Page, Suit of WandsPage of Wands tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedPage of Wands in shortIn short
The Page of Wands is the young messenger. A youth in a feathered hat and a bright yellow tunic holds a tall wand and looks up, pyramids behind him. He brings news, fresh ideas and the thrill of something new.
- Enthusiasm
- Messages
- Exploring
Piece oneThe desert
Dry orange desert in rust and amber waves under pale blue sky. Waite reads the page as a faithful young man, a lover, an envoy, a postman. A messenger crossing empty land brings news from far off.
"Dark young man, faithful, a lover, an envoy, a postman."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe empty land makes him a messenger. Nothing grows here and no town is near, so whoever crosses it carries news from far away. Waite's envoy and postman fit this road. Against the bare ground his tall leafy wand is the only living thing, and the pyramids behind him mark the distance.
Piece twoThe pyramids
Orange pyramids rise behind him from a dry desert. Waite gives him the same scene as the Knight, who passes mounds or pyramids. A far land, open to explore.
"In a scene similar to the former..."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe pyramids set the scene far from home. They're old, foreign and fixed, which makes the young page look new and on the move. Waite gives him the same country as the knight of his suit. His upward look turns away from them, toward the wand.
Piece threeThe upward look
The youth looks up past his wand, open and eager, in a grey hat with a bright red feather. Waite calls him unknown but faithful, a bringer of strange news.
"He is unknown but faithful, and his tidings are strange."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereHe looks up because the news is new to him too. Eager and open, he studies his own wand as if waiting for it to speak. Waite's bringer of strange tidings fits this face. The red feather on his hat answers the fire of the desert and the wand he holds.
Piece fourThe wand
He holds a wand taller than himself, green leaves sprouting from it. Waite describes him in the act of proclamation, about to announce something. The wand is his message, held up high.
"...a young man stands in the act of proclamation."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe wand is the message, held high. It's taller than he is and still sprouting, so the news is alive and growing. He stands it beside him and looks up along it, the way a herald holds a staff before speaking. It joins the desert, the pyramids and his upward look into one gesture.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
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The desert
Burnt orange under pale blue. Orange is fire, the Wands element, and here it warms even the earth. The Knight of Wands rides over hot sand past three pyramids. The King of Wands sits by an orange banner, the colour lifted off the ground and hung up behind a throne.
Also in -
The pyramids
Burnt orange sand and pyramids: a fire landscape, the ground and the monuments cut from the same warm paper. The Knight of Wands rides past three golden ones, his horse rearing in front of them. The Page stands still beside his, and the Knight is already galloping past.
Also in -
The upward look
A red feather like a small flame on a grey hat, against blue sky. Plumes mark the riders of the deck: the Knight of Wands wears a huge red one streaming from his helmet. Death has one too, a red plume on black armour. On the Page it's a single feather, small and bright.
Also in -
The wand
Rust red wood and fresh green leaves: a young branch, still growing. The Magician raises a short wand overhead in one hand. The Ace of Wands shows the same leafy branch offered from a cloud. The Page has taken it and stands it upright, taller than himself.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
Page of WandsUpright
Fresh enthusiasm and good news. Waite calls him faithful, a lover, an envoy, a postman, and says he may bring family news. Beside a man, he speaks well of him.
This is the spark at the start: an idea, a trip, a new interest. Follow your curiosity and say yes to the adventure before you know where it leads.
Page of WandsReversed
Waite's words: anecdotes, announcements, evil news, and indecision with the instability it brings.
The excitement fades fast, plans stay plans, or unwanted news arrives. Choose one direction and stay with it.
Yes or noYes.
Yes. Good news is coming, maybe a start more than a finish.
Page of Wands in your lifeIn your life
Love
Waite calls him a lover. A new flirtation, an exciting message, a playful start.
Work
A new idea, a new project, or news about a job. Learn fast and show your enthusiasm.
Money
Good news about money is possible. Watch the impulse spending.
Health
Energy and the wish to move. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor, and start new routines gently.
Spirituality
A new interest or teaching excites you. Explore it with an open mind.
Advice
Follow the spark. Try the new thing and see where it goes.
As a person
Waite's dark young man: faithful, a lover, an envoy. Readers today see an eager, curious young person who loves new ideas.
Past, present, future
Past: an idea or message that started something. Present: enthusiasm and news. Future: an adventure about to begin.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Suit
- Wands
- Element
- Fire
- Golden Dawn
- Earth of Fire
- Court
- Page
- Upright
- Envoy
- Reversed
- Announcements
QuestionsCommon questions
Yes. It brings enthusiasm, good news and new beginnings. Reversed, it warns of bad news and indecision.
Waite calls him a lover. A new attraction, an exciting message, a playful start.
Yes. Good news is on its way.
Waite gives the Page the same scene as the Knight of Wands, who passes mounds or pyramids. Ours are orange pyramids in a desert, a far hot land to explore.
Waite's dark young man: faithful, a lover, an envoy or a postman. Followed by the Page of Cups, he warns, he may be a dangerous rival.
Waite shows a young man making a proclamation. Unknown, faithful, bringing strange news.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Element, decan and sephira: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
All 14 Wands