMUNICATED: 8 of the original 12 mormon apostles were ex-communicated. 3 of them were later reinstated.
5 UNKNOWN: John Boynton, William M'Lellin, Luke Johnson, David Patten, Thomas Marsh either died or were ex-communicated before the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge was established in 1841. Their Masonc status is unknown.
THE 5 MODERN PROPHETS OF FREEMASONRY: The first five latter-day prophets were Freemasons. Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow all were members of the fraternity. All joined while living with the Saints in Nauvoo. Mormonism's first 71 years were lead by a presidents who were also freemasons). [8]
15+ APOSTLE/MASONS: Other than the 5 apostles who died or were excommunicated before the Nauvoo Lodge; if you count Joseph Smith, at least 15 mormon apostles were raised to the level of Master Mason. Essentially all mormon leadership: The president, first presidency and quorum of the 12 apostles were Master Masons by July of 1844 (Just after Joseph Smith's death). During the Nauvoo period there was a push to get as many males as possible initiated into Freemasonry.
1830
HEBER C. KIMBALL Master Mason, Victor Lodge #303, 1830.
1835
1835, The original 12 Apostles of Mormonism were called by the 3 witnesses: Thomas Marsh, David Patten, Brigham Young, Heber Kimball, Orson Hyde, William M'Lellin, Parley Pratt, Luke Johnson, William Smith, Orson Pratt, John Boynton, Lyman Johnson.
1837
1837, JOHN BOYNTON ex-communicated for apostacy. Masonic status unknown.
1838
1838, WILLIAM M'LELLIN ex-communicated for apostacy. Masonic status unknown.
4/13/1838, LUKE JOHNSON ex-communicated for apostacy. Rebaptized in 1846. Masonic status unknown.
10/25/1838, DAVID PATTEN killed in the battle of crooked river. Masonic status unknown.
1839
3/17/1839, THOMAS B. MARSH ex-communicated for apostacy. Masonic status unknown. rebaptized on 7/16/1857.
1841
10/15/1841: The Nauvoo Lodge is established.
12/29-30/1841: The first lodge meeting is held in Hyrum Smith's office.
1842
3/15-16/1842: Installation ceremonies are held. Prior to eventual dedication of Masonic hall, Nauvoo lodge also met in other locations. Meetings were held on upper floor of JS’s red brick store in large room frequently referred to as lodge room, beginning 1842. Nauvoo lodge also met on upper floor of Henry Miller’s home, by Mar. 1844. Alexander Mills’s tavern was referred to as Alexander Mills’s Masonic Hall Tavern, but no known evidence indicates that Nauvoo lodge used tavern for regular meetings, only for informal gatherings. [7]
4/9/1842, BRIGHAM YOUNG Master Mason.
4/9/1842, WILLARD RICHARDS, Master Mason.
4/12/1842, AMASA LYMAN Master Mason.
4/13/1842, WILLIAM SMITH Master Mason.
4/23/1842, JOHN E. PAGE Master Mason.
4/28/1842, LYMAN WIGHT Master Mason.
4/29/1842, WILFORD WOODRUFF Master Mason.
5/21/1842, GEORGE A. SMITH Master Mason.
6/16/1842, LYMAN JOHNSON recieved the first 2 degrees by this date.
1843
1/18/1843, ORSON HYDE, Master Mason, Nauvoo Lodge. (First 2 degrees at Meridian Orb Lodge #10)
4/11/1843, ORSON PRATT Master Mason. (8/20/1842, ex-communicated for apostacy. 1/20/1843, readmitted)
6/24/1843, The cornerstone for Masonic hall is laid at the corner of Main and White streets.
7/10/1843, PARLEY P. PRATT, Masonic initiation.
1844
4/5/1844: The Masonic hall, a 3 story building with basement is dedicated. The top floor is reserved for Masonic activities. The remainder of the building is used for concerts, theater productions, community meetings, funerals, trials, etc.
7/15/1844, JOHN TAYLOR, Master Mason.
