pg. 1

Tarot Card Meanings with Benebell Part XI: The Knights (THOTH: PRINCES)

Video Transcript

https://youtu.be/DPOHNvheW7o

This installment of Tarot Card Meanings with Benebell will be on the Knights, comparing and studying

what seminal texts in history have given as the card meaning attributions for the Tarot de Marseille, the

Rider-Waite-Smith, and the Thoth. We’ll also be looking at the deck I created, the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot.

Going forward, we’ll be showcasing the full-color Revelation Edition of the SKT.

INTRODUCTION TO THE KNIGHTS & REVIEWING PAST LECTURES

We kicked off the course in the Supernal Triangle, or the Fiery Archetypal World where we’ve already

covered the Kings and Queens. We crossed the Abyss, passing through the unseen sephira, Daath*,

descending below to Chesad, the tarot Fours, building order from chaos, then the Fives in Gevurah,

destabilizing to expand and progress, then the Sixes in Tifereth, arriving at harmony. [*See erratum.]

And before crossing the veil, we explored the second Ethical Triangle, the Creative World of the Mind,

corresponding with the element Air. Here is successful initiation, where the Ethical Triad designates a

union between the human soul and the divine soul, the ethical reconciliation of God’s Will and the human

will.

We crossed that veil into Netzach, realm of Sevens, the realm in which we hone our reasoning skills, our

discernment, and learn how we can choose to exercise our free will and right of choice. Then we explored

the Eights in Yod.

After our descent below The Veil to master discernment and reasoning in Netzach with the Realm of

Sevens, we explored the Realm of Eights through Yod. We now return in an ascent up and behind The

Veil into the Mysteries, now fortified with discernment and reasoning skills, to re-explore Tifereth with

the Knights, the Shining Ones in the Empyrean Court that are angels, or aspects of our higher selves

fortified by the discernment and reasoning we acquired during our descent below The Veil.

Tifereth is a feminine noun, signifying Harmony and Beauty. This emanation is unconditional maternal

love and mercy where the upper sephiroth and lower sephiroth and brought into balance. Tifereth is

personified by Jacob, who wrestled with an angel and became Israel.

This is also the realm of the tarot Knights. In the SKT, the Knights are The Shining Ones, the namesake

after the corresponding angel hierarchy. The action-oriented energy of the Knights here convey the

dynamic symmetry exemplifying Tifereth, creating a center of gravity between the two polarities of

pillars.

pg. 2

Boaz is the Feminine or Dark Pillar. Jachim is the Masculine

Pillar, Lighter, and together, signify a familiar icon from Key 2:

The High Priestess card. Mark Horn, author of Tarot and the

Gates of Light, likens Tifereth to the realm of bodhisattvas in the

Buddhist tradition.

Here in Tifereth, we

remember: God said, Let

there be Light, and there

was Light. And so it was

revealed in the Book of

Illumination, the Sefer Ha

Bahir. In the Priestess

card, we see the priestess,

Sophia, standing in the

place of the Middle Pillar.

Tifereth, residence of the

Knights, here along the

Middle Pillar, is where

God’s Will, Let there be

Light, reconciles with the

Miracles Performed. And there was Light.

Let’s also consider how Crowley reconciled the I Ching and the

Qabalistic Tree of Life. We’re sourcing this from The Equinox,

Volume III, Numbers 7 and 8. On screen you’ll be seeing the I

Ching correspondence symbols or glyphs found on the SKT

Revelation, now positioned along the Qabalistic Tree per Crowley’s attributions.

Tifereth, the realm of the Knights, would thus correspond with the trigram Fire, per Crowley.

Crowley’s I Ching Hexagram Correspondences for the Four Princes

42

On the Ascent

61

Faith Within

57

Use Gentle Force

53

Slow & Steady

PRINCE OF WANDS PRINCE OF CUPS PRINCE OF SWORDS PRINCE OF DISKS

pg. 3

Though in terms of hexagram correspondences, Crowley assigns Hexagram 42 to the Prince of Wands,

61 to the Prince of Cups, 57 to the Prince of Swords, and Hexagram 53 to the Prince of Disks. None of

these four hexagrams assigned to the Realm of Princes actually contain the trigram Fire, in Tifereth.

