The fish in the cup

Marcia959

The page of cups is one of my favorite cards. You have to be in an "uncluttered" state of mind, like being a page or a messenger, to hear the fish speak. And as the page, your job is the carry the message, maybe translate it from fish-speak to a language the intended recipient can understand. If you are good at what you do, the translation is very close to the original meaning; if you're blocked, whether you've closed yourself off (even through bias as being discussed in another thread) or something has blocked you, the translation is incomplete. After all, how many of us speak perfect Fish, right? And the fish's perspective is that it is only in a cup of the unconcious, not the whole ocean. So the fish's message in and of itself may be incomplete. But who could carry the whole ocean in a cup anyway? Are we capable of understanding the entire message? So it comes to us in cups, in portions we may be able to handle. Whether you're the fish or the page, it's clear that your job isn't to FIX the message or the situation; it is only to speak, translate, carry, transport, deliver.
 

rif

My interpretation is quite "plain" compared to these others... I always thought of the fish as a special friend able to give advice or share information.

Oddly enough, this is my favorite card in the Albano-Waite deck, which is my preferred RWS variant. I love the way the Page seems to be interacting with the fish; it's like his special friend from the animal kingdom. I especially like the way the fish looks to be laughing, which I only see in the Albano-Waite; it makes it look like the two are sharing a joke, probably told by that clever fish.

So I don't know what it means, but those are the thoughts that go through my head about the fish in this card. :)
 

Major Tom

It's the same playfullness we see in the Valet of Cups from the TdM. Certainly the fish is important. What's in the cup is important.
 

Seafra

Always thought the fish was connecting the Page to what is in the cup -- introducing him to that which is not the conscious mind. Does hook in to Christianity IMO. Always liked the Grail storyline -- a old Mary Greer post brought it to my notice.
 

firemaiden

Marcia959 said:
The page of cups is one of my favorite cards. You have to be in an "uncluttered" state of mind, like being a page or a messenger, to hear the fish speak. And as the page, your job is the carry the message, maybe translate it from fish-speak to a language the intended recipient can understand. If you are good at what you do, the translation is very close to the original meaning; if you're blocked, whether you've closed yourself off (even through bias as being discussed in another thread) or something has blocked you, the translation is incomplete. After all, how many of us speak perfect Fish, right? And the fish's perspective is that it is only in a cup of the unconscious, not the whole ocean. So the fish's message in and of itself may be incomplete. But who could carry the whole ocean in a cup anyway? Are we capable of understanding the entire message? So it comes to us in cups, in portions we may be able to handle. Whether you're the fish or the page, it's clear that your job isn't to FIX the message or the situation; it is only to speak, translate, carry, transport, deliver.
Click to expand...
Wow, Marcia, that's absolutely brilliant. Thank you for this. The fish that surfaces is like the message that surfaces in the magic eight-ball... remember those?
 

lark

Whenever I notice the fish for me it means a surprise is coming, something that was totally off the radar that I never expected or thought about.
After all how would you feel if you went to take a drink and you found a fish in your cup?
 

ofbainbridge

The page is the fish...A fish out of water when it comes to emotions and relationships...That's my take- a person without a whole lot of experience in love and emotions and so out of his normal element...

Peace
 

Alissa

In my brain sphere, he represents a message for the Page. Pretty basic.

I do like what Marcia959 wrote.
 

Milfoil

I always thought that the fish went further back than the Arthurian stuff. The Salmon was the oldest and wisest animal in the Celtic pantheon (and other cultures too, the salmon is seen as a wisdom bringer), the fish seems to be associated with knowlege. The page is starting to seek wisdom but it isn't part of him yet. He holds it, knows of it but cannot fully integrate it yet.

Being a creature of water, emotional wisdom is something that we learn a great deal about from puberty onwards, it is in our grasp but not easy to integrate.

My 2c
 
6 swords reversed declaration ???? RWS beginner