7/30/1844, PARLEY P. PRATT Master Mason, (initiated 7/10/1843)
RELATED CONTENT
9 O'CLOCK TOAST: "The "Nine O'Clock Toast" is "a tradition within Freemasonry that has been observed for many hundreds of years," Dr. David Staples, the CEO and Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) told Newsweek on Monday. From modern-day meetings at the pub to gatherings convened at the height of two world wars, the tradition, he said, sees members raise a glass during dinner at 9 p.m. each evening to honor their "Absent Brethren" or their fellow Freemasons who cannot be there with them. "Our members know that wherever they are in the world and whatever they are doing at 9 o'clock, somebody will be raising a glass to them and remembering them," Staples said....Why at 9:00 PM, you ask? It is at nine o'clock that the hands of a clock form the fourth part of a circle, an angle of ninety degrees, which is celebrated and described in Masonic ritual. In some traditions, the nine o'clock toast is explained by saying that our Mystic Circle is not complete because of absent brethren, represented by that missing fourth part." [4]
MASTER MASON VS. THE 33RD DEGREE: "No. Brigham Young was a Mason, but was not a 33rd degree Mason (technically an auxiliary degree of the Scottish Rite). It would have been impossible for Brigham Young to become such, since that degree was first introduced in Illinois masonic lodges (the only lodges to which Brigham had access prior to the exodus to Utah) in 1857, long after Brigham's departure. (The 33 degree did not become formalized in the Untied States until the early 1850's with the work of Albert Pike and Dr. Albert G. Mackey.)...It is important to understand the nature of the appellate bodies in Masonry. While a 33 degree mason might sound impressive, in fact such a person hold no more authority in Masonry than does the typical Master Mason (3rd degree). The appellate bodies are under the control of the Grand Lodge of a state or territory and a Grand Lodge is made up of all the Master Mason in that state or territory. The highest office any Mason can hold is that of Grand Master of a Grand Lodge and the only requirement to be elected to that office is to be a Master Mason. Therefor the highest degree that any Mason can hold is that of Master Mason (3rd Degree). The appellate degrees are appendages to that degree and not “higher” degrees as they are sometimes presented." [11]
FREEMASONRY IN UTAH: "Utah territory had no lodge until 1872. Such a lodge would have been a prerequisite for any Scottish Rite appellate body to be formed....While there were at least two abortive attempts to form a Grand Lodge in the territory by the Mormons, one by means of an application to the United Grand Lodge of England which seems to have been lost and never reached that body and another made to a Grand Lodge in Mexico which was rejected. Masonry by and large was not practiced by the Mormon population in Utah in Brigham Young's day. Indeed, the Grand Lodge of Utah was not formed until 1874 and it then imposed a ban on Mormons being members. This even precluded Mormon Masons from other jurisdictions from visiting Utah lodges. This would continue in some form until 1984....Thus, it would have not have been possible for Brigham Young to have received the 33 degree designation while in Utah. Given that the 33 degree is an honorary designation (that is, it is given by the vote of others holding the degree) it would seem unlikely in the extreme that such an honor would have been given to Brigham who, at the time, was generally held in low regard. Likewise, the Mormons in general were viewed with disdain by the general population of Americans, and the above-mentioned hostility of the Grand Lodge of Utah towards Mormons also makes claiming that Young was honored in this way implausible....Perhaps most telling of all is there is no documentary evidence of Brigham Young ever receiving such a degree either from the Northern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite of which the Grand Lodge of Illinois is a member or in the Southern Jurisdiction of which the Grand Lodge of Utah is governed. While in the early years of those rites some record keeping was lost or not well kept by the mid-19th century when Brigham Young would have been able to receive such a degree the records of both jurisdictions are very complete. Those records are silent in this matter." [11]
THE SHARED SYMBOLS OF MORMONISM AND MASONRY: Though the same symbols are used, there are many references to these symbols in Latter-day Saint history occurring well before Joseph Smith became a Freemason. In fact, Matthew B. Brown, author of Exploring the Connections Between Mormons and Masons, has found several references prior to 1842. For example:
ALL SEEING EYE
1828–29: “I pray the God of my salvation that He view me with His all-searching eye” (2 Nephi 9:44).
May 1836: “God is not mocked with impunity. His all-seeing eye beholds you at all times. . . . His all-seeing eye surveys the whole of His vast creation” (remark by John Whitmer).