So it’s…it’s an intriguing theory but I admit leaves me with more questions than answers.

[NOTE: Crowley/OTO’s tarot, Hermetic Qabalah, and I Ching correspondences diagram titled “The Chinese Cosmos” from

The Equinox was provided in the video transcript for the Tarot Eights.]

The Spirit Keeper’s Tarot is designed under a different system of I Ching correspondences.

I Ching Trigram Correspondences for the Four Princes

KNIGHT OF WANDS KNIGHT OF CUPS KNIGHT OF SWORDS KNIGHT OF PENTACLES

Each card is assigned a trigram, rather than a hexagram, and two by two in combination, the cards build

the hexagrams. The trigram correspondences are reconciled at the elemental level, so two trigrams of the

eight correspond with one of the four Western alchemical elements.

Fire, for the Knight of Scepters, Water, for the Knight of Chalices, Heaven, or Sky, for the Knight of

Swords, and Earth, for the Knight of Orbs.

Knights, the Shining Ones, are always metaphysical elements in action.

The Knight of Wands, Air of Fire, where the Realm of Knights corresponds with the element Air, and

the Wands corresponds with the element Fire, is about launching, take-off from the point of departure.

The Knight of Cups, Air of Water, is a spirit guide in soul retrieval and dream visualization. This is the

stirring of the waters of creation.

The Knight of Swords, Air of Air, is acting on that creativity, exerting courageous, even combative

willpower. This is what Waite describes as the “intellect unchained.”

The Knight of Pentacles, in the Thoth, the Disks, Air of Earth, where per elemental dignities, Air and

Earth weaken, the rapid, volatile pace of Air is tamed, given some weight and an anchor. This is

horsepower, what moves the engine so things can get done. This is productivity in motion.

pg. 4

CROWLEY’S THEORY FOR THE KNIGHTS & PRINCES

Before we jump in to card meanings, let’s talk about the Thoth. We’re sourcing our information from a

1912 publication in The Equinox, an occult periodical founded by Aleister Crowley, and the title of that

publication was “A Description of the Cards of the Tarot.”

When you look at the Knights or Cavaliers in the Marseille, those young strapping fellas on horseback,

and you look at the Knights from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the logical conclusion might be that the

Thoth Knights on horseback are their equivalent.

But then we read from Crowley himself that the tarot Kings are the “figures mounted on steeds,” riding

swiftly and clothed in armor, a force swift and violent in its action, but whose effect soon passes away,

case in point, the cards titled the Knights.

So then the Knight equivalents in the Thoth would be the Princes, the Mighty Son of the King (that was

the Knight) and the Queen. The Princes are seated in chariots. And so in this video on the Knights, we

are going to cover the Thoth Princes.

pg. 5

Crowley’s origins story for his Princes is kind of interesting. You’ll find this origins story for why the

court titles are what they are in The Equinox. This story applies to the courts in all four elemental realms,

but let’s demonstrate the origins story by focusing on the Suit of Cups.

In the old tarot, or the old architectural blueprint of the old Aeon, the old universe, the King of Cups and

Queen of Cups from that old universe had a daughter.

That daughter is this Queen of Cups. This Queen of Cups and the Knight of Cups from the new Aeon,

this revised architectural blueprint of the Universe, presumably more true, more evolved, had a child.

That child is the Prince of Cups, this tarot Knight card. Later, we’ll cover his sister, the Princess of Cups,

daughter of the Knight and Queen. Though brother and sister, they also marry, but as the prophecy of

the Aeon of Osiris holds, as told in the Book of Thoth, the Prince shall die, leaving the Princess widowed.

See what he did there? And why the Knight is the King and the Prince is the Knight?

KNIGHT OF WANDS

Let’s start with the Cavalier de Bâtons, or the Knight of Wands. On screen there in black and white for

your coloring pleasure, is the BOTA Tarot. Under the Marseilles system, according to MacGregor

Mathers, this is fiery action that results in the departure from what had been a stationary point, or a

separation from. Disunion.

