TITLE IN RW DECK: Knight of Swords

ALTERNATE NAMES: Knight/Adventurer/Prince/Son/Warrior of Swords/Air

BASIC DESCRIPTION (RW): Charge! A knight rides all-out into the wind, sword raised. (The rest is just details.)
FIRST THINGS THAT STRUCK ME: His face looks angrily determined. His horse looks afraid of him.

UPRIGHT MEANINGS: A warrior type, swift and aggressive, enthusiastic man of action, fierce and leonine, confronts the world at full speed with head held high, recognizes no limits, take-charge type, gives orders naturally. Authority, command, skill, capacity, agility, loyalty, bravery, daring, courage, ambition, self-confidence. Fast-moving, quick-thinking, decisive young person already out forging their own way in the world. A sharp, forceful intellect; frank, honest, clever, foresighted, goal-oriented. Knowledgeable, reasoning, logical, analytical, correct.
ALSO: Fire of Air: Wind--swift onset (Thoth). Someone about to rush headlong into the life of the seeker. For a woman, a man will appear out of nowhere and a relationship will quickly begin. Help unexpectedly close at hand; situation likely to change suddenly. Impetuous rush into the unknown without fear. The science of warfare, war, conflict, destruction. Creates conflicts when aggravated. "He directs all his energy outwards; he is perhaps nervous of being quietly alone with himself."--Rachel Pollack

REVERSED MEANINGS: Incapacity, extravagance, excessiveness, carelessness, imprudence, impulsiveness, braggadocio, belligerence, bigotry. Over-inflated ego. Jealous, ruthless, violent temper. May not temper justice with mercy. Over-persuasive, overbearing, domineering, expects immediate compliance; critical, condemning, sarcastic, insensitive; opinionated, intolerant, arrogant, dogmatic, narrow-minded; unfeeling, cold and aloof; blunt, tactless, rude.
ALSO: Exile. Someone disappears quickly and without much warning. A person who needs to be restrained from dangerous actions.

BIBLICAL: "Proclaim this, you people, among the nations, 'Sanctify war! Arouse the powerful men! Let them draw near! Let them come up, all the men of war. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning shears into lances.'"--Joel 3:9-10
HISTORICAL: Napoleon

ANIMAL; INSECT: Hawk, osprey; love-bugs.
PLANTS: kudzu--it takes over
LOCATION: The lands of the Arthurian Sagas

MUSIC: It's soooo Wagner. Also: "He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on!"
FILM: That scene in Excalibur where the cherry (or is it apple?) blossoms are blowing.
BOOK: Any history book. Any legend.
PUBLIC PEOPLE: Wyatt Earp? Marco Polo?
OCCUPATIONS: airline (esp. fleet) management, lawyer, silversmith; Law, technology, communications, police. (Matthews)

PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: This is the significator I use for my husband (when he's not looking). I have a list of correspondences between the court cards and the Kiersey Temperament Types. (Think it's from Mary Greer.) This is the description for Knight of Swords:  
Knight/Adventurer/Prince/Son of Swords [ENTJ] A Field Marshall or Commandant. Needs to lead and give structure. Efficient, goal serving, empirical thinking. Likes responsibility, and determining policy and goals. Good long range vision and sense of direction. Plans in advance. Engineers operations. Strong will.  
I was immediately struck by the word "Marshall." Just before going on vacation, my husband asked me about the "Marshall Plan." I told him, "That's our marriage: you're the Marshall, and you make the Plan!" That joke was retold to family and friends many times over the next few weeks.
PERSON IN MY LIFE: my husband, Mathis Fingerle

PERSONAL THOUGHTS: Susan Hansson says, "Analytical and swift to action. A take-charge type of person that quickly defeats his opponents. . . . Self-confident and aggressive. Creates conflicts when aggravated."  
Joan Bunning says "On the positive side, the Knight of Swords is a master of logic and reason. He has a keen intellect that grasps the fine points of any subject. He speaks clearly, directly and always with authority. His judgments are sure and free of emotion. Others rely on his lucid analyses of problems and solutions. On the negative side, the Knight of Swords is not a master of diplomacy! He can be downright tactless and rude. When he thinks you're wrong, you'll know it. He's convinced of his own superiority and has little tolerance for stupidity. He expects others to comply with his views. To him, feelings are irrelevant and illogical."  
I'm reminded of the Grail quest. The Knights didn't really know how to go about finding the Grail, but they were ready to sacrifice their lives if it meant the good of the kingdom. They were largely unsuccessful due to their lack of spirituality. In Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the Knights are prone to impulsive violence, killing each other over sometimes very trivial things. "Might is Right."  
I think it's one of my purposes in (this?) life to learn how to deal with and appreciate this behavior. They say you marry your parent, and my father and my husband share having these traits dominant in their personalities. Both would get on you about breaking the law *just because it's the law,* or calling in sick when *you're not really sick.* They don't let the weather affect their moods, but they do sometimes fly off the handle.  
There are, of course, advantages. He takes responsibility, makes sure things are done when they're "supposed" to be done, is never late without calling, schedules travel itineraries, and can do math in his head. When he gets up in the morning, his first thought is "What do I have to do?" (Not like me, who only wants to sit and drink coffee, and slowly make the transition.)  

OTHER DECKS: I like the Healing Tarot, where the Son of Swords is on a Harley.

The Voice	Napoleon	The Vision

Parts of this page are excerpted from my original contributions to an online Tarot court card discussion on a list which no longer exists.

http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/court/SKn/sknimho.html