Dark Grimoire Tarot - King of Wands

ceildric

"the control of one of the four personal centers, the full possession of one's resources" -Dark Grimoire Tarot LWB entry for "Kings"

In the case of the King of Wands, that personal center is the center this tarot deck associates with Light, creativity, and sexuality. Like many tarot decks, Wands are associated with the Fire element.

Thus we see depicted on the card a king seated on his throne. The throne is situated on a slab of rock seemingly surrounded by fire / lava, with a volcano visible in the background. Nonetheless, this king is carefree; eyes closed, with what I take to be a grin. One could easily use his face for a depiction of jolly Santa Claus or Father Christmas. And yet, this is not the grin of one who is foolish (in the negative sense) and unaware of the world around him. Rather, it is the grin of one confident and strong.

This grin, in fact, sets the King of Wands apart from the other kings in this deck. The King of Chalices is contemplative / dreamy, the King of Swords crazed and threatening, and the King of Pentacles shrewd and watchful. The King of Wands is singular in his confident rule. Likewise he is singular in being the only king with a beard, perhaps a sign of virility. He also stands out for being the only king decked out in gold (the others where cloth or leather perhaps, with some having masks), likely symbolic of Light and perhaps magical creative power that could give one true alchemical power.

He is of course depicted with a wand (as tall as he is, in fact). At the angle he is holding it, it casts a shadow over his robes between his legs, perhaps intentionally suggesting the phallic symbolism of wands, as well as this suits association with sexuality. He is seated, but he has his left foot outstretched. This, to me, signals activity and possibility even harkens back to the habit in ancient Egyptian sculpture to depict important individuals with their left foot forward as a sign of power or will. This in fact sets him apart as well from the other kings who lack this dynamism.