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Medieval Tarot, Gender, and the Theology of Control

In traditional medieval European art—and by extension early Tarot iconography—there are no Princes or Princesses as we later find in nontraditional decks such as the Thoth Tarot or Robert Wang’s Jungian Tarot. This absence is not accidental, nor merely artistic preference; it reflects the theological and sociopolitical climate of medieval Europe, which was dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and its inquisitorial authority.

Within this worldview, woman was systematically diminished through Church doctrine. Medieval Christian theology advanced a deeply misogynistic narrative in which Eve was framed as the primary cause of humanity’s so-called “Fall from Grace.” This interpretive lens—rooted in selective readings of Genesis—cast woman as the temptress, corrupter, and moral weak point of creation. As a result, women were relegated to second-class status, legally, spiritually, and socially.

This narrative functioned as a propaganda egregore: a self-reinforcing mythos designed to justify hierarchical control. While often accepted as “tradition,” it is now widely recognized as a theological construct rather than an objective truth—one that served institutional power rather than spiritual liberation.

From a more sober and embodied perspective, it is indisputable that woman is the biological gateway of human existence. Every human being is formed within, nourished by, and born through the body of a woman—quite literally shaped by “mother’s blood.” To demonize woman while simultaneously depending upon her for the continuation of the species reveals a profound cognitive and spiritual contradiction.

Besides, the joyful Garden of Eden resides in all of us, but we forgot the truth of our own freedom to create ourselves and tend to our inner garden as we wish before dogma and indoctrination took over as self-identity.

Each of us has the identity of the One and that is called "I AM", which exclaims existence, but not what exists. The "What I AM", is our own declaration and therefore, an assumption that provides our fate. None of us have "fallen from grace".

We are the Grace of the Divine made manifest. The Will of the One is called Eheieh-meaning, "I Will Be" and we are "I AM Being", hence the fulfillment of the original Will. Therefore, we are the Will of the Divine Creative made manifest in Malkuth.

The Garden of Eden Reconsidered

A deeper irony emerges when we examine the Hebrew text of Genesis itself, rather than later theological interpretations. In Genesis 2:15, humanity’s original role in the Garden of Eden is described plainly and without euphemism:

וַיִּקַּח יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן־עֵדֶן לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ

Transliterated:

Vayikach YHWH Elohim et ha-adam vayanihehu b’gan eden le’ovdah u’leshomrah.

Commonly translated into English as:

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it.”

What is rarely emphasized—especially in Christian theology—is the implication of the verb ʿavad (עבד), translated as “to work” or “to serve.” This same root is used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible to denote servitude and bondage. In other words, humanity was created not as a free sovereign being, but as a custodian-laborer, tasked with maintaining divine property.

From this perspective, expulsion from Eden may be reinterpreted not solely as a punishment, but as a liberation from divine servitude—a transition from unconscious obedience into experiential self-awareness. This reframing radically alters the moral narrative: the acquisition of knowledge is no longer “sin,” but the beginning of autonomy.

Implications for Tarot and the Court Cards

When viewed through this lens, the later emergence of Princesses, Queens, and fully empowered feminine archetypes in modern esoteric Tarot systems represents not deviation, but correction. These figures restore what medieval theology suppressed: the initiatory, creative, and sovereign role of the feminine within the psyche and the cosmos.

Thus, the evolution of Tarot court cards mirrors humanity’s gradual emancipation from theological control toward Hermetic self-knowledge, where woman is no longer scapegoat or servant—but co-creator, initiatrix, and vessel of becoming.

Again, the Rider–Waite–Smith Page of Wands deliberately adheres to A. E. Waite’s oath of silence, revealing only the exoteric shell of the card while carefully veiling its deeper Hermetic mechanics. Waite was not ignorant of the esoteric meaning—on the contrary, he practiced within and attained high standing in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where the inner teachings of the court cards were fully known. Yet fidelity to his obligation required that these truths remain hinted at rather than disclosed.

Thus, Waite presents us with a medieval Page, holding and stroking an unmistakably phallic wand, from which leaves of fertility actively sprout. This imagery openly conveys the exoteric meaning of Fire: raw vitality, generative impulse, and unrefined sexual energy. Consequently, the Page of Wands has long been associated with what is traditionally termed “immature sexuality”—a state characterized by spontaneous desire, lack of monogamous focus, and impulsive erotic expression rather than disciplined union.

Pages, Knaves, and the Androgynous Fire

In older Tarot traditions—particularly the Marseilles decks, from which the Rider–Waite–Smith system was derived—the Page was known as the Knave. These figures were retained not merely as servants or messengers, but because of their psychological androgyny. The Page embodies what might be described as an intermediate archetype, combining the initiating spark of the Prince with the “will-to-form” authority of the Queen, though without full mastery of either.

The Page—or Princess personality—is therefore not bound to biological sex. It exists equally in males and females, for the psyche itself is not sexually singular. The human brain is inherently both masculine and feminine, expressive and receptive, projective and formative. This is why the Page archetype is so volatile, passionate, and unstable.

In the Rider–Waite–Smith card, the Page’s garments are rendered in gold and red, the classic colors of elemental Fire. His tunic is adorned with salamanders, creatures believed in medieval lore to be fire elementals—symbols of combustion, endurance, and transformation through heat.

