The Knight of Wands represents the principle of desire in action and the urge for adventure, exploration, and spontaneity. It represents a strong surge of energy that motivates us to actively pursue our objectives and take risks toward reaching our goals.
This Minor Arcana card is also about broadening one’s horizons by interacting with new people, places, and ideas. Given its association with a fiery and daring desire to achieve, it only makes sense that the Knight of Wands is linked to the element of Fire and the astrological zodiac sign Sagittarius — as well as the growth and opportunities brought by ruling planet Jupiter.
Where the key meanings of the Major Arcana focus on life’s overarching themes and events, Minor Arcana cards like the Knight of Wands explore and reveal the more subtle changes impacting one’s day-to-day life and near future.
Knight of Wands Keywords
Upright Keywords | Reversed Keywords |
|---|---|
taking action toward a dream, taking risks, putting yourself out there, exploration, haste | a need to slow down, pause before taking action, burnout, fear of failure or change |
Description of the Knight of Wands Tarot Card
The Knight of Wands follows the Page in the suit of Wands. This court card represents the desire to take action on the dreams and ideas which were incubated in the Page. All Knights in the Minor Arcana represent taking action according to the element of their suit, and the key meanings behind the Knight of Wands’ style resemble his element of fire: brash, quick, energetic, hot-tempered, domineering, and bold.
The Knight of Wands charges on horseback towards his destination as his steed flies through the air, implying rapid speed and movement toward his goal. He controls the horse with one hand and grasps his wand in the other, which suggests he’s learning how to master his self control and high energy, as well as how to command his will in accordance with his actions.
Like the Page of Wands, he’s dressed in a yellow tunic printed with salamanders, which are symbolic of the transformative power of fire. The small feather that adorned the Page’s cap has bloomed into a fiery red plume on the Knight’s helmet, signifying that the dream is growing and building energy. His armor suggests he’s strong and self-confident enough to encounter opposition or challenges to his ideas.
In the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, he’s pictured riding through a pyramid-dotted desert landscape suggestive of Egypt, which symbolizes his desire for exploration, travel, and discovery. It speaks to the need to broaden one’s horizons and enrich one’s worldview through interaction with foreign places, people, concepts, and attitudes.
Knight of Wands Upright Meaning
The Knight of Wands upright symbolizes a feeling of being fired up about an idea, project, or relationship and the desire to take action to realize your ideals and goals. You possess a fiery and passionate self-assured nature, and you’re unafraid to take risks and put yourself out there. You could feel a sense of urgency around attaining your desire, which motivates you to push past previous limitations and obstacles.
This card can appear upright when you long to escape the confines of your daily routine or mundane life and explore the larger world around you. This could be through travel, meeting new people, or exposing yourself to new ideas and cultures. You could also be broadening your horizons intellectually or philosophically through study or by learning a new craft.
Your desire to craft your visions into reality signals that you are moving out of the idea phase and into the phase of taking action. While it’s an encouragement to pursue your dreams with confidence, it can also signify that in your excitement to reach your destination, you may be moving hastily and breaking a few things along the way.
Love and Relationships (Upright Meaning)
In the upright position of a love tarot reading, the Knight of Wands can symbolize a passionate new beginning that has the potential to blossom into a relationship if the fire can be sustained. There could be an intense magnetic chemistry between you, which feels exciting, enlivening, and passionate. This card can also caution against barreling headfirst into a commitment, instead allowing your passion to move you forward with intention.
Within the context of a relationship, this card suggests that travel, exploration, and spontaneity are important factors in the foundation of your relationship. If the spark between you feels a bit stale, it is an encouragement to include more adventure into your life to re-ignite your connection. Getting outside of your routines and your comfort zones can inspire feelings of discovery and reconnection.
Love/relationships upright keywords | Career/finance upright keywords |
|---|---|
ardently pursuing the object of your affection, an exciting new romance, adventure, a need to move slowly | passionately pursuing an idea, starting your own business, taking action toward a dream, caution against cutting corners |
Career and Finance (Upright Meaning)
The upright Knight of Wands can symbolize passionately pursuing a new project or idea, as well as the willingness to take risks toward pursuing your dreams. You could be taking action towards a new professional endeavor, such as a job or career change, or breaking off your own to start your own business or side project, which requires bravery and enthusiasm.
It is an encouragement to pursue what inspires you while remaining aware of any feelings of urgency that compel you to want to cut corners or overlook details. The willingness to take action is an important component of achieving your goals, and this card urges you to balance your courage and desire for achievement with the ability to slow down if necessary.
Knight of Wands Reversed Meaning
When the Knight of Wands appears reversed, it can symbolize the desire to break out of your habitual routines and experience broader contact with the world. You may be stalled due to circumstances beyond your control, logistical factors, or a fear of change. This card asks you to consider what is holding you back from pursuing your dreams and to remind yourself of your power and capabilities.
The reversed Knight of Wands can also signify that your energy has become scattered. You may be excited by many different ideas, desires, or passions and are attempting to realize each of them simultaneously. This card suggests that going back to the drawing board and narrowing your focus will allow you to act more effectively and with more purpose.
This card can also signal that you may benefit from slowing down before taking further action. You may be on a quest to achieve a goal but are acting with haste and may be skipping over important steps, information, or details along the way. You may be feeling burnt out from expending so much energy and could benefit from allowing yourself time to rest and recuperate.
Love and Relationships (Reversed Meaning)
The Knight of Wands reversed may signal that a connection that started out passionately and with much excitement has begun to fizzle. You may be realizing that what initially sparked your interest doesn’t have longevity or room to grow. One or both parties might be more interested in exploration and freedom rather than commitment and stability.
The reversed Knight of Wands can also signify that you might benefit from proceeding slowly and with caution if pursuing a new relationship in your love life. In the excitement and unpredictability of this passionate new connection, you could be missing some important information or simply need more time to get to know each other. It is an encouragement to take your time getting to know each other if you’d like to build a bond which can last over time.
Love/relationships reversed keywords | Career/finance reversed keywords |
|---|---|
a spark which fizzles, prioritizing freedom over commitment, a need to proceed slowly in a new relationship, taking your time to build intimacy | stalled action, fear of failure or change, build-up of fiery energy, impulsive or hasty approach, the need to slow down |
Career and Finance (Reversed Meaning)
The Knight of Wands reversed can symbolize that you may be inspired by a new idea or endeavor but are stalling on taking action toward it due to fears of failure, change, or rejection. This fiery energy is building up inside you and needs an outlet for expression in the world. This card is a reminder that when you gather your courage, you can pursue what inspires you.
The reversed Knight of Wands can also symbolize that you are taking an impulsive or hasty approach in pursuing your professional goals and that you may benefit from pausing to reassess your plan of action. Slowing down to make sure your plans are sound will help you achieve what you desire.