The Page of Swords, Or, a Really Snippy 12 Year Old Girl

When I was having my conversation with Kafi Gaultier about how best to learn tarot cards, she pulled a card from her deck as an example. The card was the Page of Swords.  She showed it to me, and said, "Let's say you pull this card in the morning. Be on the lookout.  Think about what it means. Think about what really stands out to you about the card.  You may get a paper cut, or you may have to deal with a snippy twelve-year-old."  

Why a twelve-year-old?  Why, because we're talking about the Page/Princess. Pages and Princesses tend to indicate a child or young adult in the questioner's life, and usually a female. However, just like the Princesses of Pentacles, the Princess/Page of Swords can also indicate an aspect of the questioner, and may not always indicate a female.  

Kris Waldherr's Princess of Swords

The people that Princess/Page of Swords may indicate can, indeed, be snippy. Swords are aligned with the element of Air.  Air is the element associated with strife, conflict, and problems, including the need for medical care--the "scalpel."  However, Swords are also associated with mental acuity, intelligence, problem solving, communication, and travel. As such, drawing the Swords (ha ha, I just got that as I typed it) is not necessarily a negative thing. The Princess of Swords can indicate a decisive person, a person who knows what she or he wants.  It can also indicate a young person who is cool and calm under pressure, someone who is rational, someone who is a problem solver.  Let's say someone wants to know how well their grades will turn out this semester. If the Princess of Swords pops up, they can feel a little more confident. The Princess can also remind the questioner to not slack off on the flash cards and outlines. 

Since Kris Waldherr chose Isis to represent the Suit of Swords, it is important to discuss grief and pain, which Swords may indicate. Isis was in terrible grief after the murder of her husband, Osirus. Even if the questioner is an adult, they may find themselves regressing, or grieving in a childlike way (which is certainly not a bad thing; what is "an adult" way to grieve, anyway?).  Isis also brought Osirus back to life by sewing him back together--this Page may indicate medical care or a sick young person. 

 

The Celtic Princess of Swords is seen in a relaxed but alert pose. There is no doubt that she can defend herself if necessary.  Since this is the Swords suit, which is mental (as opposed to the physically energetic Wands/Staves, or the emotional Cups, or the practical Pentacles/Coins), and aligned with communicative Air, this defense-- or offense, if the card is reversed--is typically verbal. The person that this card may indicate may be the wielder of a scalpel tongue. When upright and happy, this Princess is witty and eloquent, a charming joke teller and raconteur. If someone who works with children is curious about how a new kid is going to turn out, the Princess of Swords may indicate a child who is intelligent, maybe even gifted, and motivated, but may be socially aloof, or even catty.  

You may also notice that the Celtic Princess of swords was drawn by Mary Guinan as fixing on a point with a clear, intense gaze. Swords, and the Air element, indicate foresight and diligent planning. When this Princess has a goal, she will get it.  

An examination of Robin Wood's Page of Swords reveals a few things. One, the Pages/Princesses of Swords all seem to prefer the color blue (except for Skuld; we'll get to her in a second).  Blue is the color of the Heavens. It is associated with Air.  It is a calming color, and the darker blues are associated with higher learning, intelligence, and professionalism--think of all the schools that use blue as a color. Robin Wood's Page is clad in sky blue, to indicate clear thinking and foresight. 

Two, the Page is brandishing the sword, but in a joyous manner.  She is thrilled with her capacity for ideas. Her management of her sword, which we may think of as symbolic of the brain's ability to cut away obstacles that keep us from enlightenment, seems to be parting the clouds above her, letting in the sunshine of epiphany. Of course, this is just my interpretation of the card right now. You may see something else. 

Third, the Page has winged shoes. This is clever because of the allusion to Hermes, aka Mercury, who was the god of communication and travel, among other things. Swords can indicate swift movement and swift messages.  What details stand out to you? 

Our last girl is Barbara G. Walker's Princess of Swords, also known as Skuld. 

Skuld here is a Valkyrie.  As such, she's not a cuddly little girl. She is stringent, tough, and bold. The Valkyrie's would lead troops into battle and gather up the souls of the brave afterward. The storm clouds below her (you can also see storm clouds in Robin Wood's Page of Swords card) indicates this possible strife and trouble. Depending on what you see, the questioner may be able to rise above the problems, or part them, or they might not. Other cards, and whether the Page of Swords is upright or reversed (upside down) will let you know. 

Anyway, not just any soul was acceptable to Skuld for gathering. She was only interested in the brave, the honorable, and the intelligent. She had a keen eye for the real thing, and no tolerance for hypocrisy or phoniness. The person in question may just have that gift for discernment, a mind like an X-ray or a laser that is able to see through any person they meet to see if they are the real deal.  They have high standards, because it is illogical, in their opinion, to settle for anything less. 

Because the Princess of Swords may indicate an aspect of the questioner, she may choose to send messages through dreams.  The dreamer may see a young person, especially a young girl, who may appear to have the characteristics of the Princess or Page of Swords. She may be wearing blue, and carrying a sharp object. Or, the dreamer may find him- or herself back in school, preparing for a test. The child in the dream may also be grieving.   

