Card of the Day: Page of Bows

Today’s card is the Page of Bows (Wands) from the Wildwood Tarot.

The card depicts a stoat perched on a fallen tree.  In the background we can see a waterfall and wild greenery fills out the image.  It’s such a welcoming a happy image as I sit at my desk with snow falling outside, blanketing my world in white and then later in slush and salty grit.  This window into a the lush greenery of a late summer scene is so inviting.

The stoat stands a little bit warily, watching us to see what we’re going to do as we enter their space.  In this frozen moment in time anything is possible, the stoat could leap out and attack us, it could take flight and vanish into the bushes, or it could stand and watch us a while longer.

It seems to stand, watching and wary but not afraid which embodies the energy of a Page card so well.  Pages represent childlike people or energies or situations in your life.  It hasn’t yet been burned by the fire energy of the wands suit although it’s starting to learn about it.  The stoat has a coat that changes colors with the seasons and that is a great representation of the flexibility the Page is representing/encouraging.  When you have a flexible sense of yourself you can more easily adapt to the rapid fire changes that the fire suit holds.

All those things make it easier to be brave and creative and to try out new things and experiment with fresh ideas.  Let the Page of Bows be you guide through the forest so you can dance with the fire and (mostly) not get burned.

Card of the Day: Page of Cups

Today’s card is the Page of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot

This deck actually belongs to my wife and not to me, so I haven’t worked with it very much.  I’ve definitely ooh-ed over it though, the art is so very beautiful.

This card has been pulled for me by other readers more than a few times.  I hadn’t really noticed it until just recently when I got a very timely mini reading from Beth at LRT.  It was one of those moments where it sort of feels like it’s a message that the universe has been trying to hammer through my thick skull for ages and I’m finally paying attention.

One of the things I like the most about this version of the card is the aspect of bringing light.  The mermaid is holding a bowl that I read as liquid light, maybe even liquid gold.  She’s looking within and the light is emerging and curling around her.  There’s darkness all around her.  Tangling seaweed drifts around ready to ensnare and entangle.  Her tail is tattered and her body is marked, they could be scars, they could be tattoos.  I get the feeling that she’s down at the bottom of a deep underwater canyon.  Which echoes the feelings I’ve had lately of being stuck at the side of a deep chasm.  I’ve learned not to ignore those kinds of synchronicities.

This is a sign for me to turn inwards and do some shadow work, understanding myself better so that I can help spread that light.  I might only be capable of carrying the bowl right now, but with dedicated work someday I can help spread that light to other people.  Work towards standing firm in my own power so that I can use my priviledge and power to help people who don’t have it.

Breathe in light, breathe out darkness.  Breathe in peace and empowerment and breathe out helplessness and fear.

Card of the Day: Princess of Cups

Today’s card is the Princess of Cups from the Manga Tarot

This Princess looks like she might be wearing a wedding veil.  She has flowers in her hair and a lovely kimono as she bears a golden cup aloft while riding a sea dragon.  I got myself into a little stir trying to figure out what the flowers in her hair were.  I used a plant ID website and (assuming that these illustrated flowers are based on real ones) I think these flowers are either Japanese Meadowsweet or Wild Sweet William which might be a type of Phlox.  I don’t know much about either of these types of plants, but there you go.

Botanical ramblings aside, there’s a lot to dig into with this depiction.  I appreciate the image of the Princess (sometimes called a Page or Squire or Daughter) as the cup bearer of the suit.  The card position typically depicts the youthful or inexperienced energy of the suit, sometimes shown as a young child excited at something.

This depiction shows a young woman but she isn’t rushing about like a giddy child.  Instead she takes her position and her role with seriousness and strength.  She understands that she still has much to learn, the dragon is as much her protector as he is her steed.  But she holds the cup carefully with a steady and intense gaze.  There’s almost a challenge in her expression, warning you not to trifle with her.  She doesn’t race into the fray like her sibling the Knight might do, she approaches with reverence and steadiness.  You can feel that she is in the progression and I feel hints of the Queen in this card.  It’s what the Princess will become as she grows in age and in her power.  Notice the way that the Dragon’s gaze matches hers.  A psychic link exists between the Princess and the Dragon, they are partners.

I get both literal and political forward motion out of this card, the Page wanting to advance and also the Dragon charging through the water, you can see it all displaced around him.  The control of the Page is very evident here, she sits serenely in the middle of all this chaos.

When you see this Princess it’s a sign of calm and respectful control.  This card indicates that there is much to be learned, but you’ve got a good grasp on things even if our surroundings feel wildly out of control.  Keep your eyes focused on your goals and someday you might become the Queen too.

Card of the Day: Prince of Pentacles

Today’s card is the Prince of Pentacles from the Manga Tarot.

This Prince (Page) of Pentacles is a fresh faced young man walking in a garden.  My immediate impression is that this is the youngest son of a powerful daimyo (samurai lord) who is taking on some responsibilities for the first time.  He’s wandering in his father’s garden carrying the pentacle that has been entrusted to him.  He doesn’t yet fully understand the ways of the world.

A Page can represent an actual person in your life or it can represent an energy that is moving around/through a situation.  A Page is a youthful/childlike person who is eager to learn.  They’ve got some of the basics, but they still have a ways to go before they attain mastery.

A Page asks you to consider approaching your situation with fresh eyes, maybe advising a change in perspective.  What would the problem look like if you stripped away the more mature or jaded way of thinking.  How would someone unfamiliar with the situation see things.  It might be that they’d see a new solution that you couldn’t see from your position mired in the middle of it.  It might also be encouraging you to feel free to get excited about something like you might when you were a  child.  No one does enthusiasm quite like a little kid.

This Page, Pentacles, is particularly concerned with the tangible physical reality of things.  He encourages you to delight in the physical things.  Eat the good chocolate you’ve been saving, drink that good wine.  Life is too short, eat dessert first and indulge yourself a little bit.  This pages promises an opportunity to experience something and encourages you to take it in fully.  Look for that chance and don’t hesitate to take it.