How I Overcame A Major Problem With The Pages

I’m really excited about writing this article. I’m going to share with you how I overcame a major problem with the Princesses. Before I do, I’m going to explain who the Princesses are, what my problem was, then I’m going to tell you how I overcame it.

The Princesses

The Court cards are assigned different names according to the cosmic paradigm in which the author and artist operate. It’s usually because of this that we can sometimes see different ‘titles’ applied to the Court cards. Most Qabbalistc decks, for instance, use the term Princess to describe, what in other decks, might be called, the Page.

When I was first learning the Tarot, I used the Thoth deck exclusively and this deck allocates the term, Knight, for what is traditionally called the Kings; Queen, for the Queens; Prince, for what is traditionally called the Knight and Princess, for what is traditionally called the Page.

The reason Crowley used these ‘titles’, as opposed to any other is due to the Qabbalistic framework in which he structured the deck.

My Major Problem

The major problem I had with the Princesses can be summed up in one memorable reading I was conducting for a client years ago. The Princess of Disks was in the reading and I interpreted this card to signify, within the context of the reading, someone who worked for the client. In other words, I applied the traditional associations of “Rank” that’s commonly used to assist in interpreting Court cards.

In this hierarchical framework, the Princesses are usually considered subservient or lower in the pecking order, whilst the Princes are seen as equals, and the Queens and Kings are normally considered to outrank us.

However, during this particular reading I got the feeling that the Princess represented a much more powerful force than I was factoring into the actual reading. Despite having this “feeling”, I didn’t trust that my intuition could be accurate. In ignoring my intuition, in favour of ‘traditional’ meanings, I did the client a disservice.

As it turned out, the Princess of Disks actually represented a business associate from another company; an associate who was well respected in their field, ambitious and authoritative, but who was threatening to remove all business connections with the client unless he cooperated. This would irreparably damage the client’s business.

My reading showed me that the traditional way of seeing the Pages, in the sense that they represent qualities of naivety, didn’t ‘fit’ the context.

What was the problem?

The major problem I had with the Princesses was not being able to understand how my interpretations could differ so completely from the ’standard’ interpretation. Over time, I began to trust my intuition and read the cards accordingly. However, I was still left feeling like I hadn’t solved this problem. I wanted a more academic solution, and it’s this solution that I’m going to share with you now.

How I Overcame The Problem

If you look at most artistic depictions of the Pages, but in particular, the Qabbalistic style decks, you will notice that the Pages stand alone, “…standing firmly by themselves, neither riding upon Horses, nor seated upon Thrones, nor borne on Chariots” (Book T). It’s this, “aloneness” that signifies their hidden power; their strength.

Traditionally, the Court cards can be thought of as a family. The Princess being the daughter of the King and Queen, “the mighty and potent daughter of a King and Queen: a Princess powerful and terrible…whose effect combines those of the King, Queen and Prince” (Book T). This was further confirmation of the power that lurks behind these cards.

Finally, the power that I saw in these cards, years ago, can be summed up by these few sentences:

At once violent and permanent, she is therefore symbolised by a figure standing firmly by itself, only partially draped and having but little armour. Yet her power existeth not save by reason of the others, and then indeed it is mighty and terrible materially, and is the Throne of the Forces of Spirit. Woe unto whomsoever shall make war upon her when thus established!

Book T

It’s this “standing firmly by itself”, and “having but little armour”, that gives these cards such tremendous power. It always troubled me that I hadn’t found an author who shared similar experiences; innocent potential that become a brooding power.

I’ve learned two things; the first is that other people have more than likely experienced what your experiencing, it’s just that you haven’t found them yet; and secondly, that trusting your intuition is much more important than trying to make an interpretation ‘fit’ the Tarot reading. In time, you may discover other people, and their explanations, for why you intuit something the way you do. Until that time, it’s very important to trust your intuition. In fact, I would advise, if it feels right to you, to go against the ‘grain’.

I hope you found this article useful and can see that most problems your experiencing with the Tarot are sometimes a good sign that you’re developing a strong connection to the Tarot. Have you had similar experiences to me? How were you able to overcome them? I look forward to reading your experiences in the comment section below

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Tagged as: court cards, Crowley, Pages, Princesses, Qabbalah, Thoth deck