Once upon a time, youth brought adventures to young knights and romance to young maidens. As times have changed, youth has come to mean something else.
Knights these days, can be both young men as well as women, and their battle fields exist in new destinations with very different quests. No-longer are young men allowed to ride off into the great unknown. While young women, dabble with romance, they put marriage aside for another decade.
These changes in what it means to be young have created a different environment for teens, and yet when we look at the Knights of the Court Cards we will find that there are similarities to the Knights of old as well.
Knights:
As we progress with the Court Cards, we find ourselves growing up. No-longer children, we have grown into Knights. Whether it references teens or the next stage in our growth, Knights represent a different stage within our lives.
While the Pages are representative of the inner child, newly exposed to the world or new experience, the Knights represent us as we become more vocal. Who we are, where we’re headed, and the people we are becoming, are all topics the Knights address.
Knight of Wands: Air + Fire / ENTP
Teens:
We saw with the Page of Wands that young child who is filled with energy. As this child grows, how this energy is used changes. Swinging as high as one can, no-longer satisfies this child.
As a teen, the Knight of Wands yearns to learn more and push the envelope. Freedom is paramount in order to honor his high energy and discover what will bring him satisfaction. To that end, the Knight of Wands represents the teen who has inner confidence, maybe more than a parent might feel is accurate.
Nevertheless, the Knight of Wands feels ready to step out into the world, filled with passion and energy. Even if he doesn’t have all the answers or feels completely secure.
When the Knight of Wands has fallen into a lower vibration, he can become impulsive. His passion and energy have become a tidal wave that not only takes others along for the ride but himself as well. This momentum can leave him in some tricky situations to get out of, or to explain.
Personality Traits: “Spiritual Warrior”
When the Knight of Wands speaks of personality traits, we can see a similarity with the Knights of old. Here, he is bold, daring, and adventurous. The passion we find in youth, comes out here, as the Knight who is off on an adventure.
His restless spirit has driven him to be forever moving. With loads of enthusiasm, this extrovert acts with haste, certain of his actions. The Knight of Wands might not know where he’s going but dives headfirst into the thing or person who has triggered his passion.
Falling headfirst, his need to have an outlet for his energy leads him to act fast. Giving himself over to his passion, the Knight of Wands can seem like a wonder, until the morning you’ve awoken alone.
As soon as the moment has passed, he’s off on his next adventure. Don’t mistake his commitment to passion as the same as a commitment to you or that thing (job/hobby/place).
The Knight of Wands has not pretended to be anyone other than who he is. He is merely a person who lives in the moment. Uninterested in what happens after or what consequences might happen.
From his perspective, he acts based on where his heart leads him. What triggers his passion for life is where he needs to travel, no matter what the future holds. To do less, is cowardly in his mind. Live today not based on what tomorrow might be.
When he falls out of balance with himself, his lower vibration can place an already risky man into very dangerous situations. Sometimes the trigger of passion comes in the form of drama. Or in order to achieve that feeling of freedom, he can become too much of a risk taker.
Here the dare devil, becomes loud, impulsive, unstable, and irresponsible. What makes matters worse, is that the Knight of Wands fails to see this. Instead, he can fall into the egotistical trap of feeling invincible.
Since he is merely hunting for that next fix (adrenaline/passion/drugs) he doesn’t take the time to self-analyze. This scenario leads him to lack any life philosophy, blind to his own self-created dangers, and intrusive of other people.
Knight of Cups: Air + Water / ENFP
Teens:
While the Knight of Wands represented the adventurer of old, the Knight of Cups is the incarnation of a different aspect. Here, we see the Knight of romantic dreams.
Whether you’re dreaming of the man or woman who will sweep you off your feet, or are dreaming of doing the wooing, the Knight of Cups embodies the chivalry of fairytales.
When representing a teen, the Knight of Cups represents a range between the young Knight new to love, or the one who has learned a thing or two. Here is a Knight or rather teen, who is securely seated due to his or her inner strength.
The Knight of Cups has weather much already where his heart is concerned, and from his experiences knows a thing or two about love. Yet, despite all his heart has known, he is still ruled by what he feels.
Whether his experiences are few or many, he is a student enthralled by that fickle teacher love.
Personality Traits:
As a personality trait, the Knight of Cups embodies the world of emotions. Rather than an innocent to love as the Page of Cups was, here we can begin to see the duality of knowledge and ignorance.
The Knight of Cups can talk about the ease and grace a person has when they have embraced their heart. No matter their experiences, they value what their heart has to say.
These are people inspired by what they feel and witness. As a result, the Knight of Cups can be about expressing ourselves creatively through the fine arts (music, writing, poetry, dancing, art). In this case, the Knight of Cups is telling you to open up to your emotions.
As the romantic, this Knight needs a quest. He or she will give themselves fully, and in order to connect with them, you need to meet them with the same level and intensity to truly connect on all levels with them.
Whether it’s a dream or reality, the Knight of Cups savors each moment. The journey here will be long and slow, so you can see each flower and ladybug on your way.
When the Knight of Cups falls into a lower vibration, he lacks the emotional maturity to handle all his emotions. Yet, he still lives his life based on what he feels.
As a result, the Knight of Cups can become unrealistic, choosing to live in a dream world or requiring his quest or romance to meet each criteria before fully committing.
If he is unable to meet his own requirements for his fantasy, he can become superficial and lie. This petty attitude, pairs with an immaturity, leaving the Knight of Cups scattered in the best of situations.
When he has truly lost his way, he is the deceitful partner. Trickery can be used to play with other’s emotions. These things are not done with a grand scheme in mind, but rather because his has lost his own healthy connection with his own heart.
Knight of Swords: Air + Air / ESTP
Teens:
My tarot teacher called the Knight of Swords the “True Knight” or “Hellbent Knight.” Here we see the bold and brash Knight of old. He is not young and naive like the Knight of Wands. Nor is he the Knight of Cups, concocted by the bards and dreamed of by the girls.
This Knight has known battle. Who knows what scars and tales he could tell. It is important to remember that this Knight follows the Page of Swords, who is representative of our wounded child.
Yet, despite all the challenges the Page of Swords knew, as this child grows up there is potential for him/her. As a Knight, he has reached a place where there is more freedom and power in his life.
When following a path of a higher vibration, the Knight of Swords can discover self-empowerment through the skills learned to survive. With a ravenous mind, his curiosity can lead the Knight of Swords on a path searching, striving to learn all he can.
It will be through this knowledge that he can stop surviving and know a different life that than the one he was raised in. He has become decisive, strong, and true. This teen is sure of himself, healing, but marked by where he came from. Because, he has retained that ability to judge and weigh life quickly.
But if he chooses a lower vibrational path, the Knight of Swords becomes self-destructive. Whether to numb the pain or even from a place of curiosity, self-care and safety are not part of his thought process.
Personality Traits:
When the Knight of Swords represents personality traits in a spread, it speaks of necessary traits found in a “True Knight.” He needs to be courageous, fearless, intelligent, and assertive. This warrior becomes a champion due to the actions he has taken in the past.
As a result, you will know him as the quick witted maybe even blunt man/woman. His mental agility acts as an asset as he bounces from subject to subject. Due to his wit, a strong writing ability is common. But whether it is writing or some other path, the Knight of Swords is driven, with clear goals and aspirations. He’s the man with the five-year plan.
But like any ability, when improperly used, it can become harmful to the user or those around him. When the Knight of Swords is in a lower vibration, all the traits and attributes that were beneficial become detrimental.
His drive can become a single-minded fixation. Moving quickly, he acts from a place where he is sure he’s doing the right thing. But while he’s charging forward, his and the emotional needs of others is being overlooked.
The Knight of Swords quick wit can then become harsh words spoken before he stops to think about them and what impact they will have. As he charges into battle (thinking before he acts), the Knight of Swords enters into a chaotic environment.
His drive leaves him only caring about the win. As a result, he can become impatient, uncaring about the repercussions, even defensive about his irrational and unclear actions.
This fighter springs into action without input from his heart. This reactive nature can leave him feeling tense. Since he flies by the seat of his pants, his unsettled energy leaves him unable to ever relax.
Knight of Pentacles: Air + Earth / ESFP
Teens:
As the final suit of the deck, the Knight of Pentacles, like other Pentacle cards, embodies elements found within the three previous suits. In this case, the Knight of Pentacles combines the elements of the three previous Knights.
Here we see the outcome of a teen who has through personal experience or the experiences of others learned much about life. He has learned to adapt to the rhythm of nature/life rather than fight it.
Through exposure, he has learned the benefit of looking before you leap. Known as the “jack of all trades and the master of none,” he’s the guy who seems to know about everything.
Yet, this teen seeks self-knowledge. Solid and steadfast, he is in a place to ask the hard questions of himself and of life. Because, while his knowledge has prepared him, it also leaves him hesitant or even protective of himself.
How can he love with abandon like the Knight of Cups when there is heartbreak? How does he remain open to the world even when there is trauma? Who is he? Is it who he wants to be?
When the Knight of Pentacles chooses not to pursue answers, he can fall into a lower vibration. These questions remain and since he doesn’t search for answers, they become reasons to become cynical in life.
There is pain and hardship, these facts of life create a pessimistic attitude that leaves him disenchanted with life. All this knowledge and questions have cut him off from his own inner child.
Personality Traits:
As we saw with the teen, the Knight of Pentacles as personality traits also combines the qualities of the Knights from before. Here we can see a person who has experienced each stage of the three Knights.
From his adventures in love and war, his priorities and way of living have changed. They now reflect all he has lived through and learned. In this case, the Knight of Pentacles can come across as boring.
He has released the need for drama and has become reliable, dependable, steadfast, and solid. This Knight takes care of his home and business. While it might seem uninteresting coming from a young perspective, the Knight of Pentacles has learned a thing or two.
After following his passions, his heart, and witnessing battle, his priorities have changed. He now only pursues the things that interest him (he no-longer cares what people think).
Through experience the Knight of Pentacles knows that in order to be successful, some diligence and rule-following is needed. He dots his “i’s” and crosses his “t’s” knowing that this will lead to desired results. This pragmatic attitude combines an inner drive with a patience born of knowledge.
His commitment to his chosen path can also raise the question in a spread about where you are going. Yes, the Knight of Pentacles has been traveling this path for a long time, but that doesn’t mean you are ever stuck.
If he ever chooses to change direction, he will do so with the same level of commitment, persistence, and pragmatic attitude as before. This prodding nature allows his unwavering and skillful actions to bring him to where he desires to go.
This Knight has chosen the honorable path and through self-knowledge is conscientious of what he does. Adventures are fun, but not at the expense of family and friends.
This card only takes a dramatic turn, when in its lower vibration. Then the Knight of Pentacles represents a person who has dispensed of all sensible reason and has become careless and reckless.
Whether it is from feeling overwhelmed or from a desire for more (greed/extravagance) the Knight of Pentacles has become irresponsible. While this dream of freedom from responsibility might be nice, it not only neglects others and his own plans, but ultimately won’t lead to what he desires. The Knight of Pentacles will merely be stuck cleaning up his own mess for a change.
Final Thoughts:
Once upon a time, Knights were the great adventurers told in song around the fire, during long winter nights. Youthful people strove to become or know the Knights that roamed the land in search of adventure.
But as we know, times have changed. There are no more lands to discover, nor are there great dragons to battle. And the damsels can take care of themselves.
Yet that restless and searching energy we know as teens or even as adults remains. This only means that our adventures need to change, in order to fulfill our hidden dreams.
What is your fairytale? What lands will you travel to? Who will you wrap your arms around? How will you honor your heart and discover your happily ever after?