Court cards
The court cards are the sixteen character cards of the tarot’s Minor Arcana: Page, Knight, Queen and King in each of the four suits. They can stand for people around you, facets of your own personality, or attitudes toward a situation. Each court card combines the maturity of its rank with the element of its suit, forming a gallery of sixteen characters that a reading brings to life.
Person, facet or attitude
When a court card turns up in your spread, three paths open to you: someone around you, a part of yourself, or a stance to take toward the situation. Mary K. Greer suggests trying all three readings and keeping the one that resonates. Often the figure that irritates you the most is the one you resemble the most.
Rank and suit
Each court card is read by crossing two threads: its rank and its suit. The Page learns, the Knight charges ahead, the Queen deepens, the King structures. Cross that with the element of the suit: a Knight of Wands rushes in with fire, a Queen of Cups welcomes with water. This weaving gives sixteen ways to inhabit one and the same situation.
Sources
- , Tarot for Your Self (1984)
- , The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)