TAROTPage of Wands
Upright
Novel and new ideas or plans, adventure. Passionate, courageous and extroverted.
Receiving good news or positive information.
Rushing into new adventures, tasks, relationships, or projects.
Boundless, child-like energy. Full of ideas.
Reinvention and discovery.
Intuition
This card is about communication and information as a positive and almost child-like force of discovery and moving forward.
Who better to represent the power of communicating ideas and information than the God of words, Thoth.
Reversed
Moving forward without planning or thought. Impetuous.
Moving forward with novel ideas or thoughts without thinking them through.
A child-like and overconfident view. Expecting passion and excitement to win over ‘boring planning and common sense’.
Astrologia
Pursuing your passions and learning. Balancing the needs of creativity and structure, often with novel calculated risks that move them forward rapidly. Can be overcautious and doing things ‘by the book’.
Page of Wands
The Page of Wands is about seeing the big picture and embracing fresh ideas. It can indicate receiving good news, or engaging in happy conversations with important contacts, close friends, and family.
Such news could spark thoughts of a new adventure, an exciting relationship, or a major career move.
The card does not show this movement, however. The central character may be full of ideas and the energy they create, but he is standing still. There is work to do before the exciting 'big picture' can be transformed into something practical and workable.
The card suggests that the passion and force of new ideas (whether exploring new places, relationships, or careers) should be thought out a little more. A plan that seems this perfect may be driven by childlike excitement or a degree of wishful thinking. A few moments of standing still and working it out are definitely in order.
The Page of Wands (as with all Pages) is usually represented as a young man. In myth, however, most gods are ageless. This figure has the body of a youth but is actually ancient, having created himself through the power of pure thought: Thoth.
Thoth
Thoth represents the powers of communication and thought: the way the abstract can transform the physical world through intelligent action. The first instance of this process was the creation of Thoth himself. He willed himself into existence through the power of pure thought forming the physical, an event that occurred at the beginning of time.
Different iterations of Thoth appear elsewhere in this deck:
- The Prophet: He appears in the Hermit as the archetypal human messenger between humanity and the divine (Idris, Enoch, Moses, Hermes Trismegistus).
- The Judge: He appears in the Judgment card in the form of the Greek god Hermes (the Greeks recognized Hermes and Thoth as one and the same). Thoth was seen as the 'leveler' between good and evil, a role that included judging the dead.
- Ideas becoming Action: Thoth is strongly associated with magic and hidden, occult knowledge. This can be somewhat misleading, as he is simply the god of all books and learning. This deck assumes 'magic' truly means intelligence: the power of the intellect to change the world.
He appears here in his original form as the Page of Wands: creator of the written word, and provider of the thoughts, ideas, and communication that ultimately lead to wisdom and physical change.
Description and Symbology
The Page of Wands is all about ideas and learning about the world. He represents creativity and passionately exploring new intellectual concepts.
The Page of Wands is all about ideas and learning about the world. He represents creativity and passionately exploring new intellectual concepts.
The Page may be a visionary, but notice he is not moving. He stands still, as if in deep contemplation. He has not yet put his ideas into practice.
He may be assessing an idea or even comparing several options. What he is not doing is manifesting the ideas into the real world. His ideas remain abstract, at least at this stage, although other cards may modify this.
He is all about ideas in the purest sense. The Page may like communicating and talking them through or finding inspiration from the world around him for new ideas and ways of living, but he has not yet put anything into practice.
Thoth
Thoth is the God of the written word and represents ideas and thoughts and their use as a potential engine of change and reinvention. He carries the Caduceus (a later symbol of Hermes, the Greek messenger of the Gods).
The Scarab Beetle
The scarab beetle is a symbol of regeneration and rebirth (as well as being associated with the Sun God, Ra). Although rebirth is often taken to mean part of the life-death cycle, it can also mean reinventing yourself by your thoughts and ideas.
The yellow wagtail
Although the Egyptian Bennu bird is recognized as the direct source of the Phoenix legend, the Yellow wagtail is noted in earlier hieroglyphs from the Old Kingdom as a representation of the primordial God (Atum). It may be the original source of the legend of the Bennu and Phoenix. All three birds represent regeneration and rebirth via ideas through the passion of the intellect as a force of change.
Red sky
The red background represents the passion of new ideas, thoughts, and communication. These are not just abstractions, but also often passionately held views.
The desert
The desert behind Thoth represents the world outside the sphere of the Page of Wands. This is a world without ideas nor any passion for the new. Dry, lifeless, and boring.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
A new relationship based on a meeting of minds. This may be a romance or platonic friendship.
A greater common understanding in an existing relationship.
The card may also point to a new but short-lived romance through positive initial communication.
A lack of connection, or differing interests, or lack of passion will lead to a period of moving apart.
Communication is needed to correct this drift.
This card suggests new projects or opportunities within career. These may come from your novel ideas and concepts or news from an unexpected source (such as an unexpected job offer from an ex co-worker).
