The 16 Tarot Court Cards — The Key to Reading People and Attitudes
The part that learners of Tarot find hardest is the court cards. Making up sixteen of the 56 Minor Arcana, the court cards symbolize a person's character or attitude, and once mastered they deepen a reading to be far more vivid and concrete.
What Are Court Cards?
Court cards are the four figure cards found in each of the four suits — Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Like the face cards of a playing deck, royalty and attendants appear; and while the numbered cards deal with events and situations, the court cards represent the 'people' within them. They tell you who the figure that appears in a reading is, or what attitude is needed right now.
The Four Ranks as Stages of Growth
Each suit has four ranks: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The Page symbolizes learning, curiosity, and new news — the beginning stage. The Knight represents passion, action, and the charge toward a goal. The Queen symbolizes mature understanding and embrace, the power that governs from within; the King, completed authority and command, the power that leads outward. As you move from Page to King, the power of that element ripens.
The Character Added by the Four Suits and Elements
On top of this, each suit's element lends its character. The fiery Wands court is passionate and active; the watery Cups court is warm and emotional. The airy Swords court is rational and logical; the earthy Pentacles court is practical and diligent. Multiply the rank (stage of growth) by the suit (element) and sixteen distinct character portraits are drawn. The Queen of Cups, for example, reads as a person of deep empathy and embrace.
Person or Situation?
The most important question when reading a court card is: 'Does this card point to a person, or to an attitude?' In some readings it means an actual figure around you; in others, the mindset or approach you need right now. When the Knight of Swords appears, for instance, it may be 'someone who acts decisively,' or it may be advice to 'step forward with resolve now.' Reading flexibly according to context is the key.
How to Read Court Cards
If court cards feel difficult, it is easier to approach them in order — first grasping the broad character from the suit's element, then the maturity of that power from the rank. Then judge from context whether the card is a person or an attitude within the question. When several court cards appear together, they can also be read as the configuration of several figures within a relationship. Once you grow accustomed to them, court cards become the most fascinating cards, breathing human warmth into a reading.
Court cards are the key that adds characters and attitudes to Tarot, bringing a reading to life. If you're curious about a Tarot spread with the full 78 cards, call to mind the question in your heart and draw the cards for yourself.