Summer Coming in Hot Like the Knight of Wands: Part 3
Summer is coming to end, at least the part of it that brought on the heat. It’s slowly turning towards the autumn transition: the daylight hours getting shorter, kids heading back to school, and the leaves starting to change color. Technically, we still have until the 22nd of September to bask in our summer glow, but already fall vibes are in the air.
Knight of Wands reversed from the Ostara tarot deck.
I’m not gonna lie- it was a tough summer for me. Uranus hit the extra degree of opposition with my natal chart on the day before I turned 43 and I was irritated and exhausted at every turn. It was like everything I used to enjoy so immensely about summer, I didn’t want to do anymore. But I still did it! And it wasn’t fun! It got me to thinking about writing one more blog post about the Knight of Wands, specifically when this Knight is reversed.
The Uranus opposition, which comes for us all when we’re 42 or 43 and Uranus has completed half of its 84 year cycle around the Sun, signals sudden change. The Knight of Wands reversed can also be a harbinger of change out of the blue. So it comes as no surprise that this tarot card keeps following me through the summer. You don’t have to be in your Uranus opposition to experience sudden change, of course. It comes for each of us unexpectedly, but somehow also frequently. It reminds us that no matter how in control of our lives we are, there are also many things out of our hands.
Don’t get me wrong, change can be great. If there is one thing in life that is certain, it is that change is constant. And a lot of the time we can enjoy it. We don’t want things to be the way they are forever in many circumstances, so when a shift happens, it can be glorious. On the other hand, when the Knight of Wands reversed shows up in a reading, it can mean that the abrupt change that is coming for you isn’t one you’re going to enjoy all that much.
The Knight of Wands reversed and the Uranus opposition aren’t always synonyms. Some people experience wonderful changes at their Uranus opposition. I’m not trying to freak you out here if yours is coming up. It can be that you suddenly realize that you don’t have to do things the way you were doing them, and that possiblity feels great. Other times, like for me, the things you enjoyed suddenly don’t feel fun anymore. That really irritated me because I already had all these great summer plans and then I didn’t want to do them and had a hard to relishing them like in the past.
Knight of Wands from the Linestrider tarot deck.
The Knight of Wands reversed can also indicate burnout or feeling exhaustion. Those great plans are not only uninteresting but they also feel like too much. All your favorites are stale. You don’t want to talk about the same things anymore. You can’t work up excitement even when things still feel meaningful or important to you. You want to enjoy a thing, but you just can’t. That can feel frustrating and may even bring on some despair.
I think it’s ok to do a bit of despairing in these situations. Burnout is real and it’s horrible and you deserve to be gentle with yourself when it comes. You deserve to care for yourself, and to ask others to care for you as well. You don’t have to grin and bear it. You don’t have to pretend that everything is fine. The Knight of Wand reversed asks you to acknowledge the dimming of your fire and give yourself the necessary care that this low energy requires.
When the Knight of Wands reversed is pointing towards your burnout, ask yourself what will nourish you in this time of minimized energy and joie de vivre. The obvious answer is rest. You need to let your nervous system calm down. You need to get out of fight or flight mode and reduce your cortisol levels. What soothes you? What helps you relax? What gives you a burst of oxytocin? Try to sleep more, eat more fruits and vegetables, hang out with your friends, snuggle with your pets, and laugh at a silly movie. Get as many hugs as you can, spend time in nature, move your body, and meditate. You know all the things that make you feel calm and assured, it’s time to pull out all the tricks in your book.
With the Knight of Wands reversed, there is a chance that your energy will still be high, but it won’t have its usual direction and focus. What lights you up is now an unknown quantity. It isn’t that stuff that you used to be so passionate about before, now its…. who knows? This lack of focus can leave you feeling scattered and like you’re chasing after whims. You’re casting about for a new aim for your energy and nothing is coming into the picture.
Perhaps it’s ok for now to go down random roads and see where they lead you. Maybe you really do need a new passion project and the best way to find it is to search around blindly and see where you end up. Don’t think of this as wasting time or scattering your energy. Think of it as exploration, adventure, and a chance to discover something new about yourself.
Knight of Wands from the Spacious tarot deck.
Remember, even if it feels uncomfortable or wasteful, it won’t feel like that forever. Your mood will shift just as everything shifts in this life shifts. You could come out this time feeling like you’ve discovered something new and exciting that lights you up. Or you could realize that you actually really do love that thing you were doing before. You just needed a break, or to see it from a different angle, or to just hate it for a while and then love it again. There’s nothing wrong with that!
The Knight of Wands reversed is notorious for leaving a path of discarded and abandoned passions in his wake. He very rarely finishes anything, that is not his strong suit. What he excels at is starting things, discovering things, and getting into action. You’re not going to call on this energy to help you finish up a project, but rather to help you determine what it is you’re even interested in getting into in the first place. Take the “negative” aspects of the Knight of Wands reversed along with the positive side- you could flail around until you hit on something great.
It was fun doing these three blog posts about the Knight of Wands over the summer. I know this was a significant reduction in the number of blog posts I wrote per month but it felt ok. I was in a Knight of Wands reversed place for much of the summer. I felt like I was just surviving and didn’t have anything extra to give to creativity. It’s only now, in the past week, that I’m able to reconnect with my old passions. And guess what? They are right where I left them! I’ve even opened up the shop again for tarot readings. It’s been a while but I’m excited to reconnect with clients and do reading for others, so get in touch if you are in need of a tarot reading. I’d love to hear from you!