"But the child who had fallen into the bay was guarded by the druidess who wafted it to the home of its father, Kian, and Kian gave it in fosterage to his brother the smith, who taught the child his own trade and made it skilled in every manner of craft and handiwork. This child was Lugh. When he was grown to a youth, the Danaans placed him in charge of Duach, and here he dwelt until he reached manhood"
taken from 'The Coming of Lugh', Celtic Myths and Legends, by T. W. Rolleston
A week or so ago, I was having a period of disconnection with the cards. It seemed that I was not the only one. Around the same time, other readers were feeling out of tune with the tarot. A good friend of mine suggested that I bring something else to my readings. She thought that it might help to use a random piece of writing to help with my interpretations. Because I was using this deck, she suggested some Celtic poetry as an example. Even though I seem to be getting back on track with my readings, I had kept this idea in mind all week, and found a book of Celtic stories in a second-hand bookstore this morning. After drawing one card from the tarot, I randomly poked my finger into the book and found a paragraph about the Celtic god, Lugh.
Due to a Druidic prophecy that he would be slain by his own grandson, King Balor locked his only child, Ethnia, in a high tower, Tor Mor, with twelve matrons to keep her away from all men. However, a man called Kian wanted revenge on Balor for theft, so with the help of a druidess, disguised himself as a woman and sought shelter in the tower. The druidess put an enchantment on the matrons, and when Kian had left, Ethnia was pregnant. She gave birth to three sons, and when Balor heard of the news, he ordered that the children must be drowned. A servant wrapped the babies in a cloth and took them to the river, but one of them fell out of the wrapping, so only two were killed. The child that survived was Lugh.
As described in my randomly chosen paragraph, Lugh grew up to learn many trades. In the second battle of Moy Tura, he threw a stone into Balor's eye and killed him, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
When I first looked at Lisa Hunt's Knight of Pentacles, I did not instantly see a female, which the accompanying book to the deck states she is. Since the lines of masculinity and femininity in people are far more blurry these days than they once was, I guess that it doesn't really make much difference if we see an effeminate man or a masculine woman in this figure. As a preference, I prefer the former. With his tights and long red hair, he appears quite modern and stands with pride. Below him, we can see others working on some kind of stone structure. With his sleeves rolled up, so to speak, we can see that this is his world - one of hard work, skill, and the physical. I was quite surprised to pull out the paragraph about Lugh with this card, since he fleshes out my thoughts around this particular knight pretty well.
I have come to realise that even though I am not very much like him, I seem to always date guys who are similar to the Knight of Pentacles. The last real relationship I was in before I met my fiance ended around nine years ago. My partner and I were together for five long years, and in that time, we lived as a couple in three different places. Even though we are no longer in touch now, I still sometimes think of him when the Knight of Pentacles turns up in a day or reading.
Out of all of the knights, this is the only one which is stationary. The Knight of Swords holds back a pretty scary-looking white dragon, the Knight of Cups takes to the waves on a more sensitive green one, and in the light of the moon, the Knight of Wands rides amongst the stars on the back of his familiar. Where as the other three dash into the frame of their cards, this one takes that bit more time to survey his surroundings. Rather than going at things like a bull at a gate, he prefers to consider and plan his next move, since he knows it has to be done properly. These traits remind me very much of my ex-boyfriend.
My ex and I were miles apart in personality. Where as I would jump into something with both feet and hope for the best, he would arduously plan every step, to assure it's success. Being inpatient by nature, and one to skip the boring details, this frustrated the more spontaneous side of me, as everything took us twice as long to do. Where as I could zip through and clean our flat in an hour, it would take my ex that long to devise a cleaning schedule before even starting. This difference in one another lead to many an argument. In my mind, he took too long to do anything. And in his, I didn't invest enough time into doing things properly.
But even though my ex-boyfriend's obsessive attention to detail irritated the hell out of me at times, it was also one of the things which I deeply admired in him. Possibly, because it was a quality that I didn't possess myself. I knew that if someone wanted a job done, he would do it to the very best of his ability. How ever dull the challenge was for him, a job done was worth doing properly, and he never cut corners. He wasn't work-shy and would roll up his sleeves for many a task. I think this is the main reason that he has always been successful within work. He is dependable and hardworking. When the Knight of Pentacles falls into a day, I think of my ex's characteristics. The card is a good challenge for me, as it often turns up to remind me that some serious graft or planning is needed.
These days, I have begun to think about my ex less when this card is pulled, since it also describes the man I am in a relationship with now. He is also a hard worker. While those around him come in late, leave early, take lots of time of sick, and shirk their responsibilities, my boyfriend puts in the hours and does more than his fair share. Where as I moan about having to do this or that, he simply gets on with it. He is dependable and stable, which is why I often link him to the Knight of Pentacles, but of course, he is more than just that. As an event, the Knight of Pentacles lets us know that something will get done, slowly but certainly, if handled by someone else. He displays someone who is loyal, trustworthy and committed to their goal. If it represents advice, it asks us to behave in the way that this person would.
