Prince of Wands

The Prince of Wands is the quintessential man on fire. He is normally depicted on a mission or journey, and moving quickly, as though having much ground yet to cover. Our knight errant is on multiple adventures, more of a treasure hunt than a specific quest. As a prince, he is an emissary. He is exploring realms over which he may one day be lord or statesman. These are lands far afield from the palace. He needs to import knowledge of the unfamiliar, since information is also access to the energy he will one day be using to rule his domain. His gain here can be had in two ways: the first is in what he brings home, even if only wisdom or experience. A second kind of gain increases his alertness to the signals. This may have a tendency to magnify or exag- gerate the importance of his experience. Exposure to the distant and strange will alert him to signs that others don’t notice. Lest this all go to his head, he should remember that the point of his future dominion is service to his domain and his people. As discussed for the princes in general, his task is to explore out to the boundaries of his home realm, and a little beyond, just to be sure. This can mean going too far, which is perhaps what youth is for as well. He might learn that when fire grabs indiscrimi- nately at fuel, it tends to draw the firefighters. But the elsewhere and the beyond cannot and should not be resisted. Such boundless energy is often out of bounds just by definition. For the element of fire, we need to go where the fuel is, to the fresh and novel experience. While the exploration may express an abundance of energy, this is not really activity for its own sake. The point is personal growth, recognized or not. Castaneda might call him a hunter of power (like the Princess), and power must move around to meet its opportunities. He may act quickly to seize chances and press others into his service, sometimes seeming thoughtless or blunt. He may need lots of refueling. And he may have trouble resting until he is halfway burned out. The Prince is exploring his options and choices by first-hand expedition, instead of by letters or schooling. This is not to say that hearing a good story cannot be a first- hand experience. And look at all that Alexander the Great learned in school. But this is a matriculation into the school of hard knocks. He is learning the reins with actual horses, not his hobby horses. Multiple points of view are learned from multiple points of vantage, by going there and doing that. Foreign devils may become human beings. His options, when grown, will be many, like the wardrobe of a theater, because he will have to play many parts, even while being himself. And lots of the costumes he finds may not get used but once. Much will be abandoned or forgotten. Steadiness and follow through not his strong suit. The Prince gets lots of lively adjectives, starting with ardent and energetic. Hurried is often the case, impulsive and excitable too. Hasty and impetuous might be too often true. Although these are different words, peremptory and preemptive might both apply here. There are also words like upbeat, outgoing, and exuberant, for when he is doing it right. He is seen as ready to go or to act right now, like a rescue worker or a first responder on call. Thus moving quickly is not always hasty: it's merely responsive. He may seem to be led by opportunities rather than led from within, and this can some- times look like being misguided. The Yijing counterpart is Gua 42, Increasing, reaching out to take what we can of what the world is offering, broadening life experience, and receiving generously. He may be inclined to not think things through, and therefore be subjected to risk and surprise. Going to where the action is often means acting on incomplete informa- tion, in order to get there at all. If he knew all about what he was exploring, it would not be the unknown and it might not keep him excited. This doesn’t mean he needs to reinvent fire, however: he can still watch for cues and clues left by other young princes before him. Of course it’s true that a clearly marked mission might make his success more probable, but those are for those he will one day assign missions to.