This week we're traveling around the country for various reasons all related to my youngest son, who has to make a choice about University by May 1st.

Our first stop is Cupertino, California, where he'll write the Euclid Math Contest, an optional entry requirement for the University of Waterloo. We need to do all the optional things because he needs all the help he can get for consideration in these applications. His ability to excel at schoolwork during the pandemic was... not great. He's got a high SAT and 5s across the board on AP tests, but those Covid Ds do not look good on his academic record.

The next day we head back to crash at the airport for one night, then we're flying to Pennsylvania, hopping in a car, and touring a couple of the schools he did get into, to see if he likes them enough to attend. 

Here's where this stuff is all Page of Pentacles related - it's expensive! and unrealistic! This trip is costing us a fortune, all because my kids' grades weren't quite good enough to get into some closer schools. Of course he had to apply to the hardest field to get into, as well. If he were going into Humanities, we wouldn't be flying around the country like this. His college advisor said "Computer Science is the bloodsport of college admissions." Every student in CS is having trouble getting accepted this season, not just ours. They're all pages of pentacles, suffering bad news, not getting into some of their safest safety schools, and costing their parents a fortune just trying to figure it all out. I feel bad for all of them. My accountant feels bad for me.  I'm going to go eat a Pizza and download The Hangover for our flight.

Upright, the Page of Pentacles is a young, studious individual. This is a card about going back to school or engaging in activism for a sustainable future.

Reversed, this page is unfocused, disorganized, immature, and unrealistic. The reversed page might be the bearer of bad news, or a warning that you are living a champagne life on a lemonade budget.  
 
Questions answered by the reversed Page of Pentacles:
Who? A careless young person 
What? A lack of money
Where? An amusement park
When? Spring (Northern Hemisphere) or Fall (Southern Hemisphere); When the money runs out; after college
Why? “Never spend your money before you have earned it.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Yes or No? No

The reversed Page of Pentacles as:
…an action?

• Follow through on your commitments
• Make a budget

 
…a place in your house?

• The kitchen counter

 
…a place in your city?

• A juvenile detention center
• A university financial services department

 
…a place in the world?

• Rhode Island
• Reno, NV
• Madison, WI
• the South pacific

…something to eat?

• Pizza
• Unnatural foods

 
…something to clean?

• Check your credit score
• Delete old email contacts

 
…where to find the missing item?

• Where you last partied too hard

 
…a color? Purple, red, green
 
…a movie theme? Bad news; immaturity

• The Hangover
• Idiocracy
• Step Brothers

 
…a new career?

• Bike repair
• Something in the cannabis industry
• Nurse or Legal assistant

 
Page of Pentacles reversed
Before any card: A lack of common sense about (card)
After any card: Bad news; being unfocused

Switching up from Tarot? Try our companion book, Applied Runes. It has more info for your confused and unrealistic young'uns! 

The Page of Pentacles is a young, studious individual. She or he is introspective, academic, and very aware of the world in which they live, including what the planet requires for a survivable future.

The Page may be politically active and vocal about causes that are dear to them.
 
Questions answered by Page of Pentacles:
Who? A young, studious person 
What? A new job
Where? At a park
When? Spring (Northern Hemisphere) or Fall (Southern Hemisphere); At the beginning; During class
Why? The planet needs you
Yes or No? Yes
 
Page of Pentacles
​Before any card: Be practical and realistic about (card)
After any card: A new job or opportunity

The Page of Pentacles as:
...an action?

• Join a protest or sign a petition
• Recycle
• Nourish your body

 
...a place in your house?

• The front porch

 
...a place in your city?

• A protest
• A place where young people gather
• A coffee shop

 
...a place in the world?

• A national park
• New Orleans
• New Zealand
• the Coast

...something to eat?

• Tea
• Cream pie
• A food fight

 
...something to clean?

• Recycle
• Compost
• Use Earth-friendly cleaners

 
...where to find the missing item?

• You may have dropped them in the dirt

 
...a color? yellow, green, red
 
...a movie theme? New student or employee

• The Breakfast Club
• Mean Girls
• Men in Black

 
...a new career?

• Student or apprentice
• Entry-level job in a new business
• Start a new business

 
Page of Pentacles combinations
With Temperance: Go after your goals, but have patience for the length of time it might take.
With Eight of Wands: Once you choose your cause, the action is swift and decisions must be made quickly.
With Four of Cups: You are disconnected from your desires; start a dream journal.
With Two of Swords: A difficult choice must be made; Force yourself out of indecision and prosperity will start for you.
With Queen of Pentacles: A parent helps a child with a project.