As Lugh, the Knight of Pentacles looks out over his landscape. The workers below represent his trade and symbolise all that he has achieved so far. Being lower down, they show how he has not forgotten where he has come from. Standing high, the card also shows his foresight and goals. When I look at this image, I can now see Lugh as he reaches adulthood. Trained as a warrior, druid, smith, physician, and carpenter, he is ready to consider the battle of Moy Tura.
Illustration from The Celtic Dragon Tarot by Lisa Hunt
Due to a Druidic prophecy that he would be slain by his own grandson, King Balor locked his only child, Ethnia, in a high tower, Tor Mor, with twelve matrons to keep her away from all men. However, a man called Kian wanted revenge on Balor for theft, so with the help of a druidess, disguised himself as a woman and sought shelter in the tower. The druidess put an enchantment on the matrons, and when Kian had left, Ethnia was pregnant. She gave birth to three sons, and when Balor heard of the news, he ordered that the children must be drowned. A servant wrapped the babies in a cloth and took them to the river, but one of them fell out of the wrapping, so only two were killed. The child that survived was Lugh.
As described in my randomly chosen paragraph, Lugh grew up to learn many trades. In the second battle of Moy Tura, he threw a stone into Balor's eye and killed him, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
When I first looked at Lisa Hunt's Knight of Pentacles, I did not instantly see a female, which the accompanying book to the deck states she is. Since the lines of masculinity and femininity in people are far more blurry these days than they once was, I guess that it doesn't really make much difference if we see an effeminate man or a masculine woman in this figure. As a preference, I prefer the former. With his tights and long red hair, he appears quite modern and stands with pride. Below him, we can see others working on some kind of stone structure. With his sleeves rolled up, so to speak, we can see that this is his world - one of hard work, skill, and the physical. I was quite surprised to pull out the paragraph about Lugh with this card, since he fleshes out my thoughts around this particular knight pretty well.
I have come to realise that even though I am not very much like him, I seem to always date guys who are similar to the Knight of Pentacles. The last real relationship I was in before I met my fiance ended around nine years ago. My partner and I were together for five long years, and in that time, we lived as a couple in three different places. Even though we are no longer in touch now, I still sometimes think of him when the Knight of Pentacles turns up in a day or reading.
Out of all of the knights, this is the only one which is stationary. The Knight of Swords holds back a pretty scary-looking white dragon, the Knight of Cups takes to the waves on a more sensitive green one, and in the light of the moon, the Knight of Wands rides amongst the stars on the back of his familiar. Where as the other three dash into the frame of their cards, this one takes that bit more time to survey his surroundings. Rather than going at things like a bull at a gate, he prefers to consider and plan his next move, since he knows it has to be done properly. These traits remind me very much of my ex-boyfriend.
My ex and I were miles apart in personality. Where as I would jump into something with both feet and hope for the best, he would arduously plan every step, to assure it's success. Being inpatient by nature, and one to skip the boring details, this frustrated the more spontaneous side of me, as everything took us twice as long to do. Where as I could zip through and clean our flat in an hour, it would take my ex that long to devise a cleaning schedule before even starting. This difference in one another lead to many an argument. In my mind, he took too long to do anything. And in his, I didn't invest enough time into doing things properly.
But even though my ex-boyfriend's obsessive attention to detail irritated the hell out of me at times, it was also one of the things which I deeply admired in him. Possibly, because it was a quality that I didn't possess myself. I knew that if someone wanted a job done, he would do it to the very best of his ability. How ever dull the challenge was for him, a job done was worth doing properly, and he never cut corners. He wasn't work-shy and would roll up his sleeves for many a task. I think this is the main reason that he has always been successful within work. He is dependable and hardworking. When the Knight of Pentacles falls into a day, I think of my ex's characteristics. The card is a good challenge for me, as it often turns up to remind me that some serious graft or planning is needed.
These days, I have begun to think about my ex less when this card is pulled, since it also describes the man I am in a relationship with now. He is also a hard worker. While those around him come in late, leave early, take lots of time of sick, and shirk their responsibilities, my boyfriend puts in the hours and does more than his fair share. Where as I moan about having to do this or that, he simply gets on with it. He is dependable and stable, which is why I often link him to the Knight of Pentacles, but of course, he is more than just that. As an event, the Knight of Pentacles lets us know that something will get done, slowly but certainly, if handled by someone else. He displays someone who is loyal, trustworthy and committed to their goal. If it represents advice, it asks us to behave in the way that this person would.
As Lugh, the Knight of Pentacles looks out over his landscape. The workers below represent his trade and symbolise all that he has achieved so far. Being lower down, they show how he has not forgotten where he has come from. Standing high, the card also shows his foresight and goals. When I look at this image, I can now see Lugh as he reaches adulthood. Trained as a warrior, druid, smith, physician, and carpenter, he is ready to consider the battle of Moy Tura.
Illustration from The Celtic Dragon Tarot by Lisa Hunt
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