Daughter of Fire

Originally the court cards resembled the strict social and sexual hierarchy of feudal society. The king reigned supreme, followed by his queen, then his loyal knight and finally the page (a noble child, sometimes a hostage, taken into the royal household to serve, but also to be groomed into a position of future leadership).

I wanted to even out the sexual and power imbalance of the traditional court and give the traditional knight and page an even ranking making one male and the other female, similar to Crowley's recasting of them as prince and princess. However, we don't live in feudal times anymore, so my prince and princess have simply become the son and daughter of the element they represent.

The Rider Waite deck shows us an androgynous figure in a yellow coat and cloak in an ochre, mountainous landscape contemplating a wand they are holding upright in front of them. The Thoth Tarot has a naked woman soaring upright in a roaring flame, a tiger by its tail, though since the tiger also has his tail wrapped around her neck it's hard to say who's in control. She brandishes a wand in her left hand, crowned by a flaming sun.

For my own card I wanted to connect the suite of Fire back to the place where the drive and awareness of homo sapiens first originated and where from the first spark we began our journey as a species - Africa. In keeping with making the pages female I chose a portrait of a young Masai woman as the Daughter of Fire.

In a spread the Daughter of Fire signifies a passionate, curious, creative young woman. She is eager to learn, has a powerful hunger for life, engages herself completely and is easily excited by something intriguing and novel. She may be impatient and quickly bored once the fire of novelty and intensity wears off, but an encounter with her will leave you changed, perhaps unsettled, perhaps enriched by new ideas, perhaps enchanted by her innocence and spontaneity and the way she is in touch with her instincts and feelings.

For a relationship-related question the card may indicate you are bowled over by someone fiery, careless and full of life, who will kindle forgotten passions and put you in touch with your own desires, curiosity and instincts. Their charisma is pretty much irresistible, and even if the relationship isn't lasting it will leave you with a spark that will energize you going forward.

If the card comes up for a business-related question will feel dissatisfaction with your current situation. You believe there could be so much more, perhaps a greater opportunity, perhaps a project that would engage your passion and the ability to put a new idea to the test. You are not quite ready to formulate a plan of action, but you want to prepare yourself for new ventures and possibilities. Keep an open mind and indulge your curiosity and you will come across new ideas.

If the card stands for yourself and not someone else it urges you to connect to your own inner spirit of desire and curiosity. Give in to your urge to ditch responsibility and discipline and listen your need to play, to create, to follow your passion and to be spontaneous. Have that fling, go on that adventure, try something you've always been intrigued by and never quite worked up the nerve to do!

If the card is uncovered in an adverse or blockage position it could mean that you are a victim of outward glamour and excitement without any real substance. You are feeling vulnerable and insecure, so you are looking to dazzle others, drown your fears with meaningless excess and associate yourself with power and status, but it may not mean anything in the long run and will leave you empty. You could also be drawn in by such a person and realize in the end that they lack the maturity and strength of character to back up their initial charisma with any kind of substance or commitment.