KNIGHT OF WANDS
Rider–Waite–Smith (1909)Key themes
Departure · Travel · Change of residence · Impetuous action
Card meaning
The Knight of Wands concerns departure, absence and a change of place. Its energy belongs to setting out, whether that means a journey, a move or leaving an established situation for a different setting.
The restless movement of the horse gives this departure an impetuous quality. Readiness to go can be useful, while the practical purpose of the journey still deserves as much attention as the excitement of being in motion.
Key themes
Interruption · Division · Discord · Disrupted movement
Card meaning
Reversed, the Knight of Wands points towards interruption, division or discord in the course of movement. A departure or intended change may be complicated by a break in agreement or by efforts pulling in different directions.
The emphasis is on disrupted continuity rather than a settled judgement about anyone’s character. Clarifying what has broken down can help distinguish a temporary interruption from a direction that needs to be reconsidered.
Image description
An armoured rider on a rearing chestnut horse carries a short leafy wand. Red plumes stream from the helmet and armour, and the yellow tunic is patterned with salamanders. Pyramid-shaped hills stand in the dry landscape behind.
Symbolism
- Rearing horse
- — The impetuous mood that Waite connects with the rider.
- Short leafy wand
- — The active character of the suit carried into a journey.
- Armour
- — Readiness for difficulty, without making the journey necessarily a warlike one.
- Streaming plumes
- — An accent of movement and visible animation.
- Pyramids
- — A distant landscape suggesting departure into a different setting.
Card advice
Give a planned change a clear purpose and check the arrangements before letting momentum decide the route.
Based on A. E. Waite’s The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910). Modern English adaptation — At Madame Shirley’s Table. Illustrations: Pamela Colman Smith (1909). Scan restoration: Steve P.