Upright, this card indicates someone who is charismatic, a fiery lover, motivated, self-inspired and inspires others, a “go-getter”, and is someone who is moving forward with purpose. Putting their creative ideas into action. When it is reversed, well, not so much. Wands represent the fire element in the tarot, so it can indicate the influence of the more negative aspects of the signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius as well. Here are a few messages for this card when it is in the reversed position. Of course, this is by no means a complete channeling, as the messages of any single card will be influenced by it’s position, and in how it relates to the other cards when it is a part of a spread.
Personal message:
This card is an indication that you have lost your passion/fire in some area of your life. You may be feeling uninspired by your current circumstances. This card can come up in the reversed position for those who are ready to make a change in their life, go a different direction, or perhaps wish to travel to widen their perspective and experiences, or as a message that they need to. It can also indicate someone who is depressed or has lost their way. The fiery charging steed in the card has come to a stand still. It’s time to re-evaluate what is causing you to feel this way and make the appropriate changes. What is it that inspires you? What gets you out of bed in the morning? Think back in your life to what you loved to do (and keep in mind, Knights represent movement, making things happen, and/or going on a quest to find or attain something). This is physically taking action, not thinking about it, doing it. Look at the image, it indicates movement. Remember when King Arthur sent his knights out to find the holy grail? This is physical action. The Knight of Wands upright is someone blazing a new trail in their life, moving forward with passion and a sense of purpose. Reversed, this Knight is not doing so well. The fire has dimmed down to a spark, but it has not gone out completely. This character is still a Knight! And The Knight of Wands is not one to wallow in self-pity for very long. This is just a setback. Get back on that horse, rediscover your inner fire, maybe do some traveling, figure out what it is you would like to accomplish, and get moving!
Relationship message:
This is not a nice person. The Knight of Wands reversed in a relationship reading can indicate someone who has to “win” all the time. They are “always right”. On a more extreme level, this is your narcissist that is also a gaslighter. A manipulator and a liar. Potentially physically abusive. This can indicate a person that turns on the charm to get his/her own way at the expense of others. This person may have an ill temper and is usually aggressive. They will use what they know about their relationship partner against them for revenge or spite. To get “even” for a perceived injustice. And notice I used the word “perceived”. This is an injustice in their mind, only because the other person did not agree with them or do whatever it was that THEY wanted them to do. As I mentioned before, this could be someone who puts on the false front of being a nice person, “a charmer”, but in reality has a black heart. This is a user. I see the wands suit as inner fire, “energy and spirit”. So this can indicate an energy/psychic vampire that drains the life force from the other person in the relationship. They belittle them, and they trigger them emotionally, to keep them under control so they have an energy source to feed on, and someone to take out their frustrations on. If this card comes up in a relationship reading, in particular a new relationship, keep your distance and be very careful. Read books/articles and watch videos on narcissistic behavior so you can be alert for the signs. Eventually their mask will slip.
This card can also indicate sexual dysfunction whether it be physical or emotional. As “fire” energy consists of the “hot” colors of red and orange which corresponds to the root and sacral chakras in the body.
Work/business message:
In the work/business position, this card reversed can indicate a lack of motivation and inspiration in your current profession or place of work. This is your message to update your resume, or perhaps to begin moving forward on an entrepreneural endeavor. Bring that fiery inspiration back into your career so that you have passion for what you do for a living. This can also be an indication of feeling stuck where you are. Maybe a job/career change, perhaps one which involves travel would be more suitable for you.
This can also indicate that there may be a co-worker or manager in your midst that takes ideas from others in the workplace and presents them to upper level management as their own to further their own career. It can also indicate a “charmer” at work that sabotages others behind their backs to make themselves look good. This person is a real piece of work. So when this card comes up in a work position, watch out for someone in your work place that may steal or sabotage your ideas, or will use underhanded means to make you look bad in front of your peers and boss. They are manipulators and liars. They will put on the front of being helpful, part of the team, etc. in front of those that they want to impress, but when it comes to dealing with them one on one, they are quite a different person indeed. When dealing with someone like this, the best course of action is to deal with them as minimally as possible. Document everything, and I mean everything, in writing. And keep your communications with them in writing as well. Don’t fall for the charm, do not reveal any personal information about yourself. This is not someone you want to chit chat with in the break room. Keep it all business and again, your interactions with this person should be kept to an absolute minimum. After meetings and conversations, be sure to follow up with a written confirmation of what was said and/or agreed to. And be sure to copy your supervisor, the other team members, and whomever else is overseeing the department and/or involved in the project.
If this is your supervisor, you may want to seriously think about looking for a new job opportunity either in a different department, or another company. It will be very difficult to advance your career while working underneath someone who has these traits.
