A Word About Court Cards  

Get a group of readers together to talk about Tarot, and sooner or later the conversation will turn to Court Cards and how to deal with them. The short version of the discussion is that no one likes Court Cards. They present too many problems, primarily because they can be read on so many different levels. With this page I hope to sort out some of those levels, and give you a handle on how to at least start dealing with Court Cards.

One one level, Court Cards can represent actual individuals in the Querent's life, breaking down like this:
Pages are children and young teens.
Knights are teenagers and young adults.
Queens are adult women.
Kings are adult men.

On another level, Court Cards represent archetypal energies reflected by the people on them.
Pages represent energy that need to be directed, nurtured, and encouraged to grow in the proper direction.
Knights represent high spirits and wild enthusiasm...brash, raw energy that lacks focus and staying power, although its overall form is well established.
Queens represent emotional, nurturing energy, the femine aspect of the self.
Kings represent intellectual and creative energy, the masculine aspect of the self.
(Now, before anyone accuses me of being an anti-feminist, that is not the intention here. Air and Fire, (Intellect and Creativity) are considered to be masculine elememts, while Earth and Water (Nurturing/Growing and Emotions) are considered feminine. Neither is better or worse than the other, and a truly whole individual balances all four elements, and both halves of the self.)

On a third level, they indicate an encounter with the lessons of those archetypes, through one of two ways.
The most obvious way, the one you are most likely to recognize, is to encounter these lessons through a person who embodies the energy of the archetype. This person is usually someone quite at odds with your normal way of thinking and doing things, and yet forms an integral part of your life. Learn the lessons this person is there to teach you.
The less obviously noticed way to encounter these lessons is through a situation in your life in which you need to apply the energy of the archetype in order to overcome an obstacle.

Court Cards can also be used as significators, if you choose to work with them. Some assign them based on physical characteristics, but I prefer astrological correspondences:
Pentacles = Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Swords = Air Signs: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra
Wands = Fire Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagitarius
Cups = Water Signs: Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio