Having Danced with the Devil

Reflections on King of Swords

Now that we’ve entered Aquarius season, I wanted to continue on the theme we’ve explored already with Knight of Wands and Queen of Pentacles: looking at each court card, via their astrological correspondence, as a response to the prior season’s Major card. Knight of Wands, as Sagittarius, is a response to the lessons of Death (Scorpio). Queen of Pentacles as Capricorn is a response to Temperance (Sagittarius).

Now, we’re looking at King of Swords, the Aquarius court card, as a response to the Devil, the Major card that corresponds to Capricorn.

The Devil shows us our shadow. It reveals what has been controlling us from behind the scenes. Where have we unconsciously given away our power? What part of ourselves have we been denying and repressing so that it begins to fester in the dark?

The King of Swords has confronted the Devil. They no longer want to live this way: in denial of their shadow, letting their fear control them, sleepwalking through life rather than actively choosing.

Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash

This King’s dance with the Devil has taught them the necessity of an orienting principle: a set of values by which to navigate and continue moving in the right direction. No longer do they want to numb themselves and unconsciously create a life that doesn’t feel like their own. King of Swords makes intentional choices, checking their motivations to ensure they’re in alignment with their ideals.

They have learned that “hope is a discipline” (Mariame Kaba): if you are to believe in the possibility of a hopeful future-a very Aquarian trait-then you must be vigilant against the temptations of the Devil, that would lull you into a belief in your own powerlessness, or have you succumb to the quick-fix of instant gratification, which doesn’t have faith in the good to come. King of Swords has developed practices to cultivate hope, because they are aware that they are the author responsible for the story which they tell about the world.

The King of Swords knows the power of advocating for collective liberation. Many Tarot folks reference MLK Jr as an embodiment of this King; you’ll see other giants of social justice work as examples of King of Swords as well. From intimate awareness of the Devil, these Kings understand that “none of us can be free until everybody is free”. (Maya Angelou)

King of Swords understands the Devil as the ‘father of lies’; in response, they’ve committed to the truth. King of Swords tells the truth as a matter of course; they are an embodiment of integrity.

Now, these qualities are an incredibly evolved expression of King of Swords. But this is actually a card that I see express themselves in shadow more often than not, and you can see the Devil’s influence quite plainly when King of Swords hasn’t completed that confrontation: they twist the truth, and become manipulative and controlling, etc. In future posts, we’ll talk more about what it can look like when the court cards have ‘unfinished business’ with their Major teacher, for lack of a better phrase, as seen through this lens of astrological call and response.

So, I hope you stick with me here in this space as I continue to explore the Tarot, and if you can become a paid subscriber, it really helps support the work. And here are some prompts inspired by these reflections:

• A value I orient my life around

• A truth that I embody

• A practice to cultivate hope