So my son, Jonathan, when he was a lot younger, says to me, "Mom, how come leaves are green?""Because they produce their own food and it's green."
"No it isn't," he says.
"Um, yes it is," I counter.
"Nuh uh, sometimes it's red."
Ok, he had me there. Japanese Maples have red leaves. He used to do this sort of thing all the time, still does, in fact, though his questions have changed now that he's a teenager. On the one hand you think, bright kid. On the other you think, god, he's such a snot. Didn't I just get set up there? Why do I feel I was set up?
The Page of Swords is like that. Their minds go nonstop and they're looking at things from all the angles, trying to figure out twelve different things at one time. One question leads to another and to another and sandwiched in between the questions are statements about what they know that you don't. The Page of Swords favorite question is "Why?" Running a close second is, "How?" These mentally taxing people are usually very intelligent with keen insight. They communicate well, if not verbally then in writing, and their natural curiosity fuels their mental activity. They can be shy, though, or what comes across as shyness. What they're really doing is sizing up a situation, mentally gathering information and processing it before they feel comfortable enough to speak. When they do finally speak, they will dazzle you with their newfound discoveries and mental and verbal gymnastics. Like that Knave (Page) of Swords up there from The Fey Tarot.
The Page of Swords penchant for discovering new information has garnered him the reputation of a "spy." This is someone who digs up the necessary scoop on situations, people, and ideas on his own. He's not above cybersleuthing to find things out he feels he needs to know, in fact he sees the internet as a valuable tool in his research. He's right, of course, and its just your own fault if you happen to leave all your personal information available at the click of a Google search. Talking with him might feel as if you're being interrogated at times, as he fires off a volley of questions one after another.
This is because while all Pages' element is Earth, the Sword Page's suit element is Air. So he is what is called "earth of air." He wants his mental meanderings to be rooted in tangible fact. So he's going to dig for the evidence to find their solid basis. This need is at the root of his constant questions about why and how things are the way they are. His immaturity is usually evident in his arrogance, his need to always be right, and he tends to show off a bit where his mental prowess is concerned. He can be blunt, sometimes too blunt, like telling someone right off the bat they could stand to lose a few pounds and here's how to do it: the body works like this, see, and when you eat things like simple carbohydrates the body stores them when you don't use them, but if you eat complex carbohydrates the body has to work harder at processing them....and so on. He is completely oblivious to the fact that he just insulted you and truly thinks he's offering welcome information that you want and need. Still, he's not too arrogant to admit he could be wrong, or he might need more research, or that he still has to find out more. He'll often question his own conclusions and ask, "Wait, did I get that right?"
As a messenger, the Page of Swords delivers truth and insight, facts and knowledge. In a reading he may represent a piece of info you need, that last puzzle piece that allows you to see something clearly. This may come, for example, as a call from your doctor with the test results or the letter from your school advising you whether or not you passed a course and your grade in that course. This is the web page you stumble on by accident that tells you precisely what you needed to know in order to repair that broken thingamajig.
When the Page of Swords appears in a tarot reading he has much to say in the way of advice. His is the way of research and honesty. He advises you to ground your thoughts in fact, think before you speak, find out before you mouth off. He tells the reader there is usually more to this than meets the eye and you need to cautiously proceed, observe a while longer, check your facts. When in the position of another person in your reading he could indicate that that someone has a keen interest in you and may be watching you from afar, checking you out. This is the potential employer checking your references or the potential suitor watching you take the same bus as him every day and trying to figure out if you're married or single or what. The Page of Swords could be telling you to speak the truth bluntly, but make sure what you say really IS the truth and not just words intended to pierce someone.
The Fey Tarot Deck and Book Set Copyright © 2002, LoScarabeo Book written by Riccardo Minetti Artwork by Mara Aghem Published LoScarabeo ISBN 0-7387-0280-3
wow, I just read this and saw a link to here on aeclectic. What a great post. I am going to have to look through the rest of this blog now.
ReplyDeleteReally good job. :)
Hey! Welcome to 78 Notes To Self! I hope to hear more from you as you make yourself at home. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it, can hardly wait to read more of your stuff :)
ReplyDeletePlease visit my blog at www.dovelove.wordpress.com or my Tarot site at www.TarotwithLove.com
Peace,
Dove
I do a daily card for myself and always check the internet for a different take on the card than just my deck's, and really enjoyed your Page of Swords interpretation today! Have subscribed!