So, by way of a few examples, if the Two of Cups is drawn immediately after the Knight of Wands, then

together these cards foretell a separation from a lover, a departure happening in a romance or friendship,

disunion among kindred spirits.

If the Knight of Wands is paired with the Four of Swords, we now have a double negative, which equals

a positive, so here we see the end of solitude, the end of a retreat, or a reunion of some sort. This is

someone who was in social isolation emerging again, being part of the community once more.

pg. 6

The Knight of Wands paired with the Three of Coins brings

a negative meaning to the otherwise positive Three of Coins.

By itself, the Three of Coins is an elevation in rank, dignity,

or power. Paired with the Knight of Wands, however, which

shows the verb or action of departure, we see a demotion,

descent, lowering of rank or power.

In the 1881 Belline Tarot, which features handwritten

keywords, you’ll see that the assigned meaning echoes this

concept of the Knight of Wands, the Combattant du Sceptre,

indicates a departure.

There’s a legend of a hwarang knight, pictured here in The

Shining Flame, who was young, brave, and took off from

base camp in the middle of the night to attack the enemy. He

was caught several times, and each time, due to how young

and brave he was, he inspired the mercy of the enemy’s

general, so each time he was returned to his master

unharmed. The Shining Flame is the courage and maybe

even a little bit of the recklessness to dare, to depart from

and venture away from your comfort zone.

According to Waite, his Knight of Wands is heading out on

a journey, but he’s not wearing war-like armor, and he’s

passing pyramids. This is a fun adventure, one where the

spirits are positive.

In the Thoth, the Prince of Wands characterizes a fast-

talking, strong, courageous, impulsive, hot-headed, and

opinionated young man. This can designate someone whose

sun sign or rising sign is a degree in the last decan of Cancer,

Moon in Cancer, or the first two decans of Leo, Saturn in

Leo or Jupiter in Leo.

By the way, the transcripts for every video lecture in this series is provided in tandem, and if you’re

serious about using this series to study the tarot, then I would recommend having the lecture transcripts

on hand while you listen, because seeing the words reinforces the learning process. Reading the text

while experiencing my lecture, having the visuals, actively taking notes, handling your cards, all of it

together will help reinforce and solidify the learning process.

In the SKT, the four Knights have as their companions the four mythical elemental creatures. Here in

The Shining Flame, it’s the salamander, which you’ll see embroidered on the golden tunic of the Knight

of Wands in the RWS.

By the way, not related, or maybe it is, the composition of Key 11: Lust, the Strength card from the

Thoth is rather similar to the composition of the Knight of Wands here in the RWS, isn’t it? Pictured

here on Lust is Babylon riding the Beast per Revelation 17.

pg. 7

And here’s the Prince of Wands, the Knight equivalent, in the Thoth. Notice how the sigil of To Mega

Therion, Greek for The Great Beast, or the Mark of the Beast, is on the breast of the Prince of Wands.

To Mega Therion, if you recall, was also inscribed into the blade of the Ace of Swords.

OFF-TOPIC TANGENT

You’ll also find it embedded into the Ace of Disks, in that center medallion, the same sigil found on that

Prince of Wands, now with the added 666, just in case it wasn’t clear what this is all about. “To Mega

Therion” also appears along the outer ring of that Ace of Disks medallion.

This relates back to Babalon, the Scarlet Woman, consort to The Great Beast, To Mega Therion. The

Devil, writes Crowley, isn’t just the poison described by Freud and the shadow that Carl Jung talks about,

you know, The Devil card, shadow work, blah blah blah, but The Devil is also the lust for knowledge,

the thirst for power, which, if tamed by the Holy Guardian Angel, transforms into Divine Wisdom.

And if you’re thinking, this is the Satanic devil-worshipping talk of Crowley, well, that devout Catholic

Eliphas Levi says pretty much the same thing in Transcendental Magic.

When Art goes through the experience of The Devil, there will be a dismantling and a purging that

reveals The Star within. Incidentally, the card entry for Lust in the Book of Thoth features a recurring

imagery and reference to the stars. Crowley further makes reference to the sign of Capricornus, the white

goat, as the Lord of the Stars.

