By Sarah Taylor
I wrote some time ago about my understanding of the Page of Wands as being like a child with a box of matches. Fire — so compelling and hypnotic. A single flame secretly taken to a pile of leaves in the backyard; the exhilaration of combustion and burning and the energy released. A naive joy at the power of creation, and the rite of passage into a world that will bring all aspects of fire to us: ignition, heat dancing into life, the sting of a spark, the recoiling at scorched skin, conflagration, the reduction into ash, the rebirth and flight of the phoenix.
This fire is the domain of the Wands suit in tarot, and the Page represents an aspect of our own fiery experience, whether an element of own personality or encountered through someone else. (The court cards nearly always indicate a person or a character trait.)
However he appears, the Page’s signature is distinct: it is a nascent desire to bring something into being, the human expression of the drive behind the creation of the universe. It is erotic in the broader sense of the word: it is the essence of life itself.
Who knew that the Page of Wands holds all of this in his hands? The Page himself certainly doesn’t. He has an inkling of its potential, but he has yet to put it to full work. In this respect, he could be compared to Mickey Mouse in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, except here we’re talking fire, not water. Hot stuff!
Nevertheless, while he has yet to hone his considerable if embryonic skills, there is no shortage of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn that he can draw from. The Page doesn’t get to become King (or Queen) without them — and he’ll need both of them, and a specific form of discipline, to negotiate the next card.