ReplyDeleteI am very into astrology and am an air sign. The sword court cards are asigned to me and it is very upsetting when everyone is so negative about them. You have tried to be positive but haven't really been and have made the Knight and King of Swords particuarly be really awful. Aquarius is known for being humanitarian and Libran for being fair and just! Yes Gemini can have two sides to them, but many people consistently choose them as their favourite sign! So where does all this bitterness come from? It's not acurate or fair to probably a quarter of the population. You have tried to be nice about the Queen of Swords - but only in the name of feminism and not really said anything that positive. Scorpio meanwhile is a Queen of Cups and is supposed to be loving and kind. Well, sometimes (quite often) they are vicious, vindictive and cruel. Pisces can be passive aggressive and Cancerians very selfish and not at all nuturing. Yes I am being negative about the water signs - because there is that side of them. But it is their positive side that is the one brought to our attention. With the air signs is is all negative! Cruelty is not the reserve of air signs. I am fed up with being told how rubbish I am. It is unkind and cruel to perpetrate such things in the world of tarot. Incidently your little boy, the one who is currently a cute little page of swords - is he destined to grow up into one of the nasty Knights or Kings? I would guess so. Which is kind of sad for him isn't it? I used to be a page of swords too but am now apparently a wicked witchy old Queen of Swords. Who wants to fulfil a destiny like that? Apart from this, I liked your articles very much - the other signs do very well don't they. Just not us poor old Swords!
ReplyDeleteHehe, yes, I know. I don't do astrological associations with tarot so much, because I don't think any system like astrology or numerology really "fits" or overlays tarot precisely, though the elemental associations are similar. I don't think any of the court cards are either nasty or nice but have both positive and negative qualities. I also don't think any one human being totally embodies any one court card. As a Libra, I often find myself displaying Queen of Swords characteristics. I don't find them "bad" at all. Others may perceive me as aloof or reserved, but that's them. The Knight, being air of fire, and like the other knights share an unpredictable high energy and impulsiveness combined with sharp intelligence, wit, and communicative skills can rip someone a new one, but just as often chooses to hold his sword sheathed and just ride off to something more interesting. And the main thing about all the Swords family is they are truth tellers, so whether they soften it, as the Queen does with her water understanding and compassion, or not, you can rely on them for absolute real honesty. Traditionally, the Queen was seen as a bitter pinched woman, but I object to those interpretations. I think she's very misunderstood in tarot because she doesn't let her emotional underwear hang out for all to see. And a lot of people don't really like to hear the truth laid bare, do they? And oh, about that Queen of Cups being so loving and kind, well...sure, when she's not sloshed and trying to emotionally manipulate everyone.
ReplyDeletePoint is, these are one-dimensional characters that represent a side or attitude of someone, not their whole being. While you and I are air signs we are not merely the Queen of Swords at all. I know there are times I'm very much the Queen of Wands and even the Queen of Pentacles at times.
I think all the court cards have duality, just as all astrological signs do. My cute little Page of Swords has grown. He's 18 now and always leaves me laughing with his sharp wit. He's an excellent writer and a very enjoyable guy to be with. However, he is a knight's age now and is incredibly impulsive and can say and do things without thinking. His fire energy comes to the fore a LOT. He's a Sagittarius, so there is THAT. LOL I don't align astrological signs with tarot, I look more for characteristics and behaviors, ways of thinking and attitudes that tell me if someone is exhibiting more of this or that court's qualities.
And as far as the other signs doing well, I don't know about that. I pretty much called the Knight of Wands a player and the Queen of Wands a diva, the King of Cups a wishy-washy irresponsible softy, and the King of Pentacles a lazy miser. So...it's all in which side you're looking at, isn't it?
I like your blog, content is great and I love the design
ReplyDeleteI am way overdue in thanking you. I have stumbled across your blog over a dozen times and am overwhelmingly satisfied every time I do. I will definitely be contacting you for a reading very soon.
ReplyDeleteBeing an Air-guy myself I just want to make one wee little challenge to a part of your explanation (go figure). Anyways, you write: "He is completely oblivious to the fact that he just insulted you and truly thinks he's offering welcome information that you want and need." I would say that he totally knows he has insulted you, he just figures his information is important enough to warrant/justify the insulting ;)
Thanks again, your blog rocks!
LOL, yes, I would agree. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab read. I have been studying tarot on & off for the last 4 years and the page of swords cropped up in my daily draw as advice. The page of swords is always one I have struggled to relate to but after reading this I understand so much more and feel enlightened and as though I understand so much more. Thank you for posting this. 💜
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