Page of Swords. The rebel.

  The pages are the youngest of the court cards and although they are typically seen as male, they can also be viewed as women or as young children. I prefer to imagine them as having more female energy as this balances out the court cards in terms of male and female. In some decks, the Pages are known as Princesses.
   Regardless, looking at this page you could imagine the figure as either male or female. The figure suggests youthfulness and a level of naivete. The grip on the sword is not firm and suggests lack of experience, even if it is made prominent by raising it high. The bright colours of the garments speak of youth with vivid yellows and reds, both symbols of vitality and vibrancy.
   The Pages are also seen as messengers, while the page of swords is often seen as a messenger of somewhat ill or unfortunate news. The reason for this is that the figure is turning against the wind, which is often seen as a symbol of the divine...an invisible force that is present everywhere. While the youth has not built up the courage to run headlong into the wind like the slightly more mature Knight, there is definitely a sparkle in her eye which suggests she is thinking about it.
   The swords symbolising mental thought, are often arrayed against the instinctual forces. It is the part of us that animals have not mastered to our level. It is only thought that allows us to turn against these instinctual forces, for good or for ill. But only through exercising one's thoughts and will does one learn to really become an individual and not simply a slave to our instincts.
    The birds above her are flying together and are moving in the same direction as her thoughts. This suggests a herd or flock mentally still present in the mind and not the full development of individuality, which is often very present in the young. They show her slightly rebellious demeanor. The clouds also swell in an curve, suggesting the movement along with the wind then a turning back. The clouds are symbolic of emotional turmoil (water and air..emotion and thought) and as yet they have not developed into a storm.
    This card reminds me of an individual I encountered yesterday. I went to play a local pick-up game of soccer. It was a rag tag bunch of guys, varying from teens to guys in their sixties. I am sad to say they could all run around for longer on the field than I, but we all had a good time. The youngest guy there was somewhere in his teens and when I drew this card I immediately thought of him.
    He was an excellent player, if somewhat cocksure and overconfident. His attitude was somewhat reminiscent of the figure in the card, that he was eager to prove himself on the field and held a somewhat rebellious nature. Like the figure in the card he seemed untested and somewhat in awe of his own perceived prowess. The young page stands tall on his mound, ready to face the world, yet he does not have the spurs of the knight, nor his battle tested armour. That is where the danger lies in this card and with this archetype, he is somewhat similar to The Fool, yet without the universe standing at his back. A callow and untested youth, but with all their vibrancy, rebelliousness and as yet unbowed by the challenges of the world.