The Meaning of
the "Page of Wands" Tarot Card

On the Page of Wands card we see a well-dressed and confident-looking young man holding a wand with both hands. He seems to be admiring the leaves sprouting from the top of the wand.

In the background lies a barren, desert landscape with three pyramid-shaped mountains rising before him.

The man sees the potential for life and growth, despite the lifeless landscape all around him.

The symbolism here is of hope and enthusiasm for regrowth and rebirth. Despite the lifeless landscape all around him, the Page sees the potential for new life and new growth. He ignores the desolate, discouraging situation and focuses instead on the possibility in his hands.

On the man's tunic we see images of salamanders. In occult spiritualism, salamanders represent the element of fire — and were thought to actually come from fire itself.

The feather in the man's hat may reference accomplishment or intellect — but the red feather may also be part of a much greater Tarot mystery.

NOTE: Many students of Tarot ask how the salamander, a moisture loving creature, came to be associated with fire. No one knows for sure, but the occult association goes back to ancient times. One theory is that salamanders would hide under moist logs. When those logs were tossed in a fire, salamanders would "appear" jumping forth from the flames — leading to the belief that salamanders were born of fire itself. Another theory dates back to ancient Egypt, where the hieroglyph for burned skin was (somewhat inexplicably) a salamander. If neither of those explanations suffice, salamanders were thought to be cousins of fire-breathing dragons and often depicted as such in European heraldry.

NOTE: The pyramids on the card, which represent the Egyptian concept of eternal life give us an additional insight into the meaning of this card. Even in the face of desolation, hope for new life and resurrection spring eternal.

As with all of the other court cards in the tarot deck, the Page of Wands may represent an actual person when the card appears in a reading.

The Page of Wands is someone with enormous enthusiasm for new ideas and new ventures. He sees possibility and potential in places where others may not. His optimism and his vision are infectious and inspirational.

Such optimism however, is not necessarily a sign of future success. The man pictured on the Page of Wands card clearly believes that the sprouts at the end of the wand show great promise, but one must notice that he stands in a desert. He is either a visionary or a fool. Fate will decide.

... it represents optimism and enthusiasm for new things and new ideas. It may also represent travel ...

When the Page of Wands does not represent an actual individual in a reading, it represents optimism and enthusiasm for new things and new ideas. It may also represent travel — particularly to less-developed countries and places.

The Page of Wands is a moderately positive card. It heralds new beginnings, new adventures and a boundless sense of optimism — even when such optimism may not appear warranted to others. However, the card may at times indicate a naivete towards risk or too much optimism given the circumstances.

The card carries overtones of exotic travel, plants and farming, and visionary leadership — but also possibly: malinvestment or excessive risk.

The reversed Page of Wands is often an indication that changes are occurring, but aren't yet visible. When things change slowly, they are often unseen by most people. When a tipping-point is finally reached, the change will become obvious to everyone.

... look more closely for changes which are subtle, or are going unnoticed.

The inverted orientation of the Page of Wands invites us to look more closely for changes which are subtle, or are going unnoticed.

These sorts of changes can seem drastic and sudden to those who weren't paying attention. But to those who have been watching closely, they may be very predictable.

Another possible meaning of the inverted Page of Wands is that a risk-taken may not bear fruit. Perhaps an investment was made, a bet was placed or trust was extended to someone. Whatever the nature of the risk taken, the appearance of the reversed Page of Wands may herald a moment of reckoning, when we realize that what was ventured may have been ventured foolishly