The Knights - Action Men

Knight of Wands – Mars
Mars may once have been very like Earth but has been much altered by asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions and massive dust storms. Once there may have been water (and perhaps life of some kind), and recent data from the Mars Odyssey mission suggests that there are still large amounts of ice beneath the planet’s surface. Mythologically, Mars is the Roman god of war and, paradoxically, of agriculture. It’s the warlike side of Mars that is represented by the Knight of Wands. The fiery, enthusiastic qualities of Wands are channelled into purposeful activity by the Knight; he may be a fighter, but his aggression is focussed by skill and purpose. He enjoys the energy of combat – his whole reason for being is battle. On the negative side, he may pick a fight just to be able to express this energy. But the knight is brave, skilled and unflagging and you will need his energy to keep going in the face of opposition or difficulty.

Knight of Cups – Perseus
Perseus is a large constellation that is known for its binary star system Algol as well as the Perseids, a famously dramatic meteor shower. In mythology Perseus was the son of the god Zeus and a mortal woman. He had an adventurous life, famously severing the head of the gorgon Medusa and rescuing the princess Andromeda from a sea monster. In a way he’s the archetypal romantic hero. The Knight of Cups symbolises this idealised active male, taking the qualities of skill and action into the realm of dreams and emotions. He is like a Grail Knight on a perpetual quest, seeking visions and ideals rather than material gain. His inspired, idealistic energy spurs us on to something greater than ourselves.

Knight of Swords – Hercules
The constellation Hercules is not particularly distinctive but does contain the well-known Hercules Cluster, one of the most beautiful globular star clusters in the night sky. The mythological Hercules is synonymous with physical strength. He was the son of Zeus and a mortal mother, and loved by all the gods except Zeus’s wife Hera. His famous labours were a result of Hera’s campaign of persecution against him. Like Hercules, the Knight of Swords never backs off from conflict, though he is more often armed with words than weapons. This Knight fights intellectual rather than physical battles and he’s at his best in defence of a just cause. He needs a purpose, or he might start an argument just for the sake of it.

Knight of Pentacles – Centaurus
Centaurus is a very large southern-hemisphere constellation full to the brim with phenomena. It contains the tiny Proxima Centauri (the nearest star to our sun), the binary system Alpha Centauri and the galaxy Centaurus A, which may contain a black hole. The constellation depicts Chiron the Centaur, the archetypal teacher of Greek mythology. Centaurs have a dubious reputation in mythology but Chiron was different. He was famous for training and educating heroes like Jason and Hercules as well as being a skilled healer. Accidentally wounded by Hercules, Chiron gained much of his wisdom from his unsuccessful attempts to cure himself. The Knight of Pentacles has many of Chiron’s qualities of patience and fortitude. He is a bit of a plodder compared with the other Knights but has the stickability to see a project through to the end. He represents small, patient steps rather than giant leaps.