King of Wands

A couple of ways to describe this King are primal rage and raw talent.  As one of the four Kings within a traditional Tarot deck, his elemental association is fire.  The Rider Deck postures him on the throne in a way that suggest he is ready to take on any situation or person, any time or place.

He plants his feet squarely on the plinth, holds a seemingly primitive looking wand, and constructs a fist with his free hand.  His body language speaks strongly for him.  All characteristics are signs of a person who is confident backing up force to kick your ass with a natural fury breed in the heart and gut regions.  In war he may have a disdain for weaponry (unlike the King of Swords).

Feeling the presence of this King gives rise to words such as valor and leader.  In battle, while rallying the troops under his command, a theatric statement such as, “Arise!  With your own fist, bludgeon to the death your enemies head!” may billow out of his mouth.  He is intense, he is theatrical, and he is a warm and loyal friend.

 The pursuit of gratifying passion, desire, and esteem are his motivators in almost every situation.  He does extremely well when his desires and passions align with an order cooler than his own heads tendency.

Original King Wands is from the Rider Deck.  Pamela Coleman Smith is the artist.

Join The Party!

If you would like to join in the festivities here at MGD, obtaining The Rider Tarot Deck may be beneficial.

Tarot Spreads Little Black Dress

Since its first noted appearance in the West some several hundred years ago, Tarot has grown leaps and bounds in the fields of art, esoteric study, and entertainment.  Coupling this rapid growth with a basic nature that promotes expansion of our individual psyches it would seem that Tarot is an industry with few shared commonalities amongst its practitioners.  However, over the years of engaging with Tarot, I have noticed a few mainstays.  One of these mainstays appears in the realm of Tarot layouts.

Regardless of what deck you are using or what tarot book you may have, without fail you will find instructions (no matter how basic) on how to lay out tarot cards in preparation to “read” them.  The order and style employed when laying out tarot cards are referred to as “spreads”.  There are many different spreads in existence.  Some spreads request anywhere between one to thirteen plus cards.  Spreads are usually geometric shape formations or loosely jointed apes of themes.  For example a tower theme spread may display a series of cards in a horizontal line, a moon theme spread may be crescent shaped, a star theme spread may sport five points, a cross theme spread will be in the shape of a four-arm cross, etc.

The simplest of known spreads is the single card layout.  This layout comprises of one card drawn by the questioner.  A single card layout is usually a response to the issue inquired about or alludes to an overall dispenser of the day’s energy and events.  The next simple spread is the two card layout.  Most often I see this layout used in the form of “yes” or “no” inquiries.  Although the two card layout is a spread within itself, from my experience even this spread leads up to what I feel is a tarot mainstay:  The three card layout.

This layout requires three cards in the reader’s desired placement of horizontal lines, vertical lines or various triangle formations.  Common meanings given to three card spreads are:

1. Past                       Body                      Yes
2. Present               Mind                       No
3. Future                 Soul                        Maybe

 I did not choose the three card layout because it allows for quick readings or presents the seventy-eight cards in sizeable increments that curb the potential to become overwhelmed due to sensory or information overload by having too many cards on display at a time.  I choose this spread as a mainstay because it is a layout enjoyed by beginners and seasoned readers alike.  Whenever it is used, its tri-core structure encourages the reader to simultaneously hone skills as a reader as well as construct secure footing that supports future exploration.