The Page of Wands

I am continuing my examination of the correspondences between the MBTI and the tarot Pages that I began a couple months ago.

I saved the Wands for last because this fiery suit is the one I am least comfortable with. And yes, in English, it is both possible and correct to end sentence with a preposition. (Gosh! Can you see how much I want to get sidetracked away from the subject of the Wands?)

When I first became interested in tarot, it took months to find a deck. Eventually, I asked in a toy store, and was surprised when the store owner retrieved his only copy from behind the counter. It was the Aquarian Tarot by David Palladini. Here is the Page from that deck and from the Rider Waite Smith:

At the time, the only book I could find was A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot. Palladini's deck and Waite's book aren't a great match for beginning tarot students, and it's no wonder that it took me so many years to learn the cards.

This is all A.E. Waite gives us to understand the Page of Wands:

In a scene similar to the former, a young man stands in the act of proclamation. He is unknown but faithful, and his tidings are strange. Divinatory Meanings: Dark young man, faithful, a lover, an envoy, a postman. Beside a man, he will bear favourable testimony concerning him. A dangerous rival, if followed by the Page of Cups. Has the chief qualities of his suit. He may signify family intelligence. Reversed: Anecdotes, announcements, evil news. Also indecision and the instability which accompanies it.

The "former scene" refers to the desert and pyramids in the Knight of Wands. The "chief qualities of his suit" are never clearly defined. I'm still uncertain whether "family intelligence" means genetic inheritance or news about a family. None of Waite's description seemed to fit the Aquarian Tarot's Page of Wands or the Robin Wood tarot that I now rely on.

The Wands in the Rider Waite Smith deck are calmer and less intimidating than those of the Robin Wood deck. I would feel comfortable sauntering up to the RWS Page of Wands and asking “Whatcha lookin’ at?” But although I have questions for Robin Wood’s Page of Wands, I would prefer to bite my tongue and pass by her quietly and unnoticed.

Since my primary deck is the Robin Wood deck, I have to wrestle with these four intimidating personages. 

Like the RWS image, Robin Wood’s Page of Wands also stands on a sand dune, gazing at the wand she holds. However, her wand glows brighter than the ruthless, desert sun. She is less contemplative and more enthusiastic than her counterpart from the RWS deck. Her clothes are bright shades of red, orange, and yellow. Even her long, beautiful hair is fiery. And her wand glows brighter than the desert sun.

The first thing I usually notice about this card is its energy. The Page radiates so much energy that it takes a moment for me to see and recall that she's standing still, both feet sinking into the sand, as she focuses on the crystal at the top of her wand. She is grasping the gift of intuition or inspiration, but not letting it lead her on her path.

If I dared speak with her, I’d ask what she sees, what she thinks, and, most urgently, what she is going to do. It could be a stimulating conversation, but I'm afraid to begin it.

Sometimes, I feel she is going to gaze at the wand forever and I want to beg her to act on her intuition. Other times, it seems that she is eager to follow where inspiration leads.

Very occasionally, I see the Page of Wands as a trusting Fool, following what Rachel Pollack calls "the path of delight and fascination."

The wand she holds is much too big for her, but she grasps it almost victoriously, as if she believes she has earned it. All the pages are inexperienced and immature, so her confidence is unearned, but her fiery core and passion for life may help her succeed. Robin Wood’s Page of Wands is optimistic and eager; she has joie de vivre.

If the wand is the gift of inspiration, she has a firm grasp on it. Sometimes it looks as if the Page of Wands is studying her intuition rather than following it. Raised in a culture of logic, a person might become hesitant to act on her intuition and, over time, become unable even to hear her own intuition.

Wands can represent artistic inspiration and mystical insights. Wands are also phallic symbols and the figure in this card may be uncertain how to respond to her adolescent sexuality. The wand could also be seen as a channel, a “hollow bone.” The page may be channeling inspiration and transforming that energy into material form.

Fire represents energy, and this card, like the Knight of Wands, may be a warning to conserve energy and to avoid rushing into something without preparation and attention to detail.

Traditionally, pages were seen as messengers. Of all the pages, this one looks most like a messenger. Robin Wood intended that the rings at the top of the wand would chime when the wand was shaken. The sound as well as the sight of this wand announces the messenger. Robin Wood considers this card a "wake up call from the universe," a call to consider potential consequences of one's actions or a call to jump at an opportunity.

Five or six years after I'd acquired my tarot deck, I finally found a useful book. In Exploring the Patterns of The Tarot, Norma Cowie, writes, "The Page of Wands will show that the querent is too absorbed in his own ideas, and is not letting in other alternatives. Therefore it should be suggested that he widen his field of vision." So why is she caught up in her thoughts rather than acting on her inner fire?

Oddly, this card seems to harken back to the pages of the other three suits. There is spirituality in this image, but it’s different than the comfortable spirituality of the Page of Pentacles. The mental energy of this card is distinct from the finely honed intellect of the Page of Swords. And this page’s intuition is very different than the visionary nature of the Page of Cups. The Page of Wands seems to have a more complete and balanced character, sharing traits with the other suits.

Fire is her predominant trait. Learning to control fire was an important step for civilization, but fire can also annihilate. It is unpredictable, dangerous, and yet essential. Many parents seek to extinguish the fire of young girls. (Watch American parents; they let their boys run around screaming, spilling and breaking things, but if their girl even stands up, both shout in unison, "Sit down!")

I love the hints that Robin Wood included in her Pages; she intended them remind herself of the card's meaning. In this case, firecrackers are suspended from the girl's belt. She's a firecracker: clever and independent, speaking her mind. Her fire has not been extinguished. She is always prepared. Robin Wood commented, "I gave her long sleeves to remind me that this character frequently has something up them!"

In an earlier post, I wrote that the Page of Swords in the PTSD card. All the Wand courts trigger a PTSD response in me. I become very anxious when I see Wands in a reading. Who are these people and where will they direct their fire? Are they a danger to themselves or to others?

There may be a warning in the fact that the page's wand is larger than she is. She hasn't grown into her stick as The Fool and The Hermit have. If this page is about to journey, this walking stick, and perhaps the journey itself, is too big for her.

In my chart of MBTI and tarot court card correspondences, the Page of Wands is aligned with ENTP. Wikipedia describes this type as "inventive, enthusiastic, strategic, enterprising, inquisitive, versatile" and asserts that they "enjoy new ideas and challenges" and "value inspiration."

Nothing about the description of the ENTP personality contradicts my understanding of the Page of Wands, but can we really call this association a win?

I don't think this system of correspondences is meaningful to me; it doesn't do anything to improve my readings or provide more information for my clients. Tarot is one system and MBTI is another one-- and one I don't know well. These two systems were developed with different goals in mind and I do a disservice to one or both by trying to meld them together.