The (quote) “cruelty, misery and collective insanity” (end quote) descriptive of The Devil as

demonstrated by the error of Christian Mystics is tethered inextricably to Knowledge and Conversation

of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Let’s take a look at the Tree of Life again. Tifereth is the sphere of the tarot Knights.

pg. 8

The path from Gevurah to Tifereth is the path corresponding with Key 11, which in the Thoth is Lust,

equivalent to the Strength card. The path from Hod to Tifereth is the path corresponding with Key 15:

The Devil, the consort to Babalon, the Scarlet Woman pictured on Key 11.

The path from Yesod leading to the sphere of the Knights is the path of Key 14, The Angel, alchemized

from the union of The Great Beast and the Scarlet Woman through the Knights. These Knights (the

Thoth Princes) carry Divine Will through the Path of Art, which is knowledge and conversation with the

Holy Guardian Angel, into the realm of Nines, through Key 21: The World, and finally into Malkuth,

the realm of the Pages, or Princesses.

Yowsers, we are way off topic. Let’s put a pin in this and we’ll circle back to deep-dive into these cards

when we get to the Major Arcana. But I think this is good. Micro-doses of Hermetic Qabalah and by the

way– by the time we’re through, all of this will be solidly encoded in your mind’s memory, and

comprehension.

KNIGHT OF WANDS, CONT’D.

Upright, in general, the Knight of Wands, Prince of Wands, is telling you to act on your impulse to

advance. Court cards are typically interpreted as people, and for this card, I’ve read everything from

blond haired blue-eyed young man to dark haired and friendly.

So let’s just stick with personality traits.

Reversed, this is hesitation to do what you are yearning to set out to do. This is rejecting your own

courage, your own True Will. I think of this energy as initially running out toward an adventure but just

a few gallops out, you stop, think twice, “Nope, nevermind” and turn back to base camp, back to safety

and familiarity.

If the Knight of Wands was about departure, then the Knight of Cups is about arrival and approaching

toward.

pg. 9

KNIGHT OF CUPS

The Knight of Cups followed by the Three of Coins, for example, amplifies the positive forecast of this

card, so it’s quick advancement toward some kind of a promotion with financial gains. The Knight of

Cups paired with the Four of Swords could suggest emotion-charged action that results in a retreat, an

abandonment of something that results in solitude. And with the Two of Cups, here’s a really good omen

for love and a romantic relationship.

The Belline 1881 tarot keywords also

suggests that this card signifies an arrival of

something. The facial expressions of the

people in some of these historical decks, am

I right? Here’s the Soprafino. And here’s

the Knight of Cups in the Visconti.

The RWS Knight of Cups has some

interesting juxtapositions. He’s decked out

in full protective armor, but Waite

describes him as graceful, not warlike,

riding quietly. The winged helmet, which

you’ll also find on the Thoth Prince of

Cups, refers to the higher graces of

imagination. This is someone who is a

dreamer.

When this card comes up, you might be offered a proposition.

Reversed, Waite warns that the Knight of Cups is a duplicitous, two-

faced person, saying one thing, but meaning or intending to do

another. I might liken this energy to creativity, romance, or

progressivism, liberalism gone awry.

pg. 10

Study the detailed imagery in these cards while I talk.

Crowley cautions us that the whole of the symbolism in

the Prince of Cups is “exceedingly complicated.” For

better and for worse, this personality is an artist in all his

ways.

If you think how about the I Ching hexagram, Hexagram

61, that Crowley assigns to the Thoth Prince of Cups,

this card depicts a wind blowing across a lake,

nourishing, bringing joy, but be careful, warns the Book

of Changes, that you are responsive, not reactionary. To

get to the truth, you must show empathy and sympathy,

and that is the root wisdom here in the Knight of Cups.

The backdrop of The Shining Waters, by the way,

Waves of the Undine, which is the magical creature

associated with Water, is Florence during the height of

the Italian Renaissance.

In esoteric tarot, the Knight or Prince of Cups is the Airy

part of Water, or Steam, which is how Crowley

describes the alchemy of this card. And Steam is

produced when Fire heats Water. There’s Scorpio

energy here, which is a Water sign traditionally

represented by an eagle, ruled by Mars, a fiery planet

that also rules over Aries.

