KING OF WANDS – love

The King of Swords in love signifies a decisive, charismatic energy.

This card often represents a person: someone who knows what they want and doesn’t play games. Someone who will tell you if they are interested in you. This kind of directness is rare and liberating – you don't have to decipher anything.

But it can also be about you. About standing up for the one you love. The king doesn't lean back; he leans forward.

The card also brings vision into love. Do you have a picture of the kind of relationship you desire? Not a list about the other person – a picture of what it would be like to live together. Someone who knows this doesn't get lost in the details.

Its shadow is important: the king can also rule. When decisiveness turns into control, defense into oversight, and the other person no longer has a say. This is not love. This is possession.

The angels send this message: love is not just a feeling, but also a decision.

If there is someone in your life whom you know is important, this card asks you not only to feel it, but to embrace it. Speak it, decide, plan with them. The King leans forward on his throne – this is the kind of love that acts.

If you are in a relationship, talk about the long term. Not about the weekend: but about where you are headed. Many relationships don't fade because there's a problem, but because no one ever asked the question.

But be careful about one thing. Determination can easily turn into control. If you find yourself making decisions for both of you, believing you know better what they need – stop. A relationship is not a company, and there is no director in it. Ask, don't tell.

Also, give them time. What you've been turning over in your mind for weeks, they are hearing for the first time now.

If you are alone: know what you want. Write it down, if necessary. He who doesn't know what he's looking for will find whatever comes along – and then spend years convincing himself it was the best.

If the card appears in reverse: if someone is dominating you, or if you have become the one who wants to control everything – let go of one thing this week. Entrust a single decision to the other person, and don't correct them.