King of Wands

UPRIGHT

The King of Wands sits on a throne carved with salamanders and lions, his staff held upright, a small salamander curled at his feet. He is the visionary leader — the founder, the entrepreneur, the one whose authority comes from having built the fire he now stands beside. The card honors leadership that creates rather than merely administers.

REVERSED

Reversed, the King of Wands is the visionary turned tyrant, or vision that has lost its grounding in reality. The card can name a leader who has begun to believe his own myth, a project staked on charisma rather than substance, or the querent's own tendency to mistake big plans for finished work.

Return to the full deck, or draw the cards and see King of Wands in context.