Which deck's Court Cards are stimulating for use in divination?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	22 Jul 2003
Many decks' court cards are downright boring. But fortunately, there are some decks out there with stimulating ones. For example, I find the following decks have fascinating court cards: - Thoth - Tarot de Marseille - Etteilla (for its historicity and importance in traditional court meanings) Which decks' court cards do you find stimulating for use in divination?

dolphingirl	22 Jul 2003
Hi There It took me a bit to get to the point where I felt I understood the court cards but I now find them some of the easiest cards to read. I think the court cards that were most influential to me were the Robin Wood cards. These people all have distinct energys to me and almost seem to jump out of the cards. I also found when creating my own tarot deck that the court cards turned out to be some of my favorite of the cards I designed especially the knight of wands. Designing my court cards caused me to really ponder what they meant to me. :)

Macavity	22 Jul 2003
The Haindl? I have yet to get to grips with them fully, but, considering I didn't think I'd like "ethnic" cards, I'm quite sold in this case... Macavity

Trogon	22 Jul 2003
For me... its the deck that really helpe bring it all together for me, including the court cards. The Röhrig Tarot's court cards are, to me, very expressive and easy to interpret. However, I am finally beginning to get a grip on the court cards in the Victoria Regina.

Mimers	22 Jul 2003
Well, I love the court cards in the Thoth deck and the RW deck. They both have great court cards if you ask me. I like the ones in the other decks, but those 2 stand out. Especially the Thoth deck. Don't like them in the Old English deck, but that is about it.

Hedera	22 Jul 2003
I agree with Dolphingirl, Robin Wood's court cards are very good. The court cards in the Healing tarot are wonderful too; the Prince of Wands and his fast car, for instance, just looks like the kind of guy that's trouble no young woman would be able to resist... ;) Apart from those, in general I find the court cards in the Thoth and Thoth-like decks (Parrott, Cosmic Tribe) better than those in RWS-style decks. They tend to be more expressive and individualistic, somehow, IMHO.

Little Baron	22 Jul 2003
I agree that the Rohrig courts are very expressive and have real personality to them. The knight of wands is a good example. In the Universal Waite, I am always pulled to the Page of Cups; he can often feel like a gateway to the deck to me, but I am not 100% sure why. Does anybody else have this kind of relationship with a card? Yaboot

jema	22 Jul 2003
The Gill deck has my favorite courts. They really make a lot of sense and trigger a lot of ideas when you get them in a reading.

Astraea	22 Jul 2003
For me, it's the Thoth, Cosmic and Haindl court cards -- especially Thoth.

Myrrha	22 Jul 2003
The Tarot de Paris (J. Philip Thomas) is one of the only decks where I don't cringe when I see court cards. They are Kings, Queens, Stallions, and Spirits. The Sprits are animating principles, or geniouses... and the stallions are a kind of primal motivating energy of each suit. Because they are not people that leaves only the King and Queen to deal with as human, real life embodiments of the suit energy. I sometimes find myself using this idea when reading with other decks. Myrrha

Summerdream	22 Jul 2003
The court cards have always been the hardest for me to interpret. Since noone has mentioned the Spiral Tarot, I think they have some of the best court cards. The are very intuitive and flowing and have given me plenty of "aha" moments, so that's what that means. Blessings, Momof3girls

Little Baron	22 Jul 2003
Just thinking about it, even though I hardly use the deck, The Phantasmagoric Theatre Courts are great; just brought a smile to my face. I do like them. Does anybody use this deck on a regular basis? If they do, then they will know what I mean - especially Tom Tom, Whisper, Katherine and Sebastian. I also love The lunatic of Negativity and The Sandtwitchers. It's just a shame that the LWB doesn't go into more detail about them. Yaboot

Strange2	22 Jul 2003
The Tarot of the Sephiroth has expressive and interesting Court cards. They depict dynamic yet natural looking people with lots of character, which helps in picking up the energies these cards can represent. Overall, I feel that the Tarot of the Sephiroth is an underrated and overlooked deck, with a modern meld of Thoth and Marseilles like features.

Astraea	22 Jul 2003
Baba Prague's new deck, the Tarot of Prague, has really beautiful and eloquent court cards, as well. http://www.tarotofprague.com

littlegreen	22 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Yaboot001 I agree that the Rohrig courts are very expressive and have real personality to them. The knight of wands is a good example. In the Universal Waite, I am always pulled to the Page of Cups; he can often feel like a gateway to the deck to me, but I am not 100% sure why. Does anybody else have this kind of relationship with a card? Yaboot Yes. Do you think it's because that one's "you"? :-)

Little Baron	23 Jul 2003
You could be right LittleGreen. Maybe a part of myself that needs a little more work on - a kind of soul mate - understanding. Yaboot

Rusty Neon	22 Apr 2004
bump

Cerulean	22 Apr 2004
Via's court cards as a take on the Thoth are very nice. I'm beginning to see things with the majors and courts of the Giorgio Trevisan's Renaissance in a different way, but I'm looking at the deck differently these days as well.

closrapexa	22 Apr 2004
To me definitely the Thoth has facsinating court cards which I have yet to understand fully.

hedgecub	22 Apr 2004
I'm yet another fan of Robin Wood's courts. I have a lot of trouble memorizing the standard RWS meanings for courts, since they all get jumbled in my head, but in the Robin Wood deck, they're so expressive that I find it reasonably easy to gaze into the card and find my own meaning within them.

