Sagittarius in the court cards: quest for fire!

Last but not least, by any means – Sagittarius in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  In the system I follow, correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign, this gives us the Knight of Wands.

Knight of Wands (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

In the Sharman-Burke/Caselli deck (Beginners Guide to the Tarot) we see the Knight charging towards us on a horse that looks as though it’s flying through the air.  Fire is represented by the arid background, the sun motif on the Knight’s cloak, and the salamander motif on the horse’s trappings.  The mutability is in the action, but also in the pyramids, representing old knowledge or wisdom. The Knight has visited that location, and is now taking that knowledge with him, intending to spread it on his adventures – transforming, bringing change.   

Like all the knights, he’s on a quest for knowledge, which is in itself quite Sagittarian – but this one is primed for action and adventure!  The fact that he’s so confident and positive works for him; he doesn’t consider the possibility that he might fail in his quest, an attitude which often leads to successful outcomes. 

Knight of Wands (trimmed):

© Shadowscapes Tarot

In the Shadowscapes deck, the Knight rides on a lion, not a horse. The lion symbolizes the strength of his feelings, his determination and passion (courage=coeur+rage? a stretch perhaps…!) as he heads out on his quest.  The foxes represent cleverness - the ability to think quickly, on his feet - while the flowers that are being trampled underfoot, unnoticed by the Knight, the lion, or the foxes, act as a reminder of the shadow side of this Knight: what might be missed through being over-confident or fool-hardy.

Knight of Wands (trimmed):

© Crowley Thoth Tarot

The Crowley Thoth tarot’s Knight of Wands is also depicted as a fiery image, full of movement.  He holds the burning torch from the Ace of Wands in his left (the creative side) hand, lighting the way forward.  Sagittarian qualities – the dynamism, the quest for knowledge, the bringer of change, the disseminator of wisdom and experiences – are clearly at work! He’s impetuous, but also carries Jupiterian courage, passion, and generosity of spirit out into the world.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Fire dancer - Margarete Petersen's Daughter of Flames

Margarete Petersen’s Daughter of Flames is beautiful! Sheer exuberance as she dances in the wave of firelight, yet still contained within that square boundary...  Petersen writes of her being nourished by the milk of a tigress to become strong, but I see no felines in the image, unlike the big cats in the Six,  Seven and Eight (and possibly Nine!) of Flames.

Daughter of Flames (trimmed):© Margarete Petersen

Traditionally, we’d look to the Knight as an adventurer driven by passion, willing to take risks - or acting without even considering the risks; foolhardy, perhaps.  If the Page/Son is the child, then the Knight/Daughter carries more of the adolescent/youthful energy, and usually shows movement – often through the stance of a horse.  

 

No horses for Margarete Petersen, though. In her Daughter of Flames, I can see the passionate adventurer, the carefree adolescent. Petersen’s court cards give each other gifts: here, the Daughter receives the gift of song from the Mother, inspiration from her Father, and rhythm from her brother (Son) – all very clear in the image. 

Definitely movement, fire and spirit! But not much staying power, probably – she seems a bit too ephemeral for that.

 

Dancing in the fire 

Seeking out new adventures, 

Embracing the world. 

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004.

Sagittarius in the Druidcraft court cards: quest for fire!

Last but not least, by any means – Sagittarius in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  Generally  (but not always!) these correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign, we’re looking (in the system I follow) at the Knight of Wands. 

Knight of Wands (detail) - Druidcraft Tarot

The Druidcraft’s Knight of Wands charges towards us on a horse that looks as though it’s flying through the air.  Fire is represented by his red cloak that billows out behind him, and the red blanket beneath his horse’s saddle.  The mutability is in the action, his flying through the air, eager to seek adventure and travel the world. 

This Knight won’t stay long in one location, but takes what he’s learned with him.  Like all the knights, he’s on a quest for knowledge, which is in itself quite Sagittarian – but this one is primed for action and adventure!  The fact that he’s so confident and positive works for him; he doesn’t consider the possibility that he might fail in his quest, an attitude which often leads to successful outcomes – but can lead him to become over-confident or fool-hardy!

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Sagittarius in the court cards: quest for fire!

Last but not least, by any means – Sagittarius in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  Generally  (but not always!) these correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign, we’re looking (in the system I follow) at the Knight of Wands. 

Sharman-Caselli Tarot

An example of this is the Sharman-Caselli (pictured here), where we see the Knight charging towards us on a horse that looks as though it’s flying through the air.  Fire is represented by the arid background, the sun motif on the Knight’s cloak, and the salamander motif on the horse’s trappings.  The mutability is in the action, but also in the pyramids, representing old knowledge or wisdom. The Knight has visited that location, and is now taking that knowledge with him, intending to spread it on his adventures – transforming, bringing change.   Like all the knights, he’s on a quest for knowledge, which is in itself quite Sagittarian – but this one is primed for action and adventure!  The fact that he’s so confident and positive works for him; he doesn’t consider the possibility that he might fail in his quest, an attitude which often leads to successful outcomes.  

Shadowscapes Tarot

In the Shadowscapes deck, the Knight rides on a lion, not a horse. The lion symbolizes the strength of his feelings, his determination and passion  (courage=coeur+rage?) as he heads out on his quest.  The foxes represent cleverness - that ability to think quickly, on his feet - while the flowers that are being trampled underfoot, unnoticed by the Knight, the lion, or the foxes, act as a reminder of the shadow side of this Knight: what might be missed through being over-confident or fool-hardy.

Thoth Tarot

The Crowley Thoth tarot’s Knight of Wands is also depicted as a fiery image, full of movement.  Although the Thoth’s Knights don’t correspond to the more traditional meanings of the Rider-Waite-based decks’ Knights (the Thoth’s court cards work differently), we still see the Sagittarian qualities – the dynamism, the quest for knowledge, the bringer of change, the disseminator of wisdom and experiences.  

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Sharman-Caselli Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.