Page of Pentacles: Be Incarnate

“Why did Grandpa die?”

Because he had cancer…. Does that make you feel sad?

“Uh-huh, cancer sucks.”

This was the first time my son asked me about his grandfather’s death. It was a year later and we were hiking through Anishinaabe lands currently known as the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Upper Michigan. Unfortunately, we missed peak autumn colors by a week and the vibrant reds and oranges were now brown and blanketing the ground. Thankfully, the sun was bright and shone through what leaves remained on the trees, giving the woods a golden glow. It was sweater weather and we were chasing waterfalls until we hit the gitchi-gami/Great Sea/Lake Superior.

When my father-in-law died a year earlier, my son was 6. I had no clue how to talk to a child about death. I was having a hard time talking to my husband about it and we both have cared for dying people. It is so different when death visits your home. I tried not to hide anything or use flowery language. I think I said something like Grandpa was dead and it is ok to be sad. I really don’t remember. My son has selective mutism and his non-reaction did not surprise me. Our conversation in the woods and his casual quip ‘cancer sucks’ surprised me. How did this 7-year-old so easily summarize the root of the situation? Cancer fucking sucks.

Out of the mouth of babes. An expression lifted from the bible when children were praising Jesus despite the dismay of the religious leaders. These children had witnessed Jesus heal disabled people. Why would you not praise him? Oh, it’s blasphemy? Oh, OK. I think the Page of Pentacles would have praised Jesus.

Lindsay Mack’s podcast, Tarot for the Wild Soul, Episode 21 is all about the Pages of the tarot and I love her perspective. She states that Pages are associated with youth because children are in touch with the present. They are in tune with what is important right now, grounded in the moment. Children are learning how to exist in the world. The Pages of tarot are associated with the Earth element. There is nothing more earthly than learning how to embody your flesh and bone. Mack states that each Page is learning how to master the qualities of the suit by questioning the status quo. Page of Pentacles is learning to master embodiment and cultivation.

Children are honest. They say what they see, sometimes to a fault. Like when they point at someone who looks different from them, not realizing the rudeness of the action. When we pull one of the Pages, we are being asked to be honest with ourselves. Page of Pentacles wants to know what are you here to do. What are you cultivating? How are you existing incarnate?

Page of Pentacles corresponds with the Earth signs of Taurus-2nd house, Virgo-6th house, and Capricorn-10th house of the birth chart. These houses are our values and resources (2), routines and productivity (6), and highest path (10). Some astrologers associate the 10th house with career. It is the top of the birth chart and I think this is where we see our highest path. I do not think that is tied to a career. It is doing whatever the fuck we can to ensure we feel good about our lives and how we spent our time in this body.

Daughter of Roots from the Brady Tarot corresponds with Page of Pentacles. This card depicts a black bear cub climbing a tree to look through the branches. These branches create a window, a portal into the unknown. This bear is curious, seeking mystery and meaning. Rachel Pollack writes the Daughter of Roots is a student with a “fascination with new subjects” and that “commitment to learning is rewarded with knowledge.” This gives me 2nd house vibes as this is where we start learning our resources which includes innate gifts. Cultivating these gifts will be more rewarding than fighting against them. But first, we have to figure out WTF they are. Stretch our paws and climb the tree to gain a new perspective, broaden our horizons.

For me, that was books. As a child I loved books. Reading came very easy to me. My mother thinks I started reading around age 4. I distinctly remember being the narrator for my kindergarten school play, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. My teacher treated me like a celebrity as I was the only one in my class who could read. Books were the perfect place to get lost in discovery.

When I was a child, we had Bertha Morris Parker’s The Golden Treasury of Natural History. I pored over this book for hours. This book saved me from being sucked into Christianity as I called bullshit on my mother’s bible stories meant to entice me. Where were the dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden? There are thousands of different species of amphibians. How did Noah gather them all for the ark? If God created the Universe, who created God? None of her answers made sense to my 7-year-old mind, but Parker’s book did. Just look at the this gorgeous image from the inside of the back cover:

The cosmos, as above. The plants and rocks, so below. An infinity symbol encapsulating the connection of the past, present, future and all living beings on Earth. The illustrations fascinated me as I did not understand much of the scientific terminology. Just looking at this image confirms my path as a witch. I just wasn’t meant to discover it until I was in my 40s. I have Neptune, the mystical spiritual planet, and Sagittarius, the seeker of the zodiac, in my 2nd house. It has been the drive of my inner Page of Pentacles to seek advancing my journey to my highest path.

Page of Coins from Tarot of the Divine depicts Beaivi-nieida from Sami folklore. In this tale, Beaivi-nieida leaves their mother, the Sun, to teach humans storytelling and crafts. Eventually, the humans become jealous of Beaivi-nieida’s skillful gifts and crushes them with a rock. Beaivi-nieida then returns to their mother in the sky, to practice their talents without interference. Don’t we all feel crushed by the rock of capitalism? My talents feel crushed by the weight of my mortgage, insurance premiums, groceries. Paying taxes to fund to a military industrial complex. I just want to practice my talents while basking in the sunlight instead of participating in a system that contradicts my values.

I see a strong connection between the 6th and 10th house of the birth chart. The 6th house is about routines, productivity, self-care. Depending on your values, this could look like an workspace or a day spa. In this house, the Page of Pentacles is figuring out how they want their day-to-day to look like. What does it mean to be productive? Cultivating this house is a step closer to your 10th house highest path. The 10th house is above the birth chart horizon and is how we express our values to the world. I want to express my values through my everyday actions and creativity. If someone would pay me for this, that would be awesome, but for now my money gig and my highest path are not congruent.

Beaivi-nieida had to die to take their highest path. Parts of me have had to die in order for me to see my highest path. I thought if I could just have a respectable career, marriage, and social life, I wouldn’t need anything else. I slowly let the creative part of myself die. As I have tried to kill my internalized misogyny, white supremacy, and ableism, I find the creative side of myself being revived. The old myths have less power as I take control and rewrite my story. I am cultivating a life I want to live. Weaving my spirit with flesh and bone. Discovering what it means to be incarnate.