What a mistake to suppose that the passions are strongest in youth! The passions are not stronger, but the control over them is weaker! They are more easily excited, they are more violent and apparent; but they have less energy, less durability, less intense and concentrated power than in the maturer life. --Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English dramatist, novelist, & politician (1803 - 1873)

Remember that spitfire, the Knight of Wands? Well, here is a more seasoned version. The King of Wands is a youthful man, not in age but in spirit and energy. He has acquired the ability to actually think through his actions and channel them to their most effective outcome. He's a lot less apt to go off half-cocked. Nooo, this man is fully-cocked, loaded, and has really good aim. He's tempered that raging flame with thoughtfulness and chooses his phrases and actions more carefully. While the Knight merely blurts out whatever his latest idea happens to be, the King has the ability to persuade others that his ideas really will work and he is able to gather support for his hairbrained, I mean creative and unique, schemes.

The King of Wands, elementally speaking, is "air of fire" -- the air giving the flame oxygen to burn, so it makes the fire less apt to burn itself out. It can burn just as brightly as the Knight's fire on fire, but it will last longer. Or, it can rage out of control consuming the oxygen and filling the air with acrid smoke. Yeah, this King still has the capacity for consuming rage and unlike the Knight's straw-fire anger that blows hot but is overwith quickly, the King's anger can last a while and do quite a bit more damage. Conversely, his overactive mind can quench his passion's flame and blow it right out, in which case we have a brooding, discontented man whose vision is clouded and who lives on the warmth of yesterday's fires but is unable to spark enough of a flame to get anything accomplished today. Reversed or ill-dignified he can represent a wrathful man with a serious anger problem or a man in need of Viagra, or both. Take your prick, I mean pick.

When the King of Wands appears in a reading he is usually a great sign of encouragement to put those long thought-out plans into action. You've done your homework, you've checked out the feasibility of the project, now get moving. Set things into motion, rally support, delegate, get the word out. However, he also lets you know that if anything will be done, YOU have to do it. The buck will stop with you, so take that responsibility and know that you're in charge and to you will lie all acclaim or blame. He is telling you that your ideas are good ones, but don't act impulsively or without reading the subclauses, else you could burn out too quickly. Keep your mind engaged fully in your actions and see it through to the end. This is not a time to quit because the going got a little tough or you've lost interest, no. You started this because it meant something to you, so fire up those brain cells and see if there might be a different way around or through the problems. Or maybe you can get someone else to do the hard stuff. Now that's using your head, King of Wands style.


Love and Mystery Tarot by By Moonprincess Himiko & Ayumi Kasai Tarot Deck Published by Seibido Shuppan
DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip & Stephanie Carr-Gomm and Will Worthington Published by Connections and St. Martin's Press 2004