TITLE OF CARD IN RW DECK: Page of Wands

ALTERNATE NAMES: Princess of Wands, Page of Rods, Princess of Staves, Maiden of Pipes, Sota de Bastos, Earth of Fire, Enthusiastic Daughter of Light

BASIC DESCRIPTION (RW): A youth (M or F) stands in the desert before the pyramids, looking up at the top of his wand, which seems to be a walking stick. There are ouroboros lizards on his tunic, a red feather in his hat, and the fringe on his boots resembles upside-down flames.
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: I felt an immediate affinity with this card, and used it for my personal significator for 20 years. (Then I became a mother and switched to Queen of Wands.)
COLORS: Fiery colors: red, orange, yellow.

UPRIGHT MEANINGS and TRAITS: Eagerness and excitement for life. Potential. A young person who, even unintentionally, helps others. A stranger with good intentions. A carrier of important news, an envoy, a guide, a pleasant stranger. A child with too much engery. A suave, bright and noble soul. A person willing to accept risks. First to volunteer. Spiritual person. An artist. Lover of the outdoors and nature. Passionate in both love and anger. Friendly, competitive, encouraging, stimulating. Musical, creative, inquisitive. Committed to self-expression.
Energy, enthusiasm, optimism, passion. Spontaneity, originality, inventiveness, impulsiveness. Confidence, courage, risk, adventure.
ALSO: Important messages. Encouraging or favorable news, especially in relation to creative endeavors. Opportunity knocking. Standing up for a just cause. More enthusiasm than efficiency. Travel. A youth who may leave home early. Finding a will of your own.
Böögg Keywords: fuel for the fire, inspirational motivation, creative impulse, passionate excitement, entertaining or memorable method of expression, potentially explosive energy, spring equinox

REVERSED MEANINGS and TRAITS: An unstable, indecisive and perhaps malicious person. Can be attention-seeking, boasting, temperamental. A heartbreaker, gossiper, or bringer of bad news. Easily distracted. Superficiality, instability, insecurity.
ALSO: Bad news, rumors, illness. Abrupt change of plans. Losing touch or communication with someone you value.
Böögg Keywords for reversed: lack of energy or inspiration; bleak, boring, darkening; rain on one's parade; also "flash in the pan"; OR lack of restraint and accompanying risks, potentially dangerous thrills

BIBLICAL: Mark the Evangelist
MYTHOLOGICAL: maybe Hermes

ANIMAL/INSECT: tiger, reptiles
TREES/FLOWERS: palm; gardenia
LOCATION: Egypt
CRYSTALS: tiger eye
SCENTS/OILS: sandalwood

BOOK: The Soul of Lilith by Marie Corelli
PUBLIC PEOPLE: Shakira; Michael Flatley; maybe Harry Potter. Wilhelm Tell's son (and Wilhelm as the Knight).
OCCUPATIONS: shepherd, bass player, surveyor, postman, envoy, courier, messenger. Performing skills, promotional, teaching, selling. (Matthews)

PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: The Böögg

FAVORITE REPRESENTATION: I prefer the Thoth Princess of Wands featured on my site. I also adore the Rohrig.
OTHER DECKS: The Cosmic Princess is too sexy, with that Wand between her breasts, her sultry look, that volcano in the background.

ANCESTRAL PATH Princess of Staves
by Julie Cuccia-Watts

 

An Egyptian princess sits on a golden lion throne. A lotus scepter rests across her lap and her right arm, and her left arm embraces a black and white hunting dog ("Dog of the Dead"). A bowl on a pedestal balances on her head. Her gown leaves her breasts exposed, but the nipples are covered by the shoulder straps. This shows that, unlike the Queen (whose breasts are totally exposed), she has achieved--but not yet implemented--her reproductive power. Pyramids and palms fill the background.

 

The imagery of this card comes from the Egyptian representations of Nephthys, but the bowl on her head puts me off. It seems the bowl, like her life, like her womb, has yet to be filled, indicating a young woman on the brink of her potential. Friend of the newly born and the newly dead, Nephthys is seen as a messenger between worlds.

 

To me, she indicates accepting new circumstances and letting go of old ones.

According to the LWB: "Messages from the other side, a higher plance, or a different dimension. Discerning between right and wrong, and making a stand for the right. Participating in a just cause. The eruption of something due to tremendous forces underneath the surface of everyday reality."

 

I would venture to guess that the "just cause" meaning comes from Nephthys's involvement in the re-membering of Osiris, against the wishes of her murderer husband Set. OTOH, according to that myth, she is also an adulteress and betrayer.

Nephthys

Statue from Tut's tomb

 

 

HALLOWEEN TAROT Page of Imps
by Kipling West

 

A young person (presumeably female) stands holding a tall wand, looking up at it's crowning flame. She wears a tunic with salamanders, hose, boots with ghosts and fiery fringe, a cloak and hat with a long orange feather. Her wand is a straight smooth torch holding a reasonably-large fire. An imp stands behind her, peeking around the side with one hand on her cloak. The black cat walks around her left side, to gaze up at her from the front. They all stand on green earth in front of two pyramids and a black, star-filled sky.

 

I've been talking about the "instigator" Imps since the Ace, and here's another one. The imp reminds of a cartoon demon, whispering in one's ear. "Nice fire you've got there. What are you going to do with it?" He prods her desire, her creative energy. He encourages her to act on her impulse(s) and enthusiasm(s). He inspires her to carry the torch further.

 

As with the Ancestral Path, I also drew "emphasis" cards for the Page of Imps. They are the Tower, Sun and Devil--all cards featuring different types of fire. The lightning represents bringing a divine message or inspiration, the sunshine represents the Page spreading the message or sharing the inspiration, and the hellfire represents the trouble she can get into following the little voice of the imp! ("I dare you!")

 

PAGE OF IMPS AND FIRE CARDS
expanding on the connections between the Page and the three Majors I drew

 

Page of Imps and Tower
The Page of Imps is unexpected, surprising, unconventional, liberating and enlightening. She is challenging beliefs, overthrowing structures, shattering premises, knocking down false fronts. Her message comes as a bolt from the blue, bringing the impulse or motivation to move.

 

Page of Imps and Sun
The Sun side of the Page is her exuberance, happiness, enjoyment of simple pleasures, openness, and forthrightness. Her personality shines--warming, inspiring, encouraging growth, spreading light. (I think Crowley described this as the force of her personality making her seem more beautiful that she really is, or some such.)

 

Page of Imps and Devil
Here we see again the Page's moral relativity, as well as the primacy of her own desires and impulses. The Page seems a likely candidate for temptation, and may even be just waiting for the Mother of All Imps. "Jab me with that pitchfork, Mama! Oh, I like it!"
The fire has gotten out of control, and threatens to burn rather than enlighten or warm. At what point does self-indulgence become harmful habit? Someone (either Morrison or Crowley, or both) said that before you know where to draw the line, you have to have crossed it. A very Page of Imps philosophy, IMHO. And across the line waits this "hottie" and there's this little imp, behind, pushing ...

 

Voice	Tygress of Euphrates	Vision
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This page contains excerpts from my original contributions to an online Tarot discussion. The Comparative Tarot list is made possible by Valerie Sim and Yahoo! groups.
Last modified February 2005
http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/court/WPage/wpimho.html