The King of Wands Tarot Card’s True Meaning: Love, Health and Money

The King of Wands represents unbridled optimism, risk-taking, and benevolence. It urges you to set out and accomplish your goals by putting your leadership skills to good use.

Element: Fire
Planet: Mars
Astrological sign: Leo
Key dates: July 12 to August 11

unbridled optimism

Visual Elements and Symbolism

In the Rider-Waite deck, the King of Wands shows the profile of a king sitting on his throne, holding a large staff in his right hand. The staff is blossoming, symbolizing the resilience of life in all its forms.

His throne and cape are decorated with images of lions and salamanders. The lions represent strength and power, while the salamanders symbolize fire. Our attention is drawn to the salamanders, which are biting their tails — a paradoxical reference to the infinity.

The flame shapes on the crown and the bright orange color of the king’s robe further emphasize his fiery determination.

The King of Wands Card as a Person

Drawing the King of Wands in a personality reading indicates that you are a natural-born leader, and that you exude confidence and determination.

The King of Wands will fight tirelessly to achieve their goals and defend their beliefs. This natural drive attracts positive attention, but their friendly and confident nature is what really makes people stick around.

King of Wands personalities are persuasive, and they put that quality to good use by helping others be their best selves.

king of wands illustration — King of Wands — Eli Neugeboren

upright

The King of Wands Upright

The upright King of Wands represents bold energy, new ideas, and goal-oriented actions. Success is on the horizon.

Love and Relationships

Your relationship will soon enter a new phase defined by emotional maturity. You and your partner recognize and respect each other’s independence and individual goals.

Transitions can be emotionally overwhelming, so be sure to communicate openly with each other — this will help keep the relationship strong while you both pursue your dreams.

If you’re single, this card is a sign that you are enjoying the freedom and excitement of single life. There’s no hurry to settle down — you still have growing left to do. The right person will be there when you are ready.

Career

Seek out advice or mentorship from someone more senior than you at work. You have a lot of natural talent, but learning from their experience will only make you better.

If you’re vying for a leadership role or increased responsibilities, the best strategy is to network with those above you and learn from them.

Money

The King of Wands is a particularly good omen for money matters. It often announces a financial windfall, or an investment that’s about to pay off. Keep being mindful with your spending and you will see your financial situation improve significantly.

Health

All things considered, you are in fairly good health. However, you have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to exercise, diets, and wellness treatments. Listen to your body and only give it what it needs.

You’ve also been seeking professional advice to help you improve your lifestyle regimen. This might come in the form of a personal trainer, dietitian, or maybe just a friend with whom you can share your progress. Their advice will do you a great deal of good.

reversed

The King of Wands Reversed

The reversed King of Wands represents the positive qualities of the King of Wands, but taken to the extreme. It is defined by aggressiveness, unrealistic expectations, and bad leadership and decision making.

Love and Relationships

Distrust and fear of commitment often come with the reversed King of Wands. Your partner has been breaking promises lately and is not being entirely honest about their intentions for the future. This might be related to an earlier breach of trust or disagreement that was never fully dealt with.

Talk to your partner about their fears, but decide for yourself if this is the type of relationship you want to be in.

If you’re single, you are having a difficult time getting somebody to commit to you. People are ghosting you or just telling you they can’t be in a relationship right now. Instead of begging them to be with you, assert your independence and they will be drawn in by your confident nature.

Career

You are being arrogant and domineering in the workplace. By not letting others have their due you are disrespecting your coworkers and creating a hostile work environment.

It’s time to scale back and delegate. While you probably have good intentions, selfishness and boorishness are not the way to achieve your goals.

Money

You have unrealistic expectations with regards to your financial future. On some level, you are counting on a magical windfall of money to save you from your problems. It’s time to face the fact that the odds of that happening are extremely low.

In order to earn more money, you will need to be proactive — use your skills to improve your financial prospects.

Health

You’ve recently received some bad health advice from someone you trust. This could be a family member, a friend, or even a doctor.

Take some time to evaluate how your body has reacted to any recent changes you’ve made. It’s possible that the advice that helped one person just isn’t right for you, and it’s okay to admit that.

King of Wands -- Eugene Smith — King of Wands — Eugene Smith

spreads

Your Past, Present, and Future

In the past position, this card indicates that the ideas that have been churning in your head for so long are finally coming into being. In the past, you weren’t quite ready to do what needed to be done in order to realize your plans, but now you’re ready and able to do so. Trust in your knowledge and skills to bring this plan to fruition.

In the present, the King of Wands is telling you that perseverance is paramount to achieving your goals. The challenges may seem insurmountable at times, but if you keep working hard and stay the course you will eventually succeed. It may feel strange to stick with something for so long — it might be helpful to seek out others who are on the same journey as you in order to keep your spirits up.

In the future position, this card tells you that risk-taking will pay off in the end. You will find success in your professional and financial life, in part due to your courage and willingness to take risks when the going gets tough.

Important Card Combinations

The King of Wands’ sense of leadership and determination is altered and refocused when it’s found in combination with other cards.

King of Wands and Page of Wands

The Page of Wands adds feelings of youthfulness to every card it combines with, and the King of Wands is no exception. Any grand ideas that you bring up will be seen as fresh and revolutionary to those around you.

King of Wands and Magician

The Magician has the power to turn dreams into reality. When combined with the determination of the King of Wands, it suggests that financial success is forthcoming. This is a great time to start a business or to invest more in a business you already run.

King of Wands and Five of Wands

Both of these cards have very masculine energies. When the Five of Wands and King of Wands are found together, it’s a sign that you should work to resolve a conflict between you and your father or grandfather. This could range from a minor disagreement to a fundamentally different worldview, but either way, making an effort to connect on a deeper level will improve both of your lives.

King of Wands and Lovers

The Lovers tarot card indicates that your desirability is heightened at the current time. That energy is amplified by the King of Wands’ natural charisma. Be careful not to abuse your charm. Treat others — and yourself — with care and respect.