Knight of Wands - questing without question
Offering for the full moon occurring Monday 12 May 2025 (AEST)
Full moons are a time of illumination and revelation, bringing what may be hidden and out of sight to light.
Each full moon, I draw a tarot card at random and offer a perspective and suggestions for soul work and psycho-spiritual inquiry.
Use whatever shows up as the opening for deeper inquiry. You can enhance your experience by way of journalling, making art, meditation or even simply holding the images and enquiry in body-mind.
A person dressed in full metal armour rides a brown horse that is rearing on its hind legs. Over top of their armour, they wear a yellow surcoat adorned with symbols that look like black geckos. It has a jagged flame-like hem. The helmet is also plumed with a red-orange flame-like tassel. The same flame-like adornment appears to come off the rider’s arm and elbow, and as the shape of the horse’s mane. Their hair, visible beneath the open-faced helmet, is also orange. They hold a brown sprouting wand in their right hand, and grip the reins with their left hand. In the background and lowest portion of the scene is a yellow-orange sandy desert, with 3 pyramid shapes on the left. The sky is vast, clear and light blue-grey.
The knight of wands came up last August for the full moon offerings, so I encourage you to reread that article where I explore how this knight’s character demonstrates a ‘let’s go’ attitude, and an enthusiasm to act on passions and creative impulses - even before you feel you are ready. A behaviour that women and girls may have been socialised against following.
I’ll try not to double up today, but take this revisit to facilitate integration of the earlier ideas, and encourage a deepening into less obvious aspects.
In their book on symbols, J.C Cooper describes “knight” as “spirit guiding the body”, and a figure undergoing a journey of the “soul through the world”.
This short description feels rich and loaded, and I barely know where to start with pulling out some threads here. To be honest, I feel both charged and stunned by new insights that are flooding me and feel too raw to articulate. Right now, I don’t know how I could write anything that makes sense, but I’ll give it a go to share what’s rising.
— When have you experienced moments of ‘ah-ha’ - like an intuitive hit - that feels hard to describe or put into words?
Staying with the allegorical journey of the soul, we can envision the knight as a questing figure:
Through their travels, they experience various obstacles, tests, and lessons on their path to discover the thing. And true to the spiritual quest, this thing that they seek is something of spiritual significance and value (e.g. holy grail!) rather than a tangible object or definitive end point.
This kind of journey speaks quite clearly to me right now. As many of you know, I’ve been exploring archetypal Rites of Passage journeys across the life span. If you’re unfamiliar, you can explore my resources here, but in sum, I'm suggesting:
we see life as a series of spiral paths, and that approximately every 7 years, we are called to enter and be initiated into a phase of life and travel a new passage. Each passage carries trials and tribulations and opportunities to build skills and wisdom to support your emergence into the new phase of life.
In this context, knights as symbolic figures are considered initiates. The ones who agree to the task to begin a new life, cross the threshold, journey into the unknown and undergo the initiatory rites. As initiates, they can be linked to what Victor Turner calls a “transition-being” who is in not-yet-this-or-that territory.
Essentially, knights are liminal characters.
Seeing knights as liminal is very new to me and kind of mind-blowing. I feel there’s more to explore here, but for now, I know I’ve taken a wide view on our Knight of fire, passion and full throttle creative expression. I hope you’re still with me.
— How might you be called to enter and travel a new phase of life, guided by the spirit to manifest your creativity? Is there a passion project calling you?
— What will you say “yes” to and be willing to trial and learn as you journey through this new territory of creativity?
If we pivot a little toward the traditional role of knights, whose purpose is intertwined with devotional service, any angst or anxiety about taking creative action (remember knights ACT) may be dissolved by remembering that the ‘thing’ you are looking to seek and create is “bigger than you”.
— What if this journey and your explorations become an act of devotion? How might that change your impulse to take action?
— How might you detach from acting out of pure self-interest?
I feel I can go on and circle around a bunch of tiny details; I have a personal story of a funny conversation with strangers on the street while I carried a large toy horse and plastic sword, … I’m struck by the knight as a half-man-half-horse character like a centaur with links to the article I wrote earlier this week.
But those threads don’t feel like they can be woven in just yet … So I’ll leave you with another encouraging take.
I see all the Wands Court characters as channellers of energy. After all, a wand is a magic rod that conducts supernatural forces.
So, hold your wand ahead of you, not only are you spirit (an intuitive and creative mind) in charge of your body (primal instinct, horse), but as a knight of fire, you are tapping into greater forces to spark, enliven and enlighten your being as you follow a call, to seek and create.
Onward!
Much love, Mendy 🖤
References used:
Arrien, A. (1997). The tarot handbook: Practical applications of ancient visual symbols. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam
Cooper, J. C. (1978). An illustrated encyclopaedia of traditional symbols. Thames & Hudson.
Turner, V. (1987). The Liminal Period in Rites of Passage., in Mahdi, L. C., Foster, S., & Little, M. (Eds.). Betwixt & between: Patterns of masculine and feminine initiation. Open Court Publishing.