Prince of Wands definitions

Rider-Waite: Prince of Wands

He is shewn as if upon a journey, armed with a short wand, and although mailed is not on a warlike errand. He is passing mounds or pyramids. The motion of the horse is a key to the character of its rider, and suggests the precipitate mood, or things connected therewith.

Departure, absence, flight, emigration. A dark young man, friendly. Change of residence. Additional meaning: A bad card; according to some readings, alienation.

Reversed Card meanings

Rupture, division, interruption, discord. Additional Meanings: For a woman, marriage, but probably frustrated.

Book of Thoth - Prince of Wands

The moral qualities appropriate to this figure are swiftness and strength. But he is sometimes inclined to act on impulse; sometimes easily led by external influences; sometimes, especially in trifles, a prey to indecision. He is often violent, especially in the expression of an opinion, but he does not necessarily hold the opinion about which he is so emphatic. He states a vigorous proposition for the sake of stating it. He is in fact very slow to make up his mind thoroughly on any subject, but always sees both sides of every question. He is essentially just, but always feels that justice is not to be attained in the intellectual world. His character is intensely noble and generous. He may be an extravagant boaster, while slyly laughing both at the object of his boast and at himself for making it. He is romantic, especially in matters of history and tradition, to the point of folly, and may engineer "stunts" or play elaborate practical jokes. He might select some inoffensive nobody, and pursue him for years with every weapon of ridicule) as Swift tormented the unhappy Partridge, all without the least animus, ready to give the shirt off his back, should his victim be in need. His sense of humour is omnivorous, and may make him a mysterious figure, dreaded without reason by people who actually know nothing about him but his name-as a symbol of Terror. This is due to the influence of the last decan of Cancer upon this card. One of his greatest faults is pride; meanness and pettiness of any kind he holds in infinite scorn. His courage is fanatically strong, and his endurance indefatigable. He is always fighting against odds, and always wins in the long-the very long-run. This is principally due to his enormous capacity for work, which he exercises for its own sake, "without lust of result"; perhaps his haughty contempt for the world at large-which however coexists with profound and ecstatic respect for "every man and every woman" as "a star"-is responsible for this.

When this card is badly dignified, the character degenerates. Each of the qualities mentioned above is found in its antithesis. There is great cruelty in him, partly sadistic and partly due to callousness arising from indifference-and, in a sense, laziness! So too he may be intolerant, prejudiced and idle-principally because it saves trouble. He may furthermore be an empty boaster and a great coward.

The Knight of Wands is a strong, impetuous, sometimes violent young man.

Golden Dawn - The Prince of the Chariot of Fire

Swift, strong, hasty, rather violent, yet just and generous, noble and scorning meanness. If ill-dignified, cruel, intolerant, prejudiced, and ill-natured.

Mathers: Prince of Wands

Departure, Separation, Disunion.

Reversed Card meanings

Rupture, Discord, Quarrel

Etteilla: Prince of Wands

Departure, Moving, Alienation, Absence, Abandonment, Change, Flight, Desertion, Transmigration, Emigration. Transposition, Translation, Transplantation, Transmutation, Escape.

Reversed Card meanings

Discord, Breach, Rupture, Dissension, Division, Going Off, Separation, Splitting Up. Faction, Quarrel, Sorting Out, Cut, Break, Discontinuity, Interruption.

Thierens: Prince of Wands

TRADITION

Young man, friendly. Departure, absence, flight, emigration, change of residence, desertion, transmigration, transplantation, transmutation, separation, disunion, rupture, discontinuance, brouillerie, discord.

THEORY

The workings of Air by a special and mighty agent — for this the knight is in all cases — on the houses of water, here the Fourth and the Twelfth, causes turbulence, motion, emotion (though it must be borne in mind, that it is not emotion in itself); the action of the air on the water causes waves. In the case of the fourth house the knight relates to family matters or household conditions, eventually the father, to internal conditions in society or groups of people. It must further relate to memories and the past in general, because it means the awakening of the sentiments. The traditional conclusions have been drawn evidently in the negative for the greater part, in consideration of the fact that the sentiments generally are misleading. That they give reason for many changes is quite true. In the case of the twelfth house this is much the same. But extending its result over a much larger circle, the mercurial knight may represent expedition and exploration, discovery, scientific or practical, emigration, estrangement, and the 'great work' of transmigration. It denotes a searching for the unknown, which in weak personal cases may appear as indiscretion or premature revelation, divulgation, profanation, etc. We do not see why this knight should be either young or friendly.

Quite the reverse: On account of the twelfth house there is something inimical about him, and a certain dissension of sentiment may find its cause in the past, in a family feud or something in the nature of a misguiding prejudice, tradition, which will have to be given up, etc.

CONCLUSION

(From the fourth house): A representative of the father, or of the family, a relative; a man visiting the house bringing new and perhaps disturbing influences into it, disturbing domestic happiness; changes in the home, house or family; memories awakened, divulgation of family secrets or private matters; an intruder in the home. A man of doubtful though not necessarily bad character. (From the twelfth house): An investigator, occultist, explorer, sailor, traveller on the high seas, wanderer, a guide through strange experiences, vagrant Bohemian type, stranger and sometimes enemy or some one with whom the querent does not agree and from whom he will be estranged, however earnest his endeavours to keep friendly, because he speaks either morally or physically a foreign tongue. Translation, export, departure, change of residence, emigration, flight, absence, rupture, etc. Transmutation. Disturbing influences and people in general, which need not be bad in itself, and may even cause a revolution in thought. It brings unrest in any case.