Archetypes and people associated with the Page/Princess of Swords, Positive (upright): 

Precocious children 

A very cerebral young person 

A quick wit 

A very efficient manager

The ambitious new worker 

Travelers 

A child who needs medical care, but will heal 

A convalescing person

Negative (reversed) Associations

Scalpel tongues 

Malicious gossips 

Someone who is choosing not to live up to their mental potential 

Someone who is not thinking clearly

Someone running with scissors

The hyper-logical, at the expense of their hearts and bodies. 

A grieving child, or grieving inner child 

A sickly person

And We Begin Our Journey

Before we start,  I would like to talk about how to read the cards.  Taking on the reading of the cards may be overwhelming, like learning a whole new language.

One of my best teachers in this was a woman named Kafi Gaultier, who gave me a reading at the Higher Self bookstore in Traverse City, MI.  She told me that she learned by taking a card out in the morning, and meditating on it. She gave me these questions to consider:
1) What detail of the card stands out to you?
2) What does the detail mean to you?
3) What is the card trying to tell you?
Put these questions in the crock-pot in the kitchen of your mind and just go on about your day. At the end of the day, look at the card again. Did anything happen to you that made you think of the card, or is symbolized by the card? What is the card trying to tell you now?
She highly recommended keeping a journal for insights. A card's meanings can change with the day.

The first card in the Tarot deck is The Fool. It is the zero point (literally, as it is not technically card number 1, but card 0), and the vector from which the human consciousness travels.

                                                    The Fool, by Barbara G. Walker

Why is The Fool 0, and not 1?  Without zero, there can be no tens, hundreds, or thousands. It is the base of the ladder.

The name is also misleading. The Fool is only naive, ignorant, or stupid in the Shadow, or dark side, of its aspect. The light side of the Fool is a new baby. Babies are not stupid; they simply are completely blank. everything they see and experience as they grow is a gentle brushstroke on a palette--sometimes those brushstrokes are primary colors (colors we can safely associate with the Fool, because they are the bases from which all other colors are created), sometimes soft pastels, and sometimes slashes of black ink. There is still a lot of white space between these contrasts.  All these colors and empty spaces paint a personality.  The Fool, then, is a clean sheet of paper--full of possibilities.

                                                     The Celtic Fool, Illustrated by Mary Guinan

When the Fool comes to visit someone who sees herself as jaded or in pain, it is very comforting. In these circumstances, the Fool is fresh, clean snow. This blanket of snow is cleansing and helps the dead mulch of sadness or anger or past mistakes break down into fodder for the flowers of a happy springtime.

The Fool can also be enterprising and adventurous. The Fool reminds us that we can take risks, and try new things.  The Fool trusts in the universe. Because the Fool is a beginner, she has no worries.

Speaking of beginnings--Zen masters have a little something they like to call "Beginner's Mind." This mind is pure. This concept is extremely comforting to me because I am a perfectionist. When I started taking ballet again a few years ago, it was very difficult for me. I felt clumsy, which is natural when you're stumbling around like a drunken donkey. It took practice to let myself be a beginner. I think there's some shame in it, especially in a perfectionist world, which doesn't acknowledge the obvious fact that people generally are not experts at something the first time they do it. However, in Zen, as well as yoga, the Beginner's Mind is sacred, because it is not clouded with preconceptions. Preconceptions limit possibilities, which the Fool is full of! The Fool is always willing to learn and experience!

The Fool can also mean coming of age--coming into independence and a personal philosophy. It can represent a new, idealistic way of looking at things, and of optimism.

The Shadow side of the Fool is recklessness and willful ignorance, and unwillingness to learn and grow. It may also mean limited thinking, and being blind to possibilities. The Shadow can also be manifested as youthful narcissism.

Archetypes and people I associate with The Fool: A young person going on a quest, like Sir Gawain. New babies. Mulan, with her creativity and willingness to start at the bottom, also, because she was motivated by love, and not pride.  Pip, from Great Expectations. Miaka, from Fushigi Yugi, and Kagome from Inuyasha.  Young Simba. Spongebob and Chowder (yeah, I said it. They do things out of love, not pride).

Shadow: Holden Caulfeld. People who shoot down every idea for "being impractical." People who have such strong attachment to their ideals, they think anyone who doesn't share them is evil. People who may be a tad over-impulsive.

And now for the questions. Please feel free to comment with your answers to the questions, or with insights you may have had looking at the cards. In fact, I would greatly love it if people would!

1) Which version of the three pictures of the Fool really speaks to you?
2) What detail stands out to you in the card you picked? For example, is it the little dog, or the brightness of the clothes? Is there more than one detail? How do they relate?
3) What does the detail mean to you? For example, the little dog may symbolize loyalty, or playfulness, or a dog you love. The red and white of Barbara G. Walker's fool may seem interesting to you because red, which you associate with fire, is in such harmony with white, which you associate with snow. Going further, what do snow and fire mean to you?
4) Think about beginnings in your life. Do they frighten or excite you? How do you react to them? Is there a better way?
5) How do you feel about having a Beginner's Mind? Have you been willing to sacrifice being perfect at something to do it for the love of it?
6) How do you solve problems? What is your strategy for generating possibilities, both creative and practical?
7) Who and/or what are your archetypes for The Fool?
8) What past mistakes or pain can you turn into mulch for something positive? Can you turn it into creative expression, or a way to help people? What can you do to cleanse yourself of shame and regret? Meditate on the Fool's energy to help you with this.