BlueLotus	22 Apr 2004
Of the many decks with fabulous court cards, one stands out, which is the . It was one of the reasons I bought this deck. Other distinguished court cards may also be found in the

ncefafn	22 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by hedgecub I'm yet another fan of Robin Wood's courts. I have a lot of trouble memorizing the standard RWS meanings for courts, since they all get jumbled in my head, but in the Robin Wood deck, they're so expressive that I find it reasonably easy to gaze into the card and find my own meaning within them. Robin Wood has the best Page of Swords! I love that card -- I smile whenever I see it! :) Kim

northsea	23 Apr 2004
A few favorite courts are: Robin Wood, Norse (Barrett), Motherpeace.

jema	23 Apr 2004
Ok, so this is an old thread, and I will just re-hash my reply: GILL!!!!

anjocoxo	23 Apr 2004
Here's another Robin Wood fan. When I started reading, I used to read without court cards (I didn't like to read with them, don't know why), but all of a sudden I decided to read with them again; I started with RWS, but only with Robin Wood I felt the "click", and still love them, they're expressive. anjo

firemaiden	23 Apr 2004
I agree - absolutely the Thoth is incredibly stimulating for divination. (I wrote a very long reading just on the Queen of Swords). The Tarot of Prague is really fantastic too. I don't think you can get better than that gold-drenched Knight of Cups flying on his upside-down purple horse!

baba-prague	23 Apr 2004
Thanks Firemaiden. We like him too! What I just want to say is that in the past I have had some real problems reading the Courts and this is the reason I very much wanted to bring out the qualities of each in ToP (Alex was perhaps more concerned with the image, me with the symbolism). I tend to use a Significator in readings, and when I ask the querent to choose the Court that represents them (in the situation they are asking about - not a generic representation) then quite apart from anything else I can tell an awful lot about what's going on by the Court that gets chosen. One day I want to try an exercise of asking someone to arrange the Courts in order - from the one they most relate to, to the one they relate to least. This might be really enlightening. Anyway, I have to say I really get irritated with decks in which all the Courts look much the same apart from details like hair colour. Sometimes they look like they have really been churned out without much consideration (no, I won't name decks, but it's easy to find many in which the Courts are very identikit). For some readers, perhaps this is fine, but for me, no. I need my Courts to have strong characteristics.

galadrial	23 Apr 2004
Samantha's tarot has very expressive court cards- I love the laughing King of Cups and the penetrating gaze of the King of Wands. I agree with Hedera that the Healing tarot's court cards are great- in fact the court cards were a lot of the reason I asked for that deck for my birthday. The Son of Cups being given a cup from a pair of hands coming out of the water is cool, and the the Man of Pentacles with his chocolate cake pentacle is a favorite. Not mentioned yet are the wonderful court cards in the Crystal tarot; for sheer beauty they are hard to beat. I also love the court cards in the Hermetic deck. So much symbolism, and the most wonderful names: Prince of the Chariots of the Winds for the King of Swords, Lord of Flame and Lightning for the Knight of Wands, Princess of the Palace of the Floods for the Princess of Cups. They all exude a tremendous amount of power; the artist took as much trouble over them as he did the majors (ie: a considerable amount). The Light and Shadow deck also has very dynamic court cards. I especially like the Prince of Cups riding his swordfish; it was once drawn by a friend of mine who was newly divorced and feeling romantically agressive (she put it more earthily)- an excellent match. The Tarot of Prague Knight of Cups is indeed fantastic; I also love the Knight of Swords on his fine red stead, and would like to be invited to the Queen of Wands house any time:-)

Sulis	23 Apr 2004
Favorite court cards- Cosmic - the court cards look like real people so you get a feel for the personality straight away. Thoth World Spirit Morgan Greer - my favorite Queen of Swords Love Sulis xx

ncefafn	23 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Sulis Favorite court cards- Cosmic - the court cards look like real people so you get a feel for the personality straight away This is getting off-topic, but I love his use of Rita Hayworth's "Gilda" as the 9 of Pents. Back on topic, I like Ingrid Bergman as the Queen of Swords. And is that Mel Brooks as the King of Pentacles??? Kim

Centaur	24 Apr 2004
For me, I would have to say that I find the Thoth court cards to be particularly stimulating. Although, I just received the Crystal Tarot earlier this week, and the court cards are some of the nicest I have seen.

scorpio	24 Apr 2004
A tarot book in the local library is based on "The Gipsy Tarot" by Walter Wegmuller and has black and white pictures of the cards and i fell in love with the court cards in this deck which sent me into a frenzy trying to locate this deck. Unfortunately this deck just has pips but i have to get used to because of the force of these court cards for me. The RW courts are my #1 connection though, i just feel them best.

