This card brings together some contradictions. On the one hand we have a sensitive man devoted to art, poetry and healing, while on the other we have a strong ruler whom it is unwise to betray, or we may see rage and vengeance born of that same sensitivity. This man appreciates the subtler things in life. We can see that his stone throne floats on the water, a clear indication of the contradiction mentioned above. One foot rests firmly on the base of the throne while the other stretches over the edge, indicating that although he is firm and his authority as king is unquestioned, he is still under the soft influence of empathic and changeable water. This is reinforced by the sceptre he holds in one hand and the cup in the other. This is not a warlike king; this is a king who values diplomacy and friendship with his subjects.
On the card
A king sits on a heavy stone throne that rests in the middle of a restless sea. He holds a cup in his right hand and a short sceptre in his left, and around his neck hangs an amulet in the shape of a fish. On one side of him a fish leaps from the waves; on the other a sailing ship moves across the water. The sky is clear, but the sea around the throne rises in strong waves.
The contrast between the solid throne and the moving water is the heart of this card. The king does not live on dry land, protected from feeling; he sits in the middle of it, surrounded by emotion on all sides, and yet he remains steady and composed. This is not coldness but mastery: he feels deeply, but he is not carried away. The cup shows his openness to love, art and compassion, while the sceptre shows his authority and responsibility. The leaping fish and the ship suggest the two sides of his world, the creative life of the unconscious and the practical journeys of everyday affairs, both under his calm guidance.
Upright
Ambitious, artistic, a mentor, creative, educated and kind, religious, responsible, a good speaker, a romantic nature, a mediator, philosophical in nature.
Reversed
Seduction, lack of virtue, unscrupulousness, injustice, failed negotiations.