King of Wands Tarot Card Meaning & Interpretations

Court cards, like the King of Wands, are unnumbered which makes using numerology to unlock their basic symbology more challenging. On the surface we have the male ruler of the elemental domain of Fire but not much else to go on. We can however link Tarot's Kings to their supreme ruler and card number 4 of the Major Arcana, The Emperor, which would give any King a numerological attribute of 4 by proxy.

The same element and numerology is found in the 4 of Wands with its 4 wooden pillars making the foundations of a structure. That card's interpretations can range from building work to a marriage; anything that has a theme of creating a foundation of a home, community or work place. The King of Wands is the founder of whatever organisation that structure was erected for. In a marriage he is the groom, the good husband and perhaps even the father. In the community he is a leader. In the work place the boss.

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Deck's King of Wands faces left, or west, symbolising the past. In traditional decks, like the Marseille, he had been depicted facing front, head turned slightly to the right. The RWS King would appear to be obsessed with past achievements and projects. This could be interpreted as conservatism. A need to preserve whatever foundations have been laid and maintain the structures upon them as they are. This is in contrast to the Queen of Wands who faces in the opposite direction, nurturing new growth and projects.

The King of Wands, also known as the King of Rods or King of Batons, is a mature* man whose vocation in life is related to the element of fire, home or construction (for example a fire fighter, an architect, an engineer, a carpenter or joiner). The symbolic relationship to this card may not be vocational. It could be a description of his personality. In this case, this man may be a family orientated man, a married man or a passionate, fiery, man. He could be a man who prefers to live in the countryside than a town or city. This is a man who has a love of nature.

*maturity happens between ages 28 to 37, when a man enter's his 2nd numerological life cycle.

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THE PICTORIAL KEY TO THE TAROT

By Arthur Edward Waite (1911)

The physical and emotional nature to which this card is attributed is dark, ardent, lithe, animated, impassioned, noble. The King uplifts a flowering wand, and wears, like his three correspondences in the remaining suits, what is called a cap of maintenance beneath his crown. He connects with the symbol of the lion, which is emblazoned on the back of his throne. Divinatory Meanings: Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious. The card always signifies honesty, and may mean news concerning an unexpected heritage to fall in before very long. Reversed: Good, but severe; austere, yet tolerant.

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