Cerulean	28 Apr 2004
The courts in the Hidden Folk (and majors) are just riveting to me...and I found an older version of the deck that might still be available that has the same (even one better) major and same courts...might be even a better printing version as well. The question of courts kept me looking at this and the Kazanlar, which has a ecumenical slant...and if all goes well, might have both this weekend and may be experimenting with very strong, different courts...I hadn't thought about it, but having a beautiful series of courts, such as a gorgeous Queen of Swords, can make the difference between a happy-ho-hum deck and haunting one that you just keep returning to with a good feeling. Cerulean Mari

baba-prague	28 Apr 2004
I think I need to pull out my Kazanlar and take another look at the Courts. I have to say the Kazanlar IS one of those decks I really value, it has a lot of quality in a number of ways. This thread is excellent for me right now as we are currently doing our Pages - and it isn't all that easy to really bring out the salient features in each (given we have some restrictions - all has to be Baroque and every Page is a cat obviously - plus the whole deck has a certain style that we want to maintain). The thread has helped to keep me motivated and remind me again that it IS important that the Courts are not too "samey". Thanks!

Jewel	28 Apr 2004
Well I will echo the vote for the Cosmic Tribe as my all time favorite. I had all kinds of "AHA!" moments with those courts. Second to them I would have to vote for the Robin Wood. The Fey Tarot by LS also has very evocative courts.

Rusty Neon	06 Jun 2004
As mentioned in my opening post, I find the court cards from the Marseilles, Thoth and Etteilla decks to be stimulating, in terms of imagery. I'd like to add that I also find the court cards from the Osho Zen Tarot stimulating, in terms of imagery but mostly in terms of their evocative keywords - The court cards as abstract philosophical/psychological concepts. Because of their abstract keywords, the court cards from the Gill Tarot should, in principle, also be interesting, but they just haven't struck me the same way as Osho Zen. The Gill attempts to be a Golden Dawn - based deck, but its court card keywords are 'off' (in a distracting sort of way) from the Golden Dawn court card meanings.

Ruby7	07 Jun 2004
Definitely the Victoria Regina. The court cards are actual historical people, and in the book there is a detailed description of the person, and this has brought the court cards alive for me. First time that I have actually been interested in the court cards. Ruby7

Riversea	09 Jun 2004
The VR is the deck that unlocked the door to the court cards for me, and then the Tarot of Prague came along and opened it wide! Getting the courts in either of these decks doesn't worry me at all, and it is spilling over to my other decks slowly, but surely. My one trouble with VR (and it is a small quibble) Albert's multiple apperance trips me up a bit. But Beatrice, Oscar, Mary, Bertie, Gladstone, Desrali, and the rest are great! The multiple use of Victoria (her deck after all!) works better for me than Albert's.

tao51	10 Jun 2004
In the beginning I found many of the court cards boring. Then I discovered other decks. The Zerner-Farber with its King, Queen, Prince, Princess scheme is more impelling. The same scheme is in the Egyptian Tarot. Both of these decks have images and symbols which express meaning. The Shapeshifter Tarot has the Goddess, God, Warrior, Seeker scheme. After using these decks I found reading the courts clearer. I am exploring other decks but these are three which are more intuitive in their presentation.--Tao

SongDeva	11 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Yaboot001 In the Universal Waite, I am always pulled to the Page of Cups; he can often feel like a gateway to the deck to me, but I am not 100% sure why. Does anybody else have this kind of relationship with a card? Yup. The Father of Earth in the Vision Quest deck.

tao51	10 Jul 2004
I have discovered other decks of cards and other court cards. The court cards of the Fantastical Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, and the Golden Tarot are far from being plain. They speak so much in their expressions and their manner of dress. I truly find the Tarot of Prague to be the most magical group of courts. The Tarot of Timeless Truth communicate throught their Northern metaphors. My newest acquisiton, The Golden Tarot of the Renaissance has a group of court cards which are not difficult to read. They show so much power in their seemingly innocent faces. This thread is full of information which should be of value to anyone needing more information about the courts.--Tao

Rusty Neon	10 Jul 2004
Looking at this thread afresh, I would be remiss in not adding the Gareth Knight Tarot deck. Its court cards are based on Golden Dawn & Thoth courts but there is vibrancy, colour and expression in the relatively simply drawn designs. Quote: Originally posted by Rusty Neon - Thoth - Tarot de Marseille - Etteilla (for its historicity and importance in traditional court meanings)

The Which deck's Court Cards are stimulating for use in divination? thread was originally posted on 22 Jul 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.