There is a “secret violence” to this personality, someone

who is going to present as calm, romantic, and

charismatic, but that is but a mask for an intense,

passionate zealot who may hold extremist views.

Secretly, this personality is ruthless, even when their

intentions are benevolent. And it’s that dark side unseen

that is revealed when this card appears in reverse.

Let’s talk about the astrological correspondences for the Knights. The most common zodiac attributions

when working with the RWS is to follow the elementals. So the Wands court corresponds with the Fire

signs. The Cups court corresponds with the Water signs, and so on.

Crowley’s zodiac attributions for the courts follow the decanates, or decan rulers. So the Prince of Wands

corresponds with the third decanate of Cancer and the first two decanates of Leo. The Prince of Cups

corresponds with the third decanate of Libra and the first two decanates of Scorpio. And so on. You can

download a JPG image file of that zodiac and tarot courts wheel from my website. I’ll link it in the video

description box.

Instead of the clear categories of elementals, Crowley says that each court card is a little of one elemental

sign and a little of the other because, quoting “The reason for this is that in the realm of the Elements all

things are mixed and confused, counter-checked and counter-balanced.”

pg. 11

KNIGHT OF SWORDS

Okay, moving on to the Knight or Prince of Swords.

In the Marseille, this is the quintessential soldier. Everything about this card says “warrior spirit.” This

person is highly-skilled, highly-trained, always shows up on time, is prompt and professional. In

traditional fortune-telling, this could represent a spy, a secret operative, someone who might be treating

you like a pawn, because it’s not about you; it’s about a mission.

I also like the implications of a personality who is arrogant, but perhaps that arrogance comes from just

being inexperienced. The Knight of Swords is not a bad guy. He just doesn’t totally know what he’s

doing but thinks he does. Which, admittedly, is a pretty bad combination.

Also, before I continue, notice the side profile face on the knight’s shoulder in all these historical

iterations of the card?

You’ll find this motif in Key 7: The Chariot card, this Knight of Swords, and the King of Swords. This

is a pauldron, part of the plate armor, circa 15th century. Ornately embellished armor was popular in

Italy at the time. Only someone of wealth and status would have such a pauldron, so our dear Knight of

Swords here is no ordinary soldier.

Reversed, the negative qualities of the Knight of Swords are more pronounced. Per Crowley, this is

someone who cares too much for trends and fashions, the superficial. Perhaps someone who drinks too

much, who self-medicates, or who is prone to becoming fanatical about music, religion, or social justice.

Actually, Crowley’s word for it is “humanitarianism.” They wander from one cult or one vice to

another.”

One of my favorite descriptions of the Knight of Swords comes from Crowley, who describes this

personality as someone “glib to quote Scripture aptly and cunningly to support any thesis whatsoever.”

He is impossible to defeat, because he is impossible to pin down. You don’t know what his position is,

and you don’t know where he’s going.

pg. 12

And for that reason, in The Shining Gale, the setting is obscured by clouds. You’ll see the opening

passage to the Diamond Sutra here, a sacred text about cutting through illusions and sudden flashes of

high-level insight. To know what it is, you must know what it is not. What it is not, is also what it is.

Waite describes the Knight of Swords as powerful, with the capability of scattering his enemies. He’s

heroic and pure of heart. And yet there is a sense of wrath and going on the warpath in this card’s

divinatory meaning. The Knight of Swords is the energy of opposition and resistance.

Crowley describes the Prince of Swords as one with a reputation for being highly intellectual. Psst….

Notice the diamond that is the Prince’s chariot? Diamond Sutra?

The sylph is a fairy-like air spirit, which you’ll find depicted in the Thoth Prince of Swords. I’ve given

the sylph a culture-specific makeover in The Shining Gale. In the RWS, you’re going to see

representations of butterflies throughout the Knight, Queen, and King of this suit.

Notice how in the Thoth, the charioteer himself is a sylph, commanding smaller sylphs to pull his chariot.

This could be symbolic of manipulation or a domineering influence over others.

