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.

You Give Me Fever…

I believe it fairs well to say with great confidence that everything is not for everybody.  This statement goes for Tarot as it would for any other thing.  I enjoy Tarot for a multitude of reasons.  One of those reasons I mentioned here, *Welcome*.  Another reason why I enjoy Tarot is that I find Tarot cards stimulating.

Much like how a dancer might be inspired by the tingling beat of African drums, Tarot entices innate rhythms in my mind.  The pictures on the cards are no less effective than the images on toys that parents place in front of their children for learning.  To grasp this idea even clearer, can you recall the circular toy with a string attached to it that when pulled, caused a fat plastic arrow to spin at the center until it pointed at a picture of an animal: The duck says, “Quack-Quack!”    

Of course there are major differences that mature a card reader’s skill from the overly simplified example given above.  Engaging with Tarot from a wider perspective beyond our own disillusions, realities and perceptions requires knowledge of Tarot’s structure and history (thus far).  It is also helpful to learn applied methods and approaches from its contemporaries. Often times a Tarot deck will come in a kit that includes the deck of cards and an accompanying booklet.  I find these booklets to be great starting points.  Some of my first education about Tarot structure came from reading the books in kits.

There are numerous themed Tarot decks available for purchase that meets a variety of taste.  For example, to be brief, in addition to the variety of people oriented decks, I have seen Tarot decks with stick figures, mermaids, elves, felines, dragons and crystals in digital, abstract and/or classical art forms.  However, even with the array of Tarot decks already in existence there is room for more expressions to surface.  As a lover of Tarot I find this aspect also exhilarating!

To me, the entire body that is Tarot unfurls like a ribbon whose frayed edges ripples endlessly.  In my world, a stack of seventy-eight picture cards ring like front row seats at the symphony.  So many different visions of color through the subtle senses, dance on clouds.  Within every deck, stories of the past, present and future simultaneously read out like a puzzle and riddle.  Each card tingles on my finger tips as I lay them out.  Sometimes the answer comes within minutes, other times the grand reveal may not appear until many moons after.  Regardless of celestial timing, the innate rhythm of symbols and timing ignites a primal fire in me that is satisfying beyond words.  This is part of the inspiration I know as Tarot; the lively picture book of movements and visual sounds.

*Tarot deck featured in photo is The World Spirit Tarot by Jessica Godino and Lauren O’Leary.