Page of Swords tarot card meaning: upright, reversed and symbols

The Page of Swords stands on a windy hilltop holding a sword upright with both hands and looking to one side. Clouds race and birds fly overhead. It is the student of the air suit: curious, quick and full of questions.

This page covers what the Page of Swords means upright and reversed, the symbols in the 1909 card and how to read the Page as a person or an energy.

Here is the Page of Swords at a glance.

In Book T this Page is the Princess of the Rushing Winds, the Lotus of the Palace of Air, Earth of Air, on Malkuth. She rules the quarter of the heavens centered on Aquarius and is the throne of the Ace of Swords. The astrology printed on my first deck comes from a separate, later system.

The card: what Pamela Colman Smith drew

Waite wrote: “A lithe, active figure holds a sword upright in both hands, while in the act of swift walking. He is passing over rugged land, and about his way the clouds are collocated wildly. He is alert and lithe, looking this way and that, as if an expected enemy might appear at any moment.”

The raised sword. The Page holds the sword ready, but is not using it. They are practicing, learning what words and ideas can do.

The wind. The clouds move and the trees bend. Air is the element of thought, and this Page’s mind is busy.

Looking to the side. The Page watches everything. It is curiosity, and sometimes suspicion.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Page of Swords is curiosity of the mind. A young person stands on a windy hilltop, holding a sword upright with both hands and looking to one side. Clouds race and birds fly overhead. It is the student of air: quick, alert, full of questions and eager to learn.

The card often brings news, messages or the start of a period of study. It speaks of sharp observation, intellectual energy and the courage to ask difficult questions. The Page is vigilant, watching for what others miss.

The Page does not yet know how to use the sword wisely. Questions are good, but they can sting. Learn to ask in a way that invites an answer.

Reversed meaning

Reversed, the Page of Swords can show gossip, sharp words without thought, or someone who talks much and does little. It can also show scattered thinking, or spying and suspicion.

Ask whether your words are helping. A reversed Page often needs to think before speaking, and act on what they say.

The reversed Page can also be someone watching you closely, an inquisitive colleague or a nosy neighbor. Decide what is private and keep it so, without becoming suspicious of everyone. Most questions are curiosity, not attack.

In love, work and spirituality

In love. Upright: Honest conversations, curiosity about a partner, or a message. Reversed: Gossip, sharp words or mixed signals.

At work. Upright: Learning, research, new ideas or a message about work. Reversed: Gossip at work, or talking instead of doing.

With money. Upright: Researching before you spend. Reversed: Rash decisions based on rumor.

In spiritual practice. Upright: Studying a tradition, asking questions. Reversed: Overthinking instead of practicing.

As feelings. Curious, perhaps cautious. They want to know more.

As a person. A quick, curious young person, or someone who loves ideas.

As advice. Ask good questions and listen to the answers.

Reading the Page of Swords: positions and yes or no

In the past position: A question or a piece of news set this in motion. In the present position: Be curious. Ask the questions.

In the future position: News or a message is coming. As advice: Research before you decide.

In modern yes or no readings, the Page of Swords is a maybe. It is curious but still unsure.

The page in the tarot court, and the history behind the card

As the youngest member of the air court, the Page carries thought as a fresh impulse. In the Golden Dawn scheme, Princesses are the element made physical, so this Page is a mind beginning to act.

Here is how the Page looks across the four suits:

• Page of Wands: curiosity, enthusiasm, new opportunities
• Page of Cups: intuition, creativity, emotional openness
• Page of Swords (this card): curiosity, mental agility, sharp questions
• Page of Pentacles: ambition, new ventures, learning

When A. E. Waite published The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910, he listed these divinatory meanings for the Page of Swords: “Authority, overseeing, secret service, vigilance, spying, examination, and the qualities thereto belonging.” Reversed, he gave: “More evil side of these qualities; what is unforeseen, unprepared state; sickness is also intimated.”

Common questions

Is the Page of Swords a yes or no card? It is a maybe. More information is needed.

Who is the Page of Swords as a person? Often a curious, clever, talkative person, or a student. It can be any gender or age.

What does the Page of Swords mean in love? Lively talk and curiosity. Reversed, gossip or sharp words.

Try this

Try this small spread for the Page of Swords. Use it when you want to learn something new.

Affirmation: I let curiosity lead, and I check my facts before I speak.

Reversed affirmation: I drop gossip and match my words with action.

If you keep a tarot journal, take one of these questions to it: What do I want to learn? Where do I speak before I think? What is the best question I could ask right now?

What next

Cards that sit close to this one are Ace of Swords (the clarity the Page is learning to carry), The Magician (the Major Arcana card of skill with words) and Page of Pentacles (the earth Page, a patient student).

The Page of Swords is part of the lesson Meet the court in my free Tarot for Beginners course. To see the whole suit on one page, go to the suit of Swords.

To keep walking the suit, read the card before it, Ten of Swords or the card after it, Knight of Swords, or go back to all the card meanings.

For more on the court, see Tarot court cards without confusion. For every card with keywords, affirmations and examples, see my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot. If you would like a printable cheat sheet for all 78 cards, my 45-page Tarot Workbook is on Etsy.

Sources

• A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London: Rider, 1910), Part III, sections 1 and 2.
• Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot (London: Rider, 1909).
• Nicolas Conver, Tarot de Marseille (Marseille, 1760).
• Lauri Mukkala, The Novice’s Guide to Tarot, entry for the Page of Swords.
• Aleister Crowley, 777 (London: Walter Scott, 1909), columns of the decans, the Minor Arcana and the court cards.
• Israel Regardie, ed., The Golden Dawn (Chicago: Aries Press, 1937 to 1940), “Book T”, titles and attributions of the small cards and the court.