The Social Triangle

This weekend, I was in London. Some years ago, I connected with two young men through an internet forum. The younger of which, I have become good friends with in person. We get together every so often for coffee and shopping visits locally.

The two of us made our way up to London to meet the third member of our social triangle for the first time, since he was over from Australia. It is this third member who has posed as my model for the Knight of Cups.

The Knight of Cups is a sensitive young man, which is why I chose my Australian friend for this card. Over the years, we have had many conversations. During testing times, his words have been comforting, even if from so far away. Even though we never ruled out the possibility of meeting, deep down, I never really thought we would, so when he said he was coming to London and suggested getting together, despite having little money, I knew it was something I had to do. Even though it was only a short time spent in his company, he was as interesting and kind-natured as I had imagined he would be. Just like this knight.

The Knight of Cups is a card which I always search for when looking through a tarot pack I might buy, so it is important for me to get it right here. For those who may be wondering about the small line of hearts on his scarf, I added them as a reminder that this knight is a symbol of water and emotional concerns. I have used artistic licence to add little details into my cards as I make them - such as the 'Ace of Spades' tattoo on my 'Magician's' shoulder.

When I asked my younger friend which card he identified with, he also considered himself to be a Knight of Cups. However, when choosing between the two models today, I finally decided that he fitted the role of the Pentacles Page better for now. Lowering his rank was by no means undermining his maturity, since he has far more maturity than many I know who are twice his age. It was more to do with his natural ability to study and the way in which he craves learning. When we first became acquainted, I remember him introducing himself on the forum as 'a boy who wants to learn tarot'. As I have gotten to know him better through the years, his desire to learn and travel have taken him around the world, whet his appetite for foreign language, and won him a place at Oxford University. The Page of Pentacles is a student in life, regardless of age, and I was happy to sit this friend beside the hardworking and fashionable friend who appears in the Knight of Pentalces illustration. As part of the same suit, they make a good team.

Tarot has not just given me a hobby. It has given me a community. I have met many internet friends in person - from America, Switzerland, Israel, and now Brisbane. I have one very long-term email companion in Canada. Reading the cards has brought me a good deal of personal friendships here in the UK too, as well as enriching my spiritual and artistic life.