King of Wands

What the card means

Upright

Vision others will follow because it is carried well. The King of Wands does not persuade - he makes joining in attractive. He holds the thing at scale and does not go through the detail, which is both his strength and his limit.

Reversed

Authority spent on being obeyed. Demanding agreement instead of earning it. Sometimes a man who cannot bear being contradicted and has ended up with nobody left to contradict him.

As a person

A mature man who leads: an entrepreneur or a manager with a vision people follow. Decisive, generous, fond of scale. In shadow, intolerance of objection and a taste for command.

Love and relationships

Upright

A partner who decides and takes things on. Dependable, as long as you are consulted. Passion with a temper in it.

Reversed

Decided for you. Or waiting to be admired and hurt when there is less of it than usual.

Work and business

Upright

You are being given the lead, or you already have it. A good time for a large plan and for gathering people to it.

Reversed

A manager for whom only his own ideas are right. Or you have stopped listening to your own team.

Money

Upright

Large decisions, scope, putting money into your own thing. Counts big and is usually right.

Reversed

Scope beyond the means. Or money spent on proving you were right.

The card's advice

Take it on and say where you are going. And ask the people walking behind you - the King of Wands loses nothing on the vision and everything on ceasing to listen.

As the card of the day

A day for large decisions and for leading. Good for talking to whoever is above you. Poor for detail.

What is depicted

A king on a throne of salamanders and lions, wand in hand, his cloak flame-coloured. He sits half-turned, as though already about to stand. A real salamander at his feet - alive, not ornament.

Zodiac sign and correspondences

Fire that is governed. By zodiac sign, Leo (the kings are usually given the fixed signs); more broadly, all the fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

With other cards

• King of Wands + The Emperor — two authorities side by side: one builds, one leads.
• King of Wands + Queen of Wands — warmth and vision together - the pair people follow.
• King of Wands + Ten of Wands — the vision is large and you are carrying it alone.