Page of Swords
Secret whisperThe wind tests the young blade: watch, listen, speak true.
Upright meaning
Upright keywordscuriosity, new ideas, vigilance, communication
Curious, alert and eager to learn. New ideas are arriving — stay watchful and speak honestly.
Reversed meaning
Reversed keywordsgossip, haste, all talk, defensiveness
All talk and no action, or careless words. Think before you speak.
About the suit of Swords
Swords belong to Air: thought, truth, words, decisions and conflict. They cut both ways — bringing clarity, and the pain that clarity can cost.
Reading the Pages of the tarot
Pages are students and messengers: curiosity, news and the beginner’s mind.
In Waite’s own words (1910)
From A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, public domain. Original English text.
Divinatory meaning: Authority, overseeing, secret service, vigilance, spying, examination, and the qualities thereto belonging.
Reversed: More evil side of these qualities; what is unforeseen, unprepared state; sickness is also intimated.
The picture
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.
