The Fiery Daredevil

The Knights (sometimes Princes) of the suits in Tarot most often represent an aspect of the questioner's personality, or a person in the questioner's life. They may also be symbolic of an event in the person's life.

Knights/Princes can sometimes symbolize male sexual potency and virility, or they may symbolize a young man, age 14-40 (hopefully, if your gut is saying both sexuality and a 14 year old in the questioner's life, it is because it is a mother concerned that her son is taking it too fast with his girlfriend, and not some Mary Kay LeTourneau).  The questioner himself (or herself!) may also be feeling rather sexy. If a Knight shows up in a reading, especially one about whether a seduction will be successful, you should probably stack up on the Trojans.

Which is a lovely segue into the Knights themselves! Most Knights are shown on horseback, and our Knight of Wands (or Staves, or Clubs) is no exception. The horse itself is a symbol of power, bravery, and virility, and, ridden by the Knight of Wands, there is a swiftness and energy that may be hard to contain. This could mean a very healthy libido, or a hot temper. Also, beware of those who start strong and then burn out, if you know what I'm saying.

Robin Wood's Knight of Wands has got it goin' on. 

But the Knight of Wands isn't just a flaming-hot sex monkey. He is also quite potent (there I go again!) in matters of business and creativity. He is the spark of an idea. He is the fire under your seat that motivates you to get up and go. If you've been having writer's block, and the Knight of Wands shows up, you can look forward to some inspiration and the courage to put that inspiration on paper.

Courage is another hallmark of the Knight of Wands. In a reading about a future significant other, he could be telling you to keep an eye out for paramedics or firefighters, or just one of those guys who isn't afraid to bungee jump, ATV, or cruise 90 miles per hour on a Harley. Just make sure the Knight is cooled with a little common sense, and you won't have to spend Valentine's Day holding your heartthrob's brain inside his skull.

The Knight of Wands may also be telling you that you are braver than you think. Probably sexier, too.

The Celtic deck has a Prince, illustrated by Mary Guinan. 

Let's get back on the horse, shall we? (sorry) The horse is also a messenger--think the Pony Express.  Because of this, Knights are associated with messages. The exact message depends on the suit and the surrounding cards. Let's say you pull the Knight of Wands when asking about whether or not you'll get a raise. A possible interpretation (and let's stress possible, as you must go with your gut on these things) is that you will get that raise, but you have to be brave, put yourself out there, and ask for it.  If asking about whether you'll get engaged, the Knight of Wands is a very good sign of your loved one's passion.

Kris Waldherr's Prince of Staves

As can be seen in Kris Waldherr's and Robin Wood's decks, Wands/Staves/Clubs are associated with fire colors--colors of passion, lust, rage, and vitality. Also, the Wands themselves are important, as they symbolize the phallus. Now, many people immediately jump to conclusions with that word, which is natural, but phallus is not necessarily always the male member.  It is masculinity in general, a driving force, an active, subjective energy.

This guy knows what I'm talking about.

Barbara G. Walker's Prince of Wands is Dagon, an ancient Babylonian god. I believe she made a good choice appointing him as the Prince of Wands because he is a bull (an animal associated with both young male masculinity and fire; remember The Last Unicorn?), but that is not the only reason. Dagon is both land and sea--he has a fish tail and a bull's head--and carries both the wand for fire and masculine energy and the cauldron of feminine energy. On his altar are both sun and moon. The combination of fish and bovine is irrational and illogical--just think of the Wuzzles from the '80s--and that, according to Barbara G. Walker, is another aspect of the Prince/Knight of Wands (Walker 30). Like the lightning bolt that cleaves a tree in two, or a ember popping from a bonfire into a puddle of gasoline, the Prince/Knight of wands is unpredictable and hard to pin down.  If it represents an aspect of the reader or questioner, it might signify those intense emotions that she is afraid of--the lust, rage, passion, love--that may very well consume her.

Source: Walker, Barbara G. Barbara Walker Tarot: Instructions. Stamford,CT: U.S. Game Systems, Inc. 1986. Print.