The Dangerous Beauty of Fire

This Page is notorious for his shadow qualities as much as his virtues. S/He can be a loyal friend, ardent lover, trusted envoy, and eager messenger—yet s/he is equally known for quick temper, rash action, and dangerous rivalry. S/He represents youthful passion, erotic curiosity, creative ignition, and the brilliance—and peril—of uncontained flame.

From a deeper Hermetic standpoint, Waite quietly alludes to a truth he could not openly teach:
when the outer self is masculine, the inner self is feminine; and when the outer self is feminine, the inner self is masculine. This polarity—central to Western Hermetic psychology—governs attraction, creativity, and psychic balance. Yet such a principle lay far beyond what Waite was permitted to encode explicitly in his deck.

Anima, Animus, and the Veiled Princess

This inner polarity would later be articulated with greater psychological clarity by Carl Jung, who identified the anima (Latin: spirit, feminine principle) and animus (Latin: soul, masculine principle) as foundational components of the psyche. Though Jung named them in modern psychological language, the principle itself is far older and deeply Hermetic.

For this reason, the Page of Wands is best understood as functionally equivalent to the Thoth Princess of Wands—yet stripped of her inner magical mechanics. The Rider–Waite–Smith Page gestures toward the mystery without unveiling it. His red feather, shaped like a flame or Yod, and the salamanders upon his garment quietly confirm the attribution to Fire—but the true alchemy remains concealed.

The result is a figure that appears deceptively simple, even unremarkable, while secretly standing at the threshold of sexual, creative, and spiritual ignition—a flame not yet mastered, but already alive.

The Triple Goddess Tarot – Page of Wands retains the court card’s traditional title, yet radically reframes its expression through a feminine and creative lens. Instead of a medieval attendant or messenger, we are shown a young art student as a maiden, standing before an easel and painting an abstract work of reds, yellows, and blues—the primal palette of Fire, Will, and emerging Form.

At the base of the easel rests her wand, crowned with a glowing globe, momentarily set aside while the act of creation unfolds. This visual choice is significant: the wand is not being wielded outwardly, but channeled inwardly, allowing imagination to gestate before action. What we witness is magickal creation through polarity—the masculine ignition of Fire united with the receptive fluidity of feminine Water. The result is not raw impulse alone, but inspired expression.

Meaning and Guidance

This card suggests that your will seeks invention. You are being called to experiment, to create without restraint, and to allow yourself the freedom to “get messy” in the process. Enthusiasm, curiosity, and untapped potential are emphasized here. New beginnings are favored, goals begin to crystallize, and creative force longs to be released.

The Page of Wands is impulsive by nature—quick-witted, imaginative, and often delightfully surprising to those around them. Their mind sparks with ideas, metaphors, and possibilities, making them engaging, humorous, and inspiring company. Yet this same volatility produces dramatic mood swings: one moment refined and charming, the next irreverent or shockingly crude.

The Shadow of the Page

When alone, this Page may experience periods of depression or restlessness, not from lack of ideas, but from an excess of them. There is a constant hunger for novelty—new projects, studies, passions, and experiences. However, what is often lacking is maturity and sustained discipline. Inspiration flares brightly, then fades, replaced by the next spark before the previous one has been fully realized.

This is the essential paradox of the Page of Wands:
limitless imagination without containment.

Hermetic Insight

Where the Rider–Waite–Smith Page hints at Fire through fertility and impulse, the Triple Goddess Tarot reveals Fire as creative polarity in action. This Page does not merely desire—she creates. She paints the inner vision before attempting to manifest it in the outer world, making her an excellent image of the incipient Magician, still learning how to focus Will through Form.

In this way, the Triple Goddess Page of Wands subtly advances the archetype, showing Fire not only as passion, but as art, imagination, and the first shaping of spirit into matter.

When the Page of Wands is thrown in a divination it implies:

• A person whose beauty is created by their own vigorous energy.
• S/he represents immature sexuality and therefore, can be both seductive and permissive. 
• This one's passion is so great that one is dazzled by a chemical reaction that enforces the impression of beauty on the beholder.
• Being a type of "spontaneous combustion", in anger or love s/he is violent. sudden, and implacable.
•  S/he can often be irrational, when displaying her enthusiasm, fiery ambition, and aspiring nature.
• Such a Princess, never forgets an injury-----and the only patience she shows, is when lying in ambush to revenge a perceived wrong.
• S/he is often self-absorbed to the extent that she is entirely reckless in achieving gratification and is notably insatiable.
• However, as is all Power-----it is as destructive as it is constructive, so caution and encouragement compete in this one.
• Passion is the "big bang" of all Creation.  But like all fires, one must know how to work with it, never against it, to properly achieve the necessary transformations of their Great Work.

If ill-defined and/or Reversed:

• The Page of Wands persona would be the defects of such passion.
•  S/he would be superficial and theatrical, shallow and false while never expecting that s/he is anything of the sort.
• S/he becomes predominately a "spasm of mood" and s/he is cruel, unreliable, faithless and domineering.

Thank you for your interest, insightful comments, and supportive donations.
Your generosity affirms the sacred flow of giving and receiving, and helps this work remain open to all sincere seekers.
May your path be illuminated, your Will be strong, and may you live long and prosper.

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