Jun 28, 2023
Out of all 78 cards in a deck of tarot cards, the 16 court cards are possibly the hardest to interpret and understand.
Basically, court cards are meant to represent either specific people, specific personality traits, or specific approaches to life.
Just like real life people, each of the court cards has its own quirks and characteristics – for example, some court cards are outgoing, some are reserved. Some process information analytically, some intuitively.
For many readers the appearance of a court card in their reading can create confusion, mainly because it is up to the reader to then decide by looking at the card and surrounding cards whether the court card represents:
o The querant
o A person involved with the querant
o A situation around the querant
o Advice to be taken on board
o An atmosphere
o Sun Sign (Zodiac)
Let’s take a closer look!
Each court card has a RANK – in most decks the ranks are Page, Knight, Queen, and King; and each court card has a SUIT – Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords. Each rank has its own set of characteristics, as does each suit.
In order to understand court cards, you first need to understand each tarot suit and each court cards rank! Once you are comfortable with this, you need to use your intuition to combine the personality trait with the suits traits to understand what the court card is trying to tell you.
The formula is, "Court Card Rank + Court Card Suit + Your Own Intuition = Court Card Interpretation"
The Court Card can predict influential people - for example if the suit of Cups is strongly represented in your reading this may suggest this is an emotional connection to the querant perhaps a partner or family member. If Wands dominate the connection may be through career or travel. If Swords dominate, this can be implying that the querant is in conflict or communication, and when Pentacles dominate, the Court Cards can suggest business, financial or work relationships.
The Four Tarot Suits
Tarot Suit of Cups - deal with the emotional level of consciousness and are associated with love, feelings, relationships, and connections. Cups are about displays of emotion, expression of feelings and the role of emotions in relation to others. The Cups Tarot cards indicate that you are thinking with your heart rather than your head, and thus reflect your spontaneous responses and your habitual reactions to situations. Cups are also linked to creativity, romanticism, fantasy, and imagination.
Tarot Suit of Pentacles - deals with the material aspects of life including work, business, trade, property, money, and other material possessions. The positive aspects of the Suit of Pentacles include manifestation, realization, proof, and prosperity. Pentacles deal with the physical or external level of consciousness and thus mirror the outer situations of your health, finances, work, and creativity. They have to do with what we make of our outer surroundings - how we create it, shape it, transform it, and grow it.
Tarot Suit of Swords - are associated with action, change, force, power, oppression, ambition, courage, and conflict. Action can be both constructive and/or destructive, sometimes resulting in violence. This suit can also mean hatred, battle, and enemies, and of all the suits, this one is the most powerful and dangerous. The Suit of Swords deals with the mental level of consciousness that is centred around the mind and the intellect. Swords mirror the quality of mind present in your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Swords themselves are double-edged and in this way the Suit of Swords symbolizes the fine balance between intellect and power.
Tarot Suit of Wands - are associated with primal energy, spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength, intuition, creativity, ambition and expansion, original thought, and the seeds through which life springs forth. Wands deal with the spiritual level of consciousness and mirror what is important to you at the core of your being. They address what makes us tick - our personalities, egos, enthusiasms, self-concepts, and personal energy, both internal and external. Wands are also indicative of all things that you do during the day to keep you busy, be it working at the office, home, or the great outdoors.
The Four Court Card Tarot Ranks
One mistake that readers can make is to let age or gender hinder their interpretation of the court cards!
When we talk about age and gender in the courts, they are only useful as metaphors. For example, a page has a childlike approach to life but does not always represent an actual child.
A queen can be biologically male, and a king can be biologically female. Even though in most decks the court cards are given gender binary names, the court cards do not have to be interpreted through a gender binary perspective. It would work just fine to replace every instance of "she" or "he" with "they" or "them."
The Tarot Card Meanings of the Pages
As people, Pages often represent young, energetic people who are at the very beginning of their personal journey. They are still developing a sense of self, but they approach new challenges with fervent energy and excitement. Pages look forward to the opportunity of learning and practicing new skills.