KNIGHT OF PENTACLES (COINS/DISKS)

Finally, almost done, the Knight from the elemental realm of Earth. Coins, Pentacles, Disks, and Orbs,

because apparently nobody can agree on what this suit should be called.

Here is someone useful, trustworthy, prudent, and cautious. On screen you’ll also see versions of the

Knight of Coins from the Aluette deck, published by Grimaud around 1858, and Dame Fortune’s Wheel

Tarot by Paul Huson. The Knight of Coins represents someone who is very competent at what he does,

reliable, and gainfully employed. He has his eyes on his money, managing it responsibly, at all times.

Reversed, the slowness or lacking in swiftness associated with the Knight of Pentacles hurts more than

it helps.

pg. 13

Ill-dignified, the Knight of Coins shows someone brave with swagger, but probably unemployed, lazy,

or isn’t going to have the resources to be of service.

It can indicate slowness in pacing, resulting in delays. This is a lack of effort.

Financially, this can be an indication that you need to think of ways to increase cash flow, profit, or

income. Or, depending on neighboring cards, this can be referring to your physical health. Your body is

lacking nutrients, and so it’s life force weakened.

In the SKT, when The Shining Quarry comes up, the message is this: sometimes the best action is non-

action. Magically, The Shining Quarry as a tarot talisman is a finder’s card. It will help you find or

recover that which is lost.

In general, the essential wisdom of the Knight of Pentacles is this: Don’t feel like everything needs to be

accomplished tomorrow. Take your time. The horse you ride is heavier-set for a reason.

In the Thoth Prince of Disks, the charioteer looks meditative. The mathematical symbols in the orb

represent planning in agriculture. Notice the cube of space, In the other hand, the orb mounted on a cross

symbolizes the Great Work accomplished. Crowley says something about this card that I really love:

The Prince of Disks “seeks out new uses for common things.”

By the way, pause the screen and study the detailing in that Prince of Disks. It’s pretty incredible!

NEXT LECTURE: THE NINES

And that concludes our lecture on the tarot Knights, Thoth Princes.

We’ve been studying the Minor Arcana of the tarot patterned after the sephiroth on the Qabalistic Tree

of Life, navigating them by way of the paths, though we haven’t yet talked about those paths. We will

when we get to the Major Arcana. I keep showing you an animated map of where we’ve been and where

we’re going along the Tree of Life because I hope the more you see this, the more your knowledge and

understanding of tarot and Kabbalah’s intersection is reinforced. Through repetition, through seeing this,

hearing about it, over and over, you’re encoding comprehension of tarot and Hermetic Qabalah into your

memory.

Now on to the Nines.

ERRATUM

In the video lecture, Daath (or Da’at) was referred to as an “unseen sephira.” Daath is an emanation born

as the offspring of Chokhma and Binah. Whether Daath is considered a sephira hinges on differences in

interpretation of the Zohar. Most Jewish scholars do not count Daath as a sephira (Rabbi Moses ben

Jacob Cordovero [The Ramak], Pardes Rimonim) though some do, where Daath is the first sephira and

Keter is excluded (Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi [Ha’ARI], Sefer Etz Chaim). Where Keter

is excluded as a sephira, it is on the reasoning that Keter is an unknowable state of exaltation more

resonant with the Ein Sof and therefore not part of the sephiroth schema.

pg. 14

Tarot Card Meanings with Benebell

A Video Lecture Series

P A S T L E C T U R E S

The Aces 20:02 minutes Video Blog Post

The Twos 34:41 minutes Video Blog Post

The Threes 22:15 minutes Video Blog Post

The Kings/Knights 42:40 minutes Video Blog Post

The Queens 53:26 minutes Video Blog Post

The Fours 42:22 minutes Video Blog Post

The Fives 31:27 minutes Video Blog Post

The Sixes 38:40 minutes Video Blog Post

The Sevens 30:21 minutes Video Blog Post

The Eights 30:25 minutes Video Blog Post

BENEBELL WEN is the author of Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal

Growth (North Atlantic Books, 2015). Learn more about her work and access free educational and

business downloads at www.benebellwen.com.