The King of Clubs is our card for May! The archetype for the King of Clubs is Protector of Fortune (Luck). With a force as unpredictable and uncontrollable as Fortune, this king has a large order cut out for them. So what’s the most safeguarded approach to navigate the winds of fate? The King of Clubs likes to align with the odds and learn from history.
When reading playing cards you aren’t necessarily looking to the images for intuitive prompts… but if you use an illustrated deck, you absolutely can get extra meaning to guide you along. The deck we’re drawing from this month is from the fully-illustrated playing card deck Cabinetarium by Armando Veve.
This King of Clubs features a surrealist carnivorous plant growing in a minimalist-style planter, what appears to be a human arm reaches out of the pitcher body of the plant and towards a fly zooming dangerously close to the fingertips.
One of the things I love about this deck is that the illustrations clearly tell a story, but the circumstances and ending are completely undetermined, making them perfect intuitive prompts. Pairing this wild carnivorous-plant tale with the King of Clubs archetype can go a couple ways…
Are we the fly? In which case, the precautionary approach is to take what we know about the potential “reach” of our adversary and make sure our course remains just out-of-bounds.
But if we are the plant/hand… the lesson to be taken is strike quickly and with precision. If you miss, that fly is not likely to make the same mistake twice.
And perhaps the most bizarre interpretation… what if that hand belongs to a third party rather than being part of the plant? We’ve already established that this plant is in a planter and the fly also appears to establish a relatively normal size for the scenario… but then that hand (and the being attached to it) would be unnaturally small. And then we must wonder, are they trapped inside the plant and reaching desperately for some sort of help? Or are they themselves the predator and simply hiding within the body of the plant? The former is a cautionary tale and the fly becomes a symbol of decay. The latter, will reinforce the need for timing and precision on the side of the predator and awareness and caution on the side of the fly.
So how are we to know which scenario to incorporate into our reading? Well, take a moment to consider which role most accurately fits your current situation. Not that you are a fly or a predator, but… Are you in need of an opportunity? Then the message for the predator applies best here: The soundest way to work with luck is to be prepared to act quickly and with clarity when the opportunity presents itself. On the other hand (ha… sorry) if you are currently working towards something the message would be from the fly’s perspective: keep working towards your goal while being aware of the potential hazards and giving yourself plenty of wiggle room. In other words, this is not a time to be cutting things close, even if it means taking slightly more time or effort, go ahead and exercise caution.
Overall, the King of Clubs asks you to know your own situation and to be aware of what, given your knowledge and previous experiences, will be most likely to help you succeed. Honestly, for a card in the suit of luck and fortune, this King is exceedingly practical.
Since we’re talking about the suit of Luck, deer are often considered symbols of good fortune and abundance. North American Mule Deer antlers are typically wider and taller than those of the Whitetailed Deer.
The book “Walking in the Woods” by Professor Yoshifumi Miyazaki covers the Japanese way of shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing.’ In order to be alert and aware of our surroundings (whether as the fly or as the hand…) we need to be centered and calm. A charming book that goes into the practice of being fully present in nature.
In the spirit of our surrealist carnivorous plant scenario from above… the Tevaplanter is a terracotta vessel that acts as a water bank for plants. Water is slowly diffused through the material to the cells. Roots have constant access to water and air. A great way to grow small carnivorous (and other less predatory plants) in your home!
And if you’re interested in learning to read with playing cards… I’m teaching a class on 5/21 here at Oracle: Learn Divination with Playing Cards. A world of insight opens up when you consider regular playing cards symbolically and solitaire becomes more than a game to pass the time.
May, no longer the beginning of the year… but still so much of 2023 is laid out before us. Now is a good time to take stock of where you are. Are you working towards something specific or are you in need of some fresh opportunities? Either way, be alert and be ready. — Laura Pensar for Oracle Natural Science