It may also come from someone who will act as the ‘archetypal herald’ and act as your teacher or tutor.
You will feel constrained or limited by your current position, and perhaps bored.
Your lack of creative spark in your work is making you unhappy.
The card suggests following your creativity through other avenues (such as personal passion projects) or look to change to a more fulfilling work environment.
You may also be ignoring the need for training and/or have become stuck in a rut through ‘golden handcuffs'. Again, this card suggests a change of work environment may be worth considering.
This card suggests a new beginning in your health regime; a new routine or novel plan. If you haven’t got such a plan, now might be a good time to start one. The more novel and intellectually intriguing as well as healthy, the better.
If you have taken health tests, then expect good news.
A lack of energy or lack of impetus to get moving may have left you lethargic and not at your fittest, and this in itself may be causing setbacks or bad news in your health.
Now is the time to make amends. If that inertia is causing you to put things off, a group sport or simply getting out into fresh air with others may help.
You may see new ideas and insights regarding your direction in life. This may involve exploring new cultures and their practices, or learning new things about yourself.
You may have become closed off or simply sticking with what you know, and this is preventing you moving forward.
Consider carefully whether ‘what you know’ is enough, as you may simply be ignoring other avenues because of apathy created in another part of your life.
This card suggests good news or communications that result in unexpected money coming in.
However, even on the upright, this card is not really a good card for long term money issues and finances. You will be excited by new methods in finance, but your excitement may be either short term or you may be buying into something because it is new and exciting rather than profitable.
Waiting and patience may be a better bet!
Although you are drawn to new ideas and novel ways of doing things, you may also be apathetic and even gullible right now because you are not putting the time in to consider options deeply.
Either get professional help, delay large transactions, or pull up your sleeves and start reading the fine print!
Yes, because of the energy and curiosity in new ideas and methods, but be wary as it only relates to the short term; long term decisions may be indeterminate.
Indeterminate. You are excited by most things, but this excitement may be short term and may dissipate as soon as the real work to be done appears! It may be better to wait.
Reading the Card
- Like all Court Cards, the Page of Wands can represent people or things other than yourself:
- A Project: Something abstract or creative that you are working on (a creative piece, career goal, writing, or passion project).
- A Message: Unexpected information or news.
- A Student: A person who is studying or learning.
- A Youth: A young person (often so individualistic they appear rebellious).
- A Catalyst: Someone new to your life with visionary or bold new ideas.
- A Mirror: A new person with very similar interests, especially in a love or business context.
When reading the Upright and Reversal sections below, note that while the text refers to you, it could actually represent any of the above. The question being asked (or your first instinct upon seeing the card) will dictate who or what the card signifies.
The Upright Card
The upright Page of Wands is the spark of creativity or inspiration from the world around you. It signifies learning from experiencing other ways of living, communicating with like-minded people, or simply learning from books and other media.
It is about seeing these details while holding the vision of the 'big picture', combining all elements to envision something entirely new. This is not about the physical act of creation, but planning it in the abstract (often half the battle, as truly novel ideas are complex).
'Abstract' does not mean cold mathematics and theory, however. This card is ruled by Wands (Fire and Passion). This points to creativity and artistry in the mix. Such works are purely abstract: they are depictions of the real thing, not the real thing themselves. This includes painting, writing, and design. If you are planning anything creative or novel, the Page of Wands is an excellent omen.
The Upright card can also represent the archetype of the Herald via Thoth (the god of the written word). This does not merely signify the 'word of the divine', but communication, and a thirst for experiences and information. The card may signify good news arriving from an unexpected source, or a sudden intellectual breakthrough and burst of inspiration in your current project.
The Reversal
The Reversed Page of Wands suggests the same spark of creativity and passion as the Upright card, but the energy is blocked. This block can be caused by several factors:
- Scattered Focus: An inability to concentrate on one idea at a time, resulting in nothing being finished. The seeker may have many ideas, but they serve only as intellectual diversions.
- Impracticality: Having abstract ideas with no understanding of the practicalities. You hold the 'big picture', but possess no starting point.
- Impulsivity: Rushing headlong into a new project simply because you are 'in love with the idea', lacking any proper planning.
- All Talk: The person is passionate about discussing ideas and is an excellent communicator, but produces no action.
Card Design Process
Thoth was earmarked as the Page of Wands early on, just as the Ace of Wands was immediately assigned to Prometheus. The two go together.
The Ace (Prometheus) represents humanity's desire to better itself, even if it means disobeying the divine.
The Page (Thoth) represents humanity's ability to create entirely new things. We go full circle: from the spark of fire that creates intellect, to using the flame of intellect to create independence from the gods.
Final Words
The Page of Wands represents the spark of inspiration, new ideas, and the innate need to communicate them. It may seem like a small thing, but it is the vital first step in any design or creative endeavor.
