Druidcraft Study Group: Prince of Wands

Sophie

This is another card that came up in my recent reading, so I welcome the opportunity to study it further.

It reminds me - without any doubt - of skiing fast on a steep hilly slope. I've been skiing since I was a small child, I love it, I revel in the exilaration of the moment, of going fast into the wind, of cresting the snow-waves especially on powder snow....

There is both speed and exactitude of movement in this card. I don't think he's a show-off, I think he just loves it - the speed and the way he knows exactly his little horse's motion, and how the horse knows his man's motion.

They must have practised long and hard to be such a good team (I remember my father at the bottom of a piste, holding a chronometre, and a whole column of poles between me and him - I was not to miss one - the concentration I needed, the practice I had to put in...). That's why, though he's full steam ahead, I don' think he lacks patience in the background. Think how many tosses he must have taken to be able to leap like that! Think how he and his horse must have spent time together becoming one, and after the mad ride, the Prince still has to go back to the stable and brush his horse down.

Fire and earth I think someone wrote - yes, that's very much what I see too, in his clothes, in the speed and the grassy knoll. And the wave of grass, so this could be like surfing, too, another sport that demands a great deal of practice.

On his front, an embroidered salamander - the only animal that can go through fire and not get burnt. A fabulous animal, so the Prince is going on imagination as well as enthusiasm. His sheer vitality will carry him through, I believe. Even if he takes another toss, he's just brush himself down, get up on his little horse and gallop off again, bruises and all.

Edited to add: have you noticed that this young Prince looks very much like the Fool?
 

irisa

Helvetica... No I hadn't noticed but doesn't he just! :)

irisa
 

WalesWoman

In one of the stories I read, Arthur went to France to get the big chargers for his knights, because they were so much larger than the horses in Briton. (trivia) We had Welsh ponies when I was a kid, fiesty smart and full of tricks, totally had a mind of their own and did not hesitate to use it.

It looks to me as if they are jumping hurdles... or rather not letting hurdles stand in the way of their progress. If this is a Welsh pony, the Knight may learn to master it, but only if the pony decides to let him, that's why I refer to them as a pair. Learning to control and master that wild animal nature with the force of the mind and intent as well as communicating desires into taking action.
 

Laurelin

Helvetica, you beat me to my foremost comment. This prince card reminds me so strongly of the fool, they may as well be the same to me. He's impetuous, vibrant, and headstrong. I think he's the only prince that looks younger than his sister. It feels to me like he's having a joyride, reveling in his life and his youth while he can. The wind in his face, the sun on his back... he's just taking it all in, appreciating it, going as fast as he can. He doesn't intend to sit around and let life pass him by.

On his horse... I feel that the horse is as young as he is, that they've been growing up together if you will. His horse is as fancy free as he is. They are quite a team. Fortunately, it looks as though his horse is keeping an eye out for the landing... let's hope, otherwise they'll both take a nasty spill.

At the same time, he's in the air now, but his horse's feet will soon touch ground, and that can be jarring if you're not prepared. He bears his staff in his left hand. He carries his sword at his side sheathed, but I don't get the sense that he's at all prepared to use it. If he needs to use his sword he will have to drop either the reins or his staff. He holds his staff in the air triumphantly, and I can almost hear him shout "Yipee!" as he gets that little jolt in his stomach from the weightlessness he feels. He's not riding, he's flying, he and his steed both. He's not prepared for pondering or serious things, there will be plenty of time for that later. For now, he is free. Wahoo!!

--Laurelin
 

Arania

Oh yeah, he has the "here I come" attitude, indeed. But to me, it's not because he wants to show off. It is because he REALLY is coming this way, so why hide the fact? :eek:)

Him and his horse a nearly one. Yes, they must have be together long to become such a great team. To me, this card is about trust. They trust each other perfectly and master the obstacles.

They both love life, yet they aren't careless and know what they are doing. Happiness in action. Not a second of life to waste.
 

Disa

I'm not sure I totally agree with this Prince not being careless. (Carefree maybe?)

The only thing that came to mind that wasn't mentioned by anyone else is the fact that he(and the Prince of Swords) are both facing towards the left. I wonder about that because, to me, these two Princes are the ones who seem the most immature in their thinking and actions, and here they are looking towards the left-the past- or possibly holding on to their youth a bit more than the other two Princes.

Looking towards the left, past, or youth coupled with the very young horse ( and the Prince does seem younger than all the others, too) all seem to speak of acting before you think- which did of course remind me of the Fool, which many of you mentioned.

These are expected traits in a Prince, of course- action, impulse, movement, but I find it interesting that instead of charging ahead, in the direction of moving forward (to the right) these particular Princes were going the opposite direction. The direction they are facing helps me make the association of maturity- as in, who is still clinging to the impulsive actions of a child and who is leaning more toward coming into the maturity that they will have some day as an adult.