Page of Pentacles - Delight in Diligence
A masculine figure stands in a poised posture, full bodied and in the foreground and almost centre of the scene. Their arms and hands are raised to their eye-level, where they gaze directly at a pentacle that is delicately balanced on fingertips. They wear a green tunic, light brown undershirt, belt and boots, a white wristband, and a red turban-like hat. They stand in a grassy undulating field with flowers, a stand of trees is in the midground and to the left, a farm field is to the right, and a mountain peak is on the horizon line. The sky is clear and bright yellow.
The Page of Pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith tarot
What a surprise to draw this card - I have no legitimate reason for surprise, except that I rarely draw court cards for this full moon offering. But as all pulls are “surprising” in that they are randomly drawn, the experience of “surprise” is something to hold with open curiosity - for the moment - and as potential extra information …
What was your initial experience - in body and mind - when seeing the card? Your first and immediate response?
Pentacles are concerned with earthly matters - the stuff of daily life, and things of a practical nature. Things of body and physicality, money, labour and work, tribe and family, or earth and nature itself.
The court cards (kings, queens, knights, and pages) express particular characteristics and personality traits, or attitudes of the suit, and can either; point to a person in your life who is influencing you, or is highlighting these qualities in you. Pages in particular are also considered ‘messengers’ so it could be a person comes into your life with news of a pentacle flavour.
Be curious about this as you read the rest of the article, and move about this next lunar cycle:
Is this Page of Pentacles you? Or someone you know who is demonstrating these qualities, and pointing you toward something?
In the Pentacles “court” the page is the youngest or least experienced character. They are youthful, sometimes considered “feminine”* . They are the learners or students, and can display an exuberance and naivety that comes from “not fully knowing”.
As adults we can become unfamiliar with learning new things; I’d say we spend much of our adult life refining our skills toward ‘mastery’, and prefer to demonstrate our capabilities - so beginning again, returning to being a student of something can feel daunting, perhaps even embarrassing.
What are your beliefs around not knowing or starting again in one of these material domains?
There’s a quote by Shunryu Suzuki that I find encouraging, and speaks to the initial ‘surprise’ I felt: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few”.
This openness to the possibilities and taking a beginner's mind is at the heart of making change in your life which is what many of us desire, right? - to break old patterns and get unstuck?
Immediately what's activated for me is my desire to create a garden and rearrange my home to suit my husband and my child-free status. I’ve been circling this for some time but find it overwhelming. I don’t know much about gardening anymore - I let go of old emerging skills here and gave garden dominion to my husband many years ago. The way our home is set out neither functions as a family home nor one that suits our new lives. I’ve been stripping it bare of old things and furnishing for some time - but find I’ve been stuck on how to proceed. And also, as you all know, I’m learning a new ways to make my work work and create income. All of these are big, potentially daunting so I am encouraged by this beginner's mind attitude.
In what way are you both stuck, and desire to change your circumstances?
In this sense, I see parallels between Pages and Aces in the tarot - in an early article I wrote on the Ace of Pentacles: “There’s also magic in the potential energy symbolic of the Ace’s as 1’s - the beginning of something. The possibility of what could be, can feel magical and full of wonder.”
I really like the idea that the pentacles are connected to the mundane, everyday and earthy life areas AND contain magic (remember a pentacle is a 5 pointed star - a magic symbol of Earth).
What are you curious about upskilling in? Learning more about?
What new behaviours or habits are engaging your interest, sense of wonder, or are being nudged toward you?
Being of pentacles and earth though, the page’s learning style isn't chaotic or blustery. Their character is dependable, reliable and industrious. They work hard and are dutiful in learning the ropes - their muscled physique, steady gaze, and delicate handling of the pentacle suggests someone who is serious and focussed, and will put in the effort to achieve the success that is very possible because of this nature.
I imagine that this Page has picked up that magic Pentacle from the Ace and is perplexed, at the same time is trying to work out how to apply it, to bring it into reality in a systematic and studious way.
How can you just start?
What’s a small step, you can take toward the bigger thing? - think enrolling in a class, beginning an exercise regime, reaching out to a mentor to show you how ….
Mendy xx
If you enjoyed this reflective practice, and would like to do more depth exploration using the tarot, consider booking a tarology session (see the ‘Soul Work” section)
* In some traditions/decks the Pages are repositioned as “Princesses” or “Daughters”.