(The above image is a copy of The Page of Cups card in a standard Rider-Waite Tarot deck. The 4 symbols pointed out above are explained below.)
Card Description
The Page of Cups comes to the deck as a surprise as the fish comes to the page as a surprise. It is a card of epiphanies and new ideas. The card encourages the exploration of any new curiosity that comes to your mind, no matter how weird it may seem.
If you are looking for a deck of Tarot cards, check out our standard Rider-Waite deck here or check out one of our recent arrivals here.
For more information about The Page of Cups card, check out A. E. Waite’s description here.
Point 1 – PAGE
The Page of Cups begins the court cards in the cups suit. Everything about his posture suggest a lighthearted and relaxed nature. It brings to mind the childlike qualities of the Six of Cups. Be like the page and embrace life without taking yourself too seriously.
Point 2 – CUP/FISH
As the salamander was the spirit animal for the wands suit, the fish is the spirit animal for the cups suit. The fish symbolizes happiness and creativity. It feeds into the greater metaphor of the cups suit, that water is a representation of our subconscious.
Point 3 – SEA
While the wands suit focused on sand and the element of fire, the cups suit focuses on water. The fluidity of water illustrates our ranging emotions. The water baptizes us in a spirit of creativity and nourishes our deepest dreams.
Point 4 – TUNIC
The page wears a tunic with designs of water lilies on it. This design brings the page back to the Ace of Cups, the originator of the suit. The water lilies symbolize beauty emerging in often ugly places.
Tarot Reading
Upright
An Upright Page of Cups illustrates the emergence of an idea. Like the fish in the cup, this card surprises us. It encourages our creative pursuits and asks us to jump into the seas of ideas. Perhaps the silly image you can’t get out of your head is worth pursuing. Perhaps a pleasant surprise is coming your ways. In any case, trust the left turns and explore whatever life gives you.
Reverse
A Reverse Page of Cups suggests that you are holding back from exploring an idea you have. Perhaps you are concerned about the idea’s reception and its possible failure. Do not let those fears dominate you. Embrace your ideas and see them come to light. Even if they fail, those ideas can lead to better ideas.
For more Tarot Card Meanings, check out our blog here.
Video
Jim Daley and his wife Natalie are the owners of Joker’s and Fools in Lake Wales, Florida, where they serve the Central Florida tarot community with a thoughtfully curated selection of Tarot and Oracle cards. Jim holds a B.A. in History from Tufts University and brings both academic insight and a deep appreciation for the symbolic tradition of the cards to his work.
