The Page of Cups stands before gently rolling waves and holds a Cup from which a fish fancifully emerges - a fish that is echoed in the Page’s hat. This is a card of a type of potential that is lightly held and playfully engaged with.

The Page of Cups stands before gently rolling waves and holds a Cup from which a fish fancifully emerges - a fish that is echoed in the Page’s hat. This is a card of a type of potential that is lightly held and playfully engaged with.

Life is like a wheel and, sometimes, we need to accept that it will turn, this is the fundamental message of this card. Just as the snake depicted on the card follows the downward slide of the wheel, so the fox ascends with the very same turn. The sphinx that sits on top of the wheel in the Rider Waite version of the card symbolizes both mystery and Horus, the Egyptian God of resurrection. Whereas The Chariot depicted the sphinxes pulling the carriage, facilitating its passage, in this card the sphinx’s position at the top of the wheel, above its relentless cycle, suggests that there are things beyond the turning wheel of life that we can only dimly comprehend but that infuse our existence nonetheless.

The Queen of Wands sits comfortably and firmly on her throne; in the traditional Rider Waite image she holds her Wand in one hand and a sunflower in the other, and a black cat sits before her, symbolizing protection. The Queen looks calmly out at us and the landscape around her, deeply receptive and appreciative of the good things that life offers her.

The card of Judgement is always of particular importance when it appears in a reading. In the traditional Ride-Waite depiction of the trump, we see an angel blowing a trumpet: in response, figures below rise up from their graves, arms outstretched to welcome their newly gifted life. The card carries a sense of both joy and purpose, and the strong intimation that the angel’s call cannot be denied.

The Chariot card shows a commanding, triumphant figure who rides in a carriage being pulled by a pair of sphinxes. This is a powerful card of victory: a victory that has been achieved not by chance, but through sheer force of will and the utmost exercising of control. Note that the charioteer holds no reins, but can direct his carriage where he wishes it to go through his own focus and conscious intention. When The Chariot appears in a spread, it bears an important message about how we can incorporate these elements into our lives.

Through the successful completion of the journey of self-discovery to inner awareness, The Fool becomes The World dancer, free, with mind, body, and soul in complete unification. The wand that was held with such focus and ambition by The Magician is held - one in each hand - lightly by The World; the power she channels flows through her and is replenished in a never-ending stream. A laurel wreath entirely circles the dancer, symbolizing triumph and achievement.