TITLE OF CARD IN RW DECK: Knight of Wands

ALTERNATE NAMES: Knight/Prince/Warrior of Rods/Staves/Pipes; Energetic Son of Light;

BASIC DESCRIPTION (RW): "He is shewn as if upon a journey, armed with a short wand, and although mailed is not on a warlike errand. He is passing mounds or pyramids. The motion of the horse is key to the character of its rider, and suggests the precipitate mood, or things connected therewith."--Waite
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: Action!
COLORS: Fiery colors: red, orange, yellow.

UPRIGHT MEANINGS: Departure, absence, flight, emigration. A dark young man, freindly. Change of residence.--Waite. Inflamed passion. Burning with desire. Emotion excited by new experiences. Seeking novelty, change, adventure, exploration. Travel or a traveler. The call of faraway places. The departure, arrival or return of a pilgrim or wanderer. A person of far-ranging interests and restless curiosity who desires change and stimulation. A person out in the world trying to get ahead. Advance into the unknown, departures, absences, flight. Risk, excitement, bravery, strength. Good-natured and flirtatious young person; enjoys playing the field and is not ready to settle down. Fiery personality, quick to passion, quick to burn out. Call to action. Willingness to take a stand and fight for what is right. The enthusiasm of youth for righteous causes. Using the fire of the soul to combat the vagaries of human existence. Escape from a situation.
UPRIGHT TRAITS: Adventurous, daring, courageous, risk-taker, hero. Charming, disarming, seductive. Encouraging and friendly, adventurous and fast-moving lover. Self-confident, proud, friendly, warm. Passionate, intense, enthusiastic. Energetic, competitive, open, demonstrative, inspired and fearless.

CONVERSE MEANINGS: Rupture, division, interruption, discord.--Waite. Travel canceled or postponed. Confinement of a free spirit. Unstable relationship. Succumbing to temptations regardless of outcome. Employment difficulties. Brutal aggression. Unexpected or unwanted change.
CONVERSE TRAITS: Irresponsible, restless, never content to be still, can't settle down. Foolhardy, impetuous, reckless and rash. Superficial, thoughtless, insensitive, promiscuous, shallow. Cocky, boasting, pretentious. Hot-tempered, easily angered, intolerant, hasty, argumentative, violent and selfish.

BIBLICAL/MYTHOLOGICAL: St. George (?--Off the top of my head; I'll have to look it up.) Or Samson, tying the firebrands to the foxes tails. Or was it Hercules?
HISTORICAL: Crazy Horse
ASTROLOGICAL: Leo (they say)

ANIMAL: lion
HERBS/PLANTS: red hot chili peppers, or any kind of pepper
LANDSCAPE/LOCATION: Israel
SCENTS/OILS: cinnamon

MUSIC: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "I Need a Hero"
FILM: any action flick
BOOK: any history of the Crusades; The Vampire Lestat

PUBLIC PEOPLE:
OCCUPATIONS: athlete (esp. polo, baseball, hockey, golf, Olympian, Xtreme), daredevil . Military, daring sports, achiever, explorer, trouble-shooter, pioneer. (Matthews)
QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES: "Here I come to save the day!"--Mighty Mouse

"...the moment when one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way..." Goethe

THIS CARD/PERSON IN MY LIFE:

FAVORITE REPRESENTATION: Thoth or Rider Waite
OTHER DECKS: In the Thoth deck, the Knight-ly flames are shooting *forward* like he would be moving backwards?

ANCESTRAL PATH Prince of Staves
by Julie Cuccia-Watts

Here we see Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. He stands on high ground--maybe a terrace--facing the viewer. He is dressed in full regalia with linen skirt, broad jeweled collar, thick gold armband and leopard cloak. He holds a winged staff with twining serpents in his left hand, and a golden falcon crown or helmet in his right hand. In the background are the pyramids with the Nile beyond.

My feeling is that he doesn't yet have the full power (or wisdom) of the King, but he looks powerful and ready, and a bit haughty. He reminds me of Anne Rice's Lestat, the "Brat Prince," who in his invincibility dares many brave and foolish things. Rich and popular, he always manages to come out on top.

The Prince of Staves enjoys the power of his privelege, but is not yet ready to assume the responsibility. He has attained manhood, and is probably well-educated or trained, but he doesn't have the tempering of the experiences of compromise, defeat and disappointment to make him a good leader. There's a good point about this in the movie "Excalibur." Arthur has drawn the sword from the stone, and learned about his heritage from Merlin. He charges off to defeat those who would oppose him. When he wins, and the main opposer (forgot his name) swears allegiance, Merlin tells him, "He has given; now you must give." Arthur tells the guy, "The land from here to the sea shall be yours." Afterwards, he is honored by all as the good King. Ownership of the sword makes him Prince; his first trial makes him King. In this sense, the Prince of Staves could indicate a person with position but not true authority. The authority must be created or earned.

Forgot to mention: there's a big aloe vera plant (potted) behind the Prince. Makes me think he needs plenty, for when he gets burned. Does aloe really grow in Egypt?

 

HALLOWEEN TAROT Knight of Imps
by Kipling West

An armored knight rides a feisty steed. He wears a purple cloak bearing an orange salamander and an orange-plumed helmet. The steed rears up and snorts (evidenced by steam coming out its nostrils), but the Knight's pale face is calm. At his right side flies the obligatory imp, and the black cat looks on from below. A starry night and pyramids or pyramid-shaped mountains fill the background.

This card reminds me of an expression my mom uses: "off on a tear." This expression means, among other things:

This Knight has a "singular eye." I'm not sure why I associate his white-less eyes with that particular phrase, but it represents his determination, or one-sighted-ness. (Any anatomists out there who can speculate on what these eyes could mean symbolically?)

The Imp in this card doesn't seem to be an instigator to me, rather a companion and helper. I probably see it that way, because I'm associating this card with a personal experience. When I'm in Florida, I like to spend my time outside, so shopping gets pushed back to the last minute. Last November, my plane was leaving Monday, and my mom was planning a big Sunday family dinner. I took off with a friend to the mall "for an hour." We power shopped like mad, she "satelliting" me, trying to find me a video of "Frida." In typical Knight of Imps fashion, we got the video right at closing time, but missed dinner and pissed off my mom.

Voice fire

Crazy Horse

Vision fire

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