The Knight of Wands displays a knight charging through the land, holding a sprouted wand as his horse rears up. The knight has armour on and looks to be very intent on what lies ahead. In fact, the knight looks like someone who’s trying to take charge of his life by breaking out and beginning his life, career, or artistic project with his entire heart in the effort. He signifies when a young man must go out into the real world and make his mark. The knight seems prepared for anything and is gleaming in his noble pose on the horse he rides. He can often be seen as a romantic figure in women’s lives due to his handsome dress and white horse. He is very kind and well-mannered; he’s romantic and artistic in addition to being charming.
The court cards of each Minor Arcana Suit represent people, and the physical and astrological characteristics of a person as well. In the case of knights, there are astrologically significant details that should be made known. The Knight of Wands is associated with the signs of Cancer and Leo. The nature of the energy that is carried by the Knight of Wands is considered fixed for Leo and cardinal for Cancer. This shows that these individuals are very stable and have the quality of endurance in their energies when the individual being identified is a Leo, and there is creative and ambitious energy within the Cancer described by the Knight of Wands. The elemental property of this particular knight, which is air energy, mixes with the energy of the suit he appears in: fire energy. The Knight of Wands shows a combination of fire and air energy, which embodies combustion. This indicates that the Knight of Wands in a spread is speaking to combustion or the burning desire for creative projects and success. The physical characteristics often found to accompany a Knight of Wands individual are brown eyes and light to dark brown hair. It is advised that the querent pay attention to the young man depicted in the Knight of Wands that has these physical characteristics.
Although there is very little to go on in terms of an outright card meaning, the surrounding cards will be of immense influence and importance to the Knight of Wands and the interpretation of it.
The Knight of Wands in an Upright Position
The upright position of the Knight of Wands show a young man who is just setting out on his own for the first time. He has a lust for adventure and is extremely prepared for what is before him. He has creative power and is about to head out on a journey towards his goals for creative prosperity. This card is always used to symbolize a love interest of someone or a young woman’s husband. In fact, if a woman is single, the Knight of Wands can signify the man she will take up a new relationship with. He is considered the chivalrous knight who is polite and interested in what is fair and right for everyone involved. Whenever a court card appears in a spread, it does not necessarily always signify a real human being, but a quality within the card that the querent needs to take up as part of his own persona or philosophies in order to experience growth and a better outlook on life.
The querent could find this to be a nudge to act more like the chivalrous knight and less selfish or self-absorbed. This can also be a warning to be more passionate about one’s career and artistic goals. The Knight of Wands shows how the querent should be ready to mount the horse and gallop off into the great unknown if they wish to have even the slightest chance of succeeding. The querent may need to develop great charm in order to create a worthwhile future for himself; excellent communication skills are important in getting where the querent wants to go. There is a need for exploration into things that the querent may have overlooked or neglected to think of when planning their venture, and the querent is urged to explore new places, new people, and new ideas in order to keep the momentum from the last card, the Page of Wands, alive.
The Knight of Wands in a Reversed Position
A reversal of a court card has an inverse meaning that corresponds with the court card it is attached to. The reversal of the Knight of Wands shows a young man who can be quite a sore loser. He ends to have temper tantrums and pouting fits if he doesn’t get his way, and he’s the master of the silent treatment, so anyone who crosses him will have to make the first move when trying to make amends with him or it will never happen. The reversed Knight of Wands also involves other people in his drama, so he isn’t above spreading rumours to paint the opposing party in a negative light. He can also be the abusive romantic partner that’s good at pretending to be sweet as pie around others but is ruthless and vindictive when behind closed doors. He is highly competitive and doesn’t enjoy sharing the limelight with anyone, and will attempt to overshadow others where he can.
The querent can also take a few cues from the presence of the Knight of Wands in a reversed position. It can show that the querent may be stealing the spotlight from another, or is a little harsh with his romantic partners. This card can call the querent on a lot of his bad behaviour if it applies to them, and if not, this could be a message meant for someone in his close circle who is a bully of sorts who takes over everything and has to be the complete centre of attention everywhere he goes. The querent must also be careful of this: stealing people’s thunder at work or taking credit for another’s creative efforts. The querent can benefit greatly from working on these aspects of himself.
Key Terms
- Charm
- Noble and chivalrous
- Great performer
- Romantic Interest
- Abusive partner
- Spotlight hog