January 8, 2022: Death and the Page of Wands; Elemental Dignities 8

The True Black Death card image shows a hooded man standing before a fancy gateway decorated with a wolf on the left side and an armed man on the right side.  A key floats just above the power finger of his right hand; in his left hand he holds a skull from which blood is flowing into the pond of blood beneath Death's feet.  Out of the pond of blood grows a white lily, symbol of rejuvenation.  Within the gate are writings.  The keywords for this card are end, evolution, change, and mortality.

The image on the Page of Wands shows s girl holding a flaming torch.  She has opened a portal to an unknown place, and is fearlessly leaping into that portal.  The keywords for this card are adventurous, unexpected, exciting and innovating.

This is such an interesting pairing to me, because I have never seen the connection between the Page of Wands and the Death card, but in this deck, the connection is very visible.  The Major Arcana Death card rarely tells of the death of the physical body.  Yes, one of its archetypes is The Reaper who clears the growth from the fields and brings in the last harvest, but the other archetype is Rebirth.  Once the fields have been harvested and allowed to rest, Rebirth begins again.  Even during the darkest winter night when the fields are covered with snow, the seeds of the last harvest begin to germinate.  Death is often described as a gateway through which we are to pass, even though we cannot see what is on the other side.  Yes, that unknown is frightening, but so is the fact that once we pass through that gateway, we cannot turn back.

An interesting tidbit about the Death card: it is the number 13 card in the Majors.  The number 13 is often associated with bad luck, however there are other things associated with this number.  Reducing 13 (1 + 3) gives us the number 4, representing balance, stability and depth, not things we usually associated with Death.  However, the cycle of being born, living, and then dying and resting only to be born again is a natural part of our world, with death being a key part of the renewal that comes with birth.  The number 13 can also represent the "enlightened guest."  Christ had 12 disciples at the Last Supper; he was the 13th person there, the "enlightened guest."  Thus, correspondences to the number 13 also include completion, attainment, and realization.  Finally, the number 13 is a prime number, which tells of purity and an incorruptible nature.  That makes the Death card not so bad after all.

It is interesting that our Page of Wands is leaping into an unknown portal.  She is showing us exactly how to deal with our Death card: by using courage and confidence.  Pushing boundaries can bring great rewards, but some preparation is necessary, symbolized by the flaming torch our Page carries, to light her way into the unknown.  

Our Page of Wands tells of the effects of Fire (Wands) on Earth (the rank of Page).  Earth is one of two elements that have a physical existence that can interact with our senses.  Earth is an element of beginnings and endings as life comes from the ground and decomposes back into the ground after death.    Fire is the most rarified of the physical elements; it produces light and heat but it lacks physical existence.  It has a transformative power when it comes in contact with physical material, changing the arrangement of atoms in that physical material in an irreversible process.  Thus, the suit of Wands offers transformation to our Page.  Her courage (a Fiery attribute) allows her to fearlessly leap into the open portal, allowing her new and exciting experiences that will most likely transform her perception of herself and of the world around her.   Here is the attainment offered by the number 13.   Like the Death card, the changes created by Fire cannot be undone.