The Archetype and The Tarot: The Prostitute and King of Wands
Through the Prostitute and the King of Wands, this week we’re being called to release our passions from the confines of safety and fear. Can we allow ourselves to step into our power and let our inner light shine, even if it means risking disapproval?
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The Prostitute Archetype
This is one of the archetypes (along with the Victim, the Child, and the Saboteur) that Caroline Myss calls a survival archetype. These are archetypes that we all relate with—and through—frequently. They are intimately tied up in our physical survival. Through them we deal with things like safety, integrity, independence and self-esteem.
The Prostitute is one of those archetypes that, at first glance, we probably don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about. Few of us want to take a good look at the ways we might allow ourselves to be ‘for sale’.
But this week, we are being asked to do just that. At its essence, The Prostitute archetype shines a light on the ways we negotiate our relationships with security. It’s all about the times we exchange our integrity for a sense of safety.
On the light side, The Prostitute has weathered enough power dynamic cycles to be able to stand firm in their integrity. In other words, no offer of security, no matter how sweet, will tempt this one out of their alignment with their own power.
In the shadow, The Prostitute engages in the act of selling their power (which can come in the form of gifts, talents, thoughts, energy, etc.) for a sense of security from the outside that is out of alignment with their integrity. Sometimes this is obvious, like staying in a soul-crushing job for the sake of a paycheck (Hi, I’m the one who did exactly this for twenty years.) Sometimes it’s more sneaky, like telling a white lie to gain approval from others, or to reduce risk of criticism or rejection.
I also think that it’s important to mention that sometimes our survival really does depend on this type of prostitution. We require some basic securities to live—like food and shelter—and there are times when we need to sell out to have them. Let’s try to not shame ourselves for this. Sometimes, it is the best decision we can make in the moment. I think what matters is the awareness. When we can acknowledge to ourselves that we are making this choice, we retain some power around it.
Some questions to consider this week:
Have I ever lied to avoid the risk of being judged or rejected?
Have I ever remained in an unhappy situation because of a desire for security—financial or otherwise?
Have I ever 'bought' another person's loyalty, support, or even silence, in order to have my way?
Have I ever felt myself being pulled into a circumstance that would require me to sell out my integrity, but then found myself strong enough to say “no"?
King of Wands
In this card, we see a king seated on a throne, wearing a luxurious red robe and golden-colored cloak (possibly made of animal hide). They hold in their right hand a large, leafy wand. At the bottom of the card, on the ground near the king’s throne, is a tiny salamander, which is a symbol for the element of fire.
I like to think of the Kings of the tarot as a Council of Elders. These wise ones have mastered their own relationships with their suit and can now provide it back to their communities.
In the case of the King of Wands, this particular Council of Elders provides their community with the gift of the wand, which is the tool that connects us with magic, or the spiritual realm, and lights up our lives with passion and enthusiasm.
I believe the King of Wands, then, is calling us to look at how we can lead by providing these gifts to those around us. If we’ve recently faced challenges in our leadership roles, can we reignite our inner fire and guide our community with renewed energy?
How does this pair work together?
Here’s what I see with these two…The Council of Elders passes the wand of kingship to the Prostitute, who now holds the power to let it shine. The wand, wrapped in a safety net, waits to be unveiled.
The Prostitute steps toward the crowd, gazing into their eager faces. In that moment, a realization strikes—decisions may not always be popular, and the light of the wand might not always please the crowd. Fear creeps in: if the light is too bright, rejection might follow.
So, they keep the net snug around the wand, hiding its glow. It feels safer this way.
But an Elder whispers gently, “It’s your time.” The Prostitute looks down, remembering how much they’ve longed to share this light—the light of their heart and soul.
With a deep breath, they unwrap the wand and lift it high, letting it shine for all to see, trusting in the joy of sharing their passions with the world.
I believe this is our call this week. Can we free the wand of kingship from its safety net? What passions have we’ve been afraid to share or express? What lights us up but we’ve been holding back out of a fear of others’ disapproval? Can we let ourselves take the risk and shine this week?
I’ll go first! One thing that lights me up that I haven’t yet shared about here in my Substack community is my deep love and fascination for ancient Hebrew spirituality. Something deep inside me is drawn to it like a moth to flame and, yet, there’s a lot about it that doesn’t fit neatly with my other spiritual paradigms so I’ve tended to stay quiet about it.
Now it’s your turn! What are you willing to let shine this week?
The entire prostitute segment. I would have never thought of it in that way but wow...yeah.
Well, all I can say is it's been one of those weeks when everything is pointing in the exact same direction. I have recently stepped past my fear of disapproval or rejection to offer the want of leadership in a public way. Reading this this week (even though it's a previous post) is at least the third confirmation that I'm moving in the right direction.