From the Thoth Tarot, the Prince of Wands (Knight); from the Vertical Oracle, "Escape:"
The fiery Prince of Wands represents the airy part of fire, a combustible combination. Seasoned firefighters who discover a room pulling air into itself (for example through a crack under a door) generally evacuate, because it is a sign of a
backdraft. A backdraft happens when oxygen in a fire is depleted, then a sudden intake of oxygen occurs and creates an explosion. Yep, that sounds like my buddy the Prince. He's got many great qualities - passionate enthusiasm, courage, charisma, an adventuresome spirit - that can take a terrible turn if arrogance takes control. Those around him who are caught unaware may get burned; he unfortunately will be too self-absorbed to care.
The Escape card suggests an alternative to getting burnt to a crisp. Alli describes it as a "temporary grace period." The woman riding on the back the back of the dragonfly is able to rise above all the excitement and view things from a larger perspective. Away from the magnetic personality of the Prince as well as the herd mentality, she might have a clearer understanding of the likely repercussions. With a bit of the water element thrown in, she'll look for a way to prevent casualties instead of being indifferent to them. But since this is only a temporary reprieve, she's going to have to go back in the trenches. Hopefully it will be with a fire hose in hand.
