King of Wands

spinningspider

Of the four Tarot suits in Robin's deck, Wands is the one that I can personally relate to best...perhaps because my astrological natal chart includes a Sagittarius sun (ruled by expansive Jupiter) and the fact that I often exude (and am told I portray) the qualities of Wands, for better or for worse. I'm pleased that Robin equated Wands with fire (as opposed to air) as this is the element that, in my humble (Ha! Wands-folks are NOT humble!) opinion, coincides best with the attributes, as I understand them, that Wands display. All is well when a fire provides warmth and comfort and it's energy is used intelligently, but look out when fire gets out-of-control! In fact, you'd do best to jump out of the way when a head-strong, Wands-ruled person gets a notion as to how things need to proceed, lest you be trampled. Thank goodness no one is purely Wands, nor any one suit for that matter, but instead a combination of all the suits...otherwise that fire would likely burn way too hot, until it burned itself OUT...but dangerously not until it hurt the person and/or others in the process. Robin wrote that Wands stand for, "...various stages of growth, and also will, negotiations, nimble speech, cleverness, and all aspects of life." She goes on to say that the lessons learned in Wands include, "focusing the will...self control, creativity and using energy wisely."

The "King of Wands" in the Robin Wood deck is a confident, probably downright cocky fellow who understands his own personality and uses it to his fullest advantage. This king has the unique ability to see the full picture, often before anyone else, and knows how to...dare I say...manipulate the situation to suit his needs (hopefully not excluding the needs of others.) He's one of those persons who just happens to be in the right place at the right time AND he recognizes a good thing when he sees it and acts accordingly. Call it good luck, but I prefer to say that this king has keen insight and a remarkable eye for opportunity. Robin drew a kindly, mirthful face because his basic fiber is full of joy, friendliness and, as Robin wrote in her book, "...as generous and good hearted as they come."

On the flip-side, the King of Wands isn't a happy camper when things do not go as he planned, especially when he feels justice hasn't been served. He's thrown off-balance when he's not in control and sometimes he's at a loss for how to fix the situation. Also, though his creativity abounds, he doesn't always know how to carry his lofty ambitions through to fruition. This can lead to unfinished business, irritatingly left for others to clean up instead of himself.

The King of Wands wears his heart on his shirt-sleeve. What you see is definitely what you get. As his fiery clothing suggests in the card, he can tend to be flamboyant and ostentatious; gutsy outrageousness that is deeply seeded in his personality and in how he presents himself outwardly. *Over-The-Top* could, at least sometimes, be an apt description of this king, and he's proud of it. For instance, recently my Sun-in-Cancer husband called me infuriating and I took it as a compliment. The King of Wands is definitely not afraid to be all that he can be.

I'm a Tarot reader who, when a card such as the King of Wands comes up in a spread, does NOT feel the king HAS to represent a man of a certain age, with certain eye or hair color or features. I think any of the court cards's attributes, including the kingly ones here, could be associated with folks of any gender, age, race or overall looks. That said, in my own personal readings centering around me, you can bet the King of Wands shows up many times over. If this king shows up in a reading for an obviously shy introvert, perhaps the king is causing havoc in that person's life or is not-so-gently trying to show the querent how to live life a little more fully.
 

vhrsn

robinwood tarot - king of wands

Hi to all,
Hope this studygroup is running as I've been very active with my robinwood tarot and using reversed cards as well as upright ones. I'm wondering about the king of wands, how do all of you see his card? I see it as being very supportive of one's spiritual path. Upright it can mean that it's about being able to have a lot of support and being open.
I'd say if the card was reversed however, it may be about being able to alow oneself to take a look at the things that they have left behind, only to find that it's hard for the perosn to be very open. Ohter than that, I'm stumped on this card! Please inlighten me, everyone.
All the best,
Veronica