HANDCLASP
27 June 1839: Joseph Smith taught the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles one of “the keys of the kingdom of God,” which was how to detect the nature of an otherworldly visitor by means of a handclasp.
22 July 1840: Joseph Smith Jr. had a scribe write in a letter to William W. Phelps, “I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship.”
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
April 1830: “walking in holiness before the Lord” (D&C 20:69).
25 June 1833: The First Presidency of the Church wrote in a letter that each of the 24 temples in Jackson County, Missouri, was to be adorned with the inscription, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” (History of the Church, 1:359).
BEES
1829: Honeybees called “deseret” (Ether 2:3).
November 1832: The disciple of Jesus Christ is to have “industry” like the “bees” (Evening and Morning Star, vol. 1, no. 6). [8]
EARLY MORMON VIEWS ON MASONRY:
Willard Richards (16 March 1842): “Masonry had its origin in the Priesthood. A hint to the wise is sufficient.”
Heber C. Kimball (17 June 1842):“ There is a similarity of priesthood in Masonry. Brother Joseph [Smith] says Masonry was taken from priesthood.”
Benjamin F. Johnson (1843): Joseph Smith “told me Freemasonry, as at present, was the apostate endowments, as sectarian religion was the apostate religion.”
Joseph Fielding (December 1843): The Latter-day Saint temple ordinances are “the true origin of Masonry.”
Heber C. Kimball (9 November 1858): “The Masonry of today is received from the apostasy. . . . They have now and then a thing that is correct, but we have the real thing.” [8]
FINAL CHARGES TO THE APOSTLES: "An important meeting occurred in the spring of 1844 when Joseph gathered the Apostles to receive their last charge from the Prophet. Years later, President Wilford Woodruff recalled: "I, Wilford Woodruff, being the last man living in the flesh who was present upon that occasion feel it a duty I owe to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the House of Israel, and to the whole world to bear this my last testimony to all nations, that in the winter of 1843–4, Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, called the Twelve Apostles together in the City of Nauvoo, and spent many days with us in giving us our endowments, and teaching us those glorious principles which God had revealed to him. And upon one occasion he stood upon his feet in our midst for nearly three hours declaring unto us the great and last dispensation which God had set His hand to perform upon the earth in these last days. The room was filled as if with consuming fire; the Prophet was clothed upon with much of the power of God, and his face shone and was transparently clear, and he closed that speech, never-to-be-forgotten in time or in eternity, with the following language:“Brethren, I have had great sorrow of heart for fear that I might be taken from the earth with the keys of the Kingdom of God upon me, without sealing them upon the heads of other men. God has sealed upon my head all the keys of the Kingdom of God necessary for organizing and building up of the Church, Zion, and Kingdom of God upon the earth, and to prepare the Saints for the coming of the Son of Man. Now, brethren, I thank God I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your endowments, and I have now sealed upon your heads all the powers of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods and Apostleship, with all the keys and powers thereof, which God has sealed upon me; and I now roll off all the labor, burden and care of this Church and Kingdom of God upon your shoulders, and I now command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to round up your shoulders, and bear off this Church and Kingdom of God before heaven and earth, and before God, angels and men; and if you don’t do it you will be damned.”...And the same spirit that filled the room at that time burns in my bosom while I record this testimony, and the Prophet of God appointed no one else but the Twelve Apostles to stand at the head of the Church and direct its affairs." [9]
THE ANCIENT OF DAYS: “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened." —Daniel 7:9
NOTES:
6. Spencer, Mary Jo. “Via Universalis Particularibus Inclusis.” The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, vol. 22, no. 2, 2003, pp. 67–70. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.2003.22.2.67. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
10.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebis#:~:text=The%20sun%20and%20moon%20correspond,by%20Basil%20Valentine%20in%201613.
11. https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Was_Brigham_Young_a_%2233rd_degree%22_Mason%3F
15.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_(Latter_Day_Saints)#:~:text=In%20the%20Latter%20Day%20Saint,authority%20within%20the%20church%20hierarchy.
16. Reed Durham, speech at Mormon History Association in Nauvoo, Illinois; see Abanes, One Nation Under Gods, p. 38
Comments