The Empress

I felt that it would only be fitting to write about the lady of fertility and blessings around the time of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The woman in the picture above is the Navaho and Apache earth goddess of change. According to the theology, she created mankind from white flour and corn meal she dusted from her chest. The chest is the place where we, from the time we are born, receive food and comfort. The Empress is a mother archetype, making sure all have all they need. Estsanatlehi (pronounced broken down into syllables--est-san-at-lah-hee) has the ability to age, but then grow young again by walking toward the East, the place of creation.  So, she never dies. This immortality is granted to the Empress archetype. The Mother is as old as time, and will last until the end of time. It is the same with generosity, I think.  The Empress can represent a person in the person's life who is extremely generous and is waiting to give blessings to the person. The Empress usually represents a mother figure, or a man who is very supportive, caring, and giving. It is also very fitting that Estsanatlehi is associated with the Earth, as is the Empress. There is a reason we call our planet Mother Earth.

When the Empress shows up, it means blessings are in the offing.  These blessings can be material--traditionally, a good harvest, but today it could mean a raise, or a new house.  The blessing could also be one of fertility. This could mean the obvious conclusion that a new baby is coming, but it could also be a new creative project--especially one that's more crafty and hands-on.  I also think that the Empress gives blessings of family, especially if it appears with one of the Cups cards. If the question is about marriage or adoption, this is a good card to get!  The wedding will be happy, the marriage will be loving, and the in-laws will be welcoming.  The adoption will be joyous and smooth.  The Empress can also represent a comfortable, loving home, contentment, and security.

The generous energy of the Empress, when in balance, is unconditional. There are no strings attached to the gifts, except perhaps gratitude, and taking the Empress' cue and sharing what you have in turn. Gratitude is generosity's twin, I think, and so the Empress represents gratitude to me, as well as generosity.

The shadow, unbalanced side of the Empress is someone who is stingy, someone who is incapable of giving, an abusive mother, or someone who is ungrateful. She can also represent someone who is giving too much, at the expense of his/her own well-being, or someone who is smothering instead of mothering.

In more esoteric views, the Empress is all about the fecundity--meaning the sex. As you can see in the Barbara G. Walker interpretation above, the Empress is seated in a very generous posture, if you know what I mean. This hearkens to a time of the temple prostitutes, who were treated like queens for providing not only sexual but spiritual services. They were the conduits of the ultimate empresses, the goddesses. In this context, the Empress is less mothering and more sex queen, but she is still an empress, in every sense of the word. Sexual power is also another meaning for the card, but it is up to you to determine whether this energy is strictly femme fatale or a combination of lover/possible wife/future mother to the children.  Even as I type this, that is not a very accurate way to describe it. It's just that the energy is not just about sex--it's about a deeper bonding where the beloved takes on multiple roles, each of them extremely important. If you are familiar with the Maid/Mother/Crone triad seen in matriarchal religions, it's like that--this is a woman of such powers she juggles various life roles seemingly effortlessly.

Questions for consideration:

1) Think about the women in your life, and their various roles--girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, best friend.  Which relationships are positive and which are negative? What have you learned about being a woman, or relating to women, from these relationships?
2) Who nurtures you in your life? Whom/what do you nurture? What defines "nurturing" for you, as opposed to smothering? On the flip side, who leaves you feeling neglected and abandoned?
3) What creative ideas, projects, or dreams are you incubating? What are some steps you can take to make the dream real, or to move it to the next level?
4) Are there any dreams that you may have abandoned, but still think about? How can you nurture them back to life?

Scorpio--Mysterious. Alluring. Deep. John Cleese.

Scorpio is the sign of people born between October 22 and November 22, but anyone can access Scorpio energy. The animals associated with Scorpio are the Scorpion, the Eagle, and the Phoenix. 

Oh, I love Scorpio. I am a Jupiter in Scorpio. Jupiter is the planet of luck, so my luck comes from Scorpio energy. Plus, five of my most favorite people are Scorpios. They are all loving, vibrant people, which is interesting when you think that they are born under the sign that rules death. And sex. Lots of hot sex.

That is because, I think, people misunderstand the archetype of death, and its multiple meanings.  Think of your friendly neighborhood rotting tree stump. It is home to myriad life forms of flora and fauna. They also misunderstand Scorpio. Scorpios are not all sociopathic sex maniacs. They are creative, hilarious, and have great taste in literature. At least, the ones I know and love do. If it helps, John Cleese is a Scorpio.
One meaning for Death is change--a cleansing away of the old for the new, or using the old to nourish new life. Scorpio energy is adept at changing the old and dead into something new and flourishing.


