Archetype and The Tarot: The Alchemist and The Knight of Cups
For the week of September 10, 2023
For an overview of what I’m doing here, please check out this post all about it.
Just a reminder, there’s an easy, fun mini-ritual to download at the end of this post to help deepen your relationship with this week’s archetype and tarot card. This week’s ritual offers a practice for leaning into curiosity. Enjoy!
The Alchemist Archetype
The Alchemist is an agent of transformation. We are probably most familiar with this archetype from the medieval alchemists who were on a mission to transform base metals, like lead, into gold. That is the universal pattern of The Alchemist after all: the ability take something and transform it into something else.
On the shadow side, The Alchemist misuses this power. One way they do this is by creating a veneer, or a false treasure, to dupe others (and themselves). This can give them a sense of power and a feeling that they are in-control without actually having to take responsibility or make any real changes in themselves. Or they might focus on wanting to transform others, or the situation, instead of transforming themselves.
On the light side, The Alchemist can take something that is heavy, and a little crude, and be able to transform it into a truly precious treasure. This is a magical power indeed! What The Alchemist in the light knows is that this is all about their own journey of transformation. They have the capacity and willingness to take something in their life that weighs them down and transform it into something sparkly and precious.
This week we’re being asked to recognize that we have this power. We have the ability to transform our own lead, our own anchors, into something beneficial so they no longer have the power to weigh us down.
As you go about your week, pause every now and again and ask: How will I make this moment gold?
The Knight of Cups
This knight is not charging into battle. Instead, they’re riding around hoping someone will fill their cup. And they hold the promise of filling others’ cups. This knight is super romantic and has a high emotional intelligence. They see with their whole heart and make decisions from this heartspace and intuition.
Their passion, their emotion, is also their vulnerability.
This week we’re being asked to get out of our heads and get into our hearts, to go on a quest of getting embodied and getting into our feelings.
Some questions to consider:
If you have a tendency to avoid your emotional side, can you pause to ask why?
What are your emotions telling you about this moment and this situation?
How can you see with your heart?
How do The Alchemist and The Knight of Cups work together?
This pair is showing us that it is possible to change the way we feel about a situation. We do have this power, and we’re being called to give it a try this week. Instead of asking Spirit, or the universe, to change a situation, let’s see what happens if we ask to feel differently about it.
Are there any situations in your life that just won’t change no matter how much you’ve begged and pleaded? Are there situations that you are completely tired of being burdened by? (To be clear, I’m not talking about any situations in which we might be in danger. I don’t advocate keeping ourselves in harmful situations unnecessarily.)
This week let’s try changing the way we feel about these lead anchors in our life. And let’s do it with all the support of our spirit helpers, ancestors, and Divine powers. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Just a simple request. “I’m tired of feeling this way. Please help me feel differently about this.”
If it feels good to share, I’d love to hear if this process worked for you! Let me know in the comments or reply to this email.
Absolutely love this reframe. ❤️
Jenna,
I just love this turn: “Let’s see what happens if we ask to feel differently about it.” What a deliciously different plea. Thank you. 🙏