Dreamers, activists, malcontents, I'd like to introduce you to Emily Wernet's fledgling webcomic Moonlighting. Its heroine, a high school girl named Billy, has a secret life that she is still only dimly conscious of -- which probably has to do with the superhero sightings pouring in from the streets of her boring suburb.
What I love most about the orange-tinted supergirl -- and what cements her as a Princess of Cups -- is the way she expresses herself. Where others speak mere words, her speech bubbles are filled with images that express her intent symbolically. It's a wonderful motif that illustrates what it would be like for a dreamworld creature to interact with everyday people. It also reminds me of the alien creature's telepathy in this Aeon Flux episode. (As Trevor Goodchild describes it, "Her language of pictures is at once more poetic and more precise.")
Rather than inducing a state of paralysis or stagnation, the Princess's suspension between the material world and the watery dreamworld compels her to action in both realms. She may not yet understand herself, but she will learn by doing and speaking, articulating her inner vision as it reveals itself to her. Incapable of the Queen's deep-sea excursions, the Princess trains by executing a series of shallow dives into her unconscious. This has the benefit of making her more accessible to the surface-dwellers out there, and let's face it, we all need a hero who encourages us to straddle that divide ourselves.
2.03.2010
"At Once More Poetic And More Precise..."
7.01.2009
"A Bridge Between Feeling And Action..."
I find it weirdly apt that I could only find a handful of photos of Linda Jones, the late "Empress of Soul", on the internet. Her vocal expression probably rendered attempts to capture her essence in photography quite futile. When you can see sing like this, what in the world else could a picture possibly have to say?
This particular track is equal parts breathless patter and seismic vocal eruption. It's as though her emotional payload is so great that speaking becomes inadequate and the runoff is channeled into song -- sort of like a pressure-release valve. She sings like a woman possessed; her voice and even her body can barely constrain the force inside her. As opposed to Alice Clark, who "keeps it hid", Jones fearless broadcasts the feelings she's discovered, even the painful ones:
I've always preferred Shirley Bassey's version of "I Who Have Nothing", but I begrudgingly admit that Jones' is more emotionally authentic, without sacrificing any of the drama or vocal pyrotechnics. It's so tempting to imagine what else she would have wrought upon the world if she'd lived longer; Jones died of diabetes complications at the of 28, just as her star was rising -- and mere months after recording "Your Precious Love".
The Princess of Cups is an elusive figure in readings and in life. It's hard to know for sure who she is, but what she wants is unmistakable -- she broadcasts her feelings and desires with zero ambiguity. This Princess is a bridge between feeling and action; whereas the revelations experienced by the Queen of Cups serve to enhance her own wisdom and understanding, the Princess's discoveries have a far greater influence on others than on herself. She instinctively latches onto great truths and makes them evident to others in her words and deeds, perhaps without even realizing it. This makes her a valuable and inspiring lover, friend, or ambassador. She has yet to graduate to the sort of profound self-knowledge that will make her a true leader, but she knows all of that will come in time. Meanwhile, there is no one who faces greater challenges or attains sweeter bliss than someone whose dreams are constantly on the verge of coming true.
5.24.2009
The Princess of Cups
1. Being receptive, especially to the offer of love
2. Person who is psychic, receptive, or romantic
3. Person who lives in a fantasy world.
-- David Allen Hulse, The Western Mysteries
5.26.2008
Princess of Cups
Like the Queen, the Princess of Cups trades exclusively in romantic dreams and other intangibles-- but unlike the Queen, she intrepidly carries them out into the world, searching for ways to wring reality out of them and make them come true. Naïve? Perhaps. But her restless spirit and curiosity will practically guarantee a steady flow of meaningful encounters, artistic inspirations, and emotional transformations for her to keep her occupied. Because she's both observant and compassionate, you'll find she's a natural diplomat as well as friend or lover.
Hello Kitty may have begun as an almost insultingly simple cuteness cash-in, but she's become a beloved symbol for all these qualities-- to the point that Japan recently appointed her as its Ambassador of Tourism to China. I doubt she'll be fazed by that responsibility; after all, she's been the United States children's ambassador to Unicef since 1983. Over the years, so many people have asked her parent-company Sanrio why Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth that they've added their response to the FAQ: "Hello Kitty speaks from her heart." She is clearly a stronger and more enduring force than anyone could have ever suspected, and I think the Princess of Cups will surprise you similarly.
Hello Kitty actually has Tarot deck of her very own! Click the card above to browse its images, which may stun or sicken depending on your tolerance for marshmallowy animal magnetism.