Scorpio is charged with the heavy elements of sex, death, and rebirth. This is why the Phoenix is associated with Scorpio--it dies, but then rises again, from the ashes of the fire that killed it.  Scorpios can take pain and transmute it into something beautiful.

As for sex, the French nicknamed the orgasm "le petite mort" or "the little death." While Virgo rules the intestines, and cleans up the body, and Libra runs the lower back, keeping the body in balance, Scorpio rules the genitals. Scorpio's colors are crimson--for blood and passion, and black, for death and the deep mysteries of the subconscious. After all, Scorpio is a water sign, the element associated with the subconscious. Unlike Pisces, however, who rules spiritual secrets about the meaning of life, Scorpio knows all our dirty, sexy little secrets.

Scorpio energy is stereotypically all brooding and aristocratic and eccentric, like famous Scorpios Pablo Picasso, John Keats, and Sylvia Plath. And it can be that way, but it can also be hysterically funny. Come on people, Scorpio energy has to deal with death and rotting and squeamish sex. It's important to laugh.

Scorpios can be very convincing. This is because the energy, if handled right, can be seductive and magnetic. I find myself telling my Scorpio loved one's my life's secrets, while they listen patiently. I have no compunction about this. Healthy Scorpio energy leads to trustworthiness. In myth, people and animals with Scorpio vibes were entrusted to protect and guide the dead. Pluto, the planet that rules Scorpio, is named for the Roman god Pluto, known in Greece as Hades, the King of the Dead. He watched over his people in Elysium (Heaven), Asphodel Meadows (Greek purgatory) and Tarturus (Greek Hell).  Scorpio energy is good to have presiding over you during a soul crisis, or a "Dark Night of the Soul," as St. Thomas Moore wrote.  This energy can give you courage and strength during scary, painful, and uncertain times. It's also good to use when your psyche is withholding secrets from you. Since Scorpio rules secrets, it's pretty good at ferreting them out. Scorpios are known as the Private Eyes and 007s of the zodiac. They also make excellent therapists, because they are naturals as spelunking the subconscious. Sounds fun, huh?

Scorpios are also shamans. They are the shamans who are willing to experience life-in-death for a spiritual vision and awakening. This passion and dedication is an earmark of Scorpio, who doesn't like anything half-assed, whether it's sadomasochism, spending, or surprising their friends.

Out of balance Scorpio energy, on the other hand, leads to Charles Manson. It can also flail that tail around and sting people all willy-nilly when it's pissed. Poison Scorpio energy also tends to use people for sex.

Scorpio associations: Scorpions in Egypt, guarding the tombs of the pharoahs.
The Phoenix
Shamans
Shiva, Hindu god of Destruction, who paves the way for new things
Hecate, goddess of the New Moon, Queen of Witches and Warlocks, specializing in the enchanting of others and channeling the dead.
The Morrigan, the death facet of the Celtic three-faced goddess, and her crows and ravens--traditional messengers of the underworld and harbingers of Death
Anubis, Egyptian god of embalming, who had the head of the Jackal, another animal associated with death and corpses
therapists
spies
compost heaps

How to bring Scorpio energy into your life:
Wear deep red and/or black, especially red and black silk or satin.
Throw out the stuff in your house that you're not using. Let it die, for God's sake.
Write down things you want to manifest in your life on a piece of paper, then safely burn it. Trust that these intentions are not released to God or the Universe, and something will rise from the ashes.
Visualize fire and deep, still water
Turn something that angers or terrifies you into something tangible in your mind's eye. Then, destroy it. Imagine you are Shiva or Hecate. Just obliterate it, and then imagine something you want growing from the carcass, ashes, or empty space. You can also do this by writing things down on dishes and breaking them, or tearing up paper, or burning it (again, do this SAFELY, people) if you're kinesthetic like that. I find I do my best destroying and regenerating in my own brain. I can really let loose that way. But, if you like to crush and rip, you might want to consider making something artistic, like a collage, from your dead stuff.  You can also take an image of something that causes these negative emotions and paint or color over it. Turn the ugly into something beautiful and passionate.
Okay, I'll say it: have sex. Either solo or with another/others.