On a physical level, Pages can represent young children through to young adults. However, Pages can also represent those who are young at heart or who are discovering a new aspect of themselves.
As events, Pages are often seen as messengers and come to you with a new opportunity or an invitation. Pages encourage you to go for it and give you the green light for a new project or initiative. Pages often appear when you are on the cusp of a new idea (Wands), a new feeling (Cups), a new way of thinking (Swords) or a new job or career pursuit (Pentacles). They symbolize a new stage in life.
The Tarot Card Meanings of the Knights
As people, Knights are highly action-oriented – more so than the Pages. They are also slightly more mature than a Page.
They have enough experience under their belt to know what they’re doing, but the trouble is that that do not have the full life experience that the King and Queen have, thus they are prone to being extremists. Such excessive feelings and behavior can be either positive or negative depending on the circumstances.
For example, the Knight of Swords has an excess of ambition. Once he has his mind set on a goal, he will do anything and everything to achieve that goal. However, the downside is that he will rush into things and may potentially rail-road others to get what he wants. He doesn’t have the maturity of the King of Swords to be able to take a moderate approach, and thus he can end up charging down the wrong path if he’s not careful.
Always consider both sides of a Knight – does he represent a helpful or harmful approach? What is in excess and what needs to be in moderation?
On a physical level, Knights can represent adults aged between 20 and 35 (more or less).
As events, Knights reflect change, movement, and action. They are never still but are constantly on the move, looking for the next big opportunity.
The Tarot Card Meanings of the Queen's
As people, Queens represent someone who has matured and who has a deeper understanding or herself and others. The Queens tap into the feminine energy of nurturing and caring for others and give way to creating a more sustainable approach to life. She provides nourishment and sustenance that will keep her ideas and actions going.
Queens typically express their Suits from the inside. They have mastered the power of gentle persuasion, setting the tone without imposing their point of view. It reminds me of the saying, “Behind every great man there is a great woman.” She gently and subtly influences, without being seen to be too pushy or domineering. In this way, Queens can be seen as the most powerful because they influence without anyone really knowing.
On a physical level, Queens often represent people aged between 30 and 50 who have a good amount of life experience under their belt. Queens typically represent women but can also highlight the more feminine qualities of a man.
As events, Queens represent creativity and ideas coming to fruition. Queens are also very feminine and nurturing cards, reflecting the rites of passage for women, from embracing sexuality to motherhood and to taking care of others.
The Tarot Card Meaning of the King
Pages conceive ideas, Knights act upon ideas, Queens nurture ideas and now Kings develop those ideas to an established and stable state. Thus, as an event, Kings signify the growth and maturity of an idea or concept right through until reaches completion.
Pulling a king in your Tarot reading can represent a person in your life. This will be an adult male (living or physically deceased) who has major influence in your life. He could be your father, grandfather, a male mentor (such as a teacher or counsellor). He will be a man in a position of authority, so the King could also represent your employer, supervisor or a superior.
As kings will do, this man may dominate, control, or even manipulate. On a positive spin, this gentleman could care for you very deeply, and his motivations to guide your actions are spurred by a deep love and need for your safekeeping.
Kings are the most mature of the Court Cards. They have travelled through life successfully and are now at the pinnacle of experience and understanding. Thus, the Kings represent the fully developed personalities of each of the Suits.
Kings like to be seen as the providers, taking responsibility for others’ well-being. Kings want to make a difference and have an impact on the world. They draw upon the various elements of their personalities to make their mark.
As people, Kings have full control over the feelings, emotions, thoughts, and actions that form part of his personality. As such, they are stable and solid, and are highly capable of directing the flow of their energy to achieve their visions and goals. They like to manage, direct, and stabilise the energy associated with their Suit.
If you would like to know more about the Tarot Court Cards, or indeed learn to read Tarot Yourself, then please visit us at:
https://starzpsychics.com/tarot-card-course.php
Our Tarot Course is fully Downloadable, Allowing You to Learn at Your Own Pace!
https://www.starzpsychics.com
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