OshoZen King of Clouds (Swords)

squeakmo9

The King of Clouds ~Control~

I suppose control can take on many guises, looking at this card reminds me when I was younger, I'd try to "buy" or maintain my friendships by getting people expensive gifts...well...or gifts I just could not afford, but got anyway. I truly was not aware of my intentions or actions until many, many years later. Even with this type of behavior...wanting to atttract people...I was still too scared to let people in, even friends, for fear that if they knew the real me, they would reject me. Well, rejection comes anyway, no matter how much I tried to avoid it, and the "real" me is actually someone I like with each passing day.
So when I look at this King, I sense that fear. The fear of letting go, perhaps getting hurt, really hurt. As I've grown older, I'm finding that I'm not caring so much what people think of me, that is not what is important. Being open to others is still a challenge, because I am rather shy, even as an adult. Considering that this is a King, to sense his insecurity as I do, endears me to him, and yet I respect (what I sense) his need for distance. Harsh words can come from one who fears too much and doesn't understand the reasons why. Believe me, I know.
 

Judith D

Just about every card in the suit of Clouds shows the negative, the constrained, the confined, aspects of our mental ability. The Ace, the Buddha, is all the huge potential, but it seems pretty downhill from there, as if we took a wrong turn. However, nearly all the cards do show a little hope, I think, an indication that there is a better way. It's like my favourite fridge magnet - 'if you can't be a good example you will have to be a terrible warning'.
The King again is totally constrained, boxed in, hard and controlled. There is no flow, no movement. Again as with the knight and queen, I see the inner fear of showing our inadequacy, our simplicity. So we cover ourselves up with layers of ice, or of armour, as thick a carapace as we can, and then find it difficult to get out, to let loose, when we wish to. You can't touch another being, physically or mentall, when you are encased in hardness. IN our Cloud deck, almost every card shows the clouds, and they appear not just as markers for the deck, but as a direct indication that this is all in our minds, and we can let it all go as soon as we see this, and wish it.

The traditional King of swords is a ruler, intellectual, confident, experienced, highly moral but possibly domineering and inflexible (like our Control King).
 

firecatpickles

I haven't looked at too many other air cards in this deck but I do see what you are getting at, about they being overly negative. Isn't Zen about relieving the pain by letting go, turning it over?

When I first turn this card over I immediately thought, "rollercoaster!" Then I read the key word at the bottom. It reminds me that the more we try to control our destiny, the less control we actually have. Princess Leah from Star Wars, "Lord Vader, can't you see the tighter your grip the more the Rebellion will slip through your fingers..."

Kings to me are mutable creatures, volatile. They are the ones who wage war with one another, for control. King of Cups, King of Coins --doesn't matter. This King is more upfront about it and , like his Queen, seemingly distasteful & gauche. I like them })
 

purple_scorp

Oh, it's my way or the highway!

He is pounding his fists down on the metal columns and he has that don't mess with me look on his face.

There are many layers to him though - look at the ripples in his chest. I doubt many would crack his tough exterior to make their way past the control-surface level.

Perhaps the Knight in armour has some chance!

Imagine what a fun party it would be to have the King and Queen (of Morality) as guests!

with love
purple_scorp
 

Master_Margarita

This is another masterful rendition of someone we're not supposed to like. When I look at this card, I see proud Pharoah, boxed into his pyramid. I see Ozymandias, who himself will be subject to impermanence. He is simultaneously ancient and forged of the very most modern materials--acrylic and polished stainless steel. His prison is made of congealed clouds--but a prison indeed he has made of his mind.

But as the LWB says, "If mistakes happen, it's okay."

This is the final card in this suit about the illusions that the mind creates. Thank goodness it's the last one.