Just wondering how you all see this... when do you interpret a court card to reflect you - if you read for yourself, or for the querent, if reading for somebody else? How do you know this? Is it just intuitive for you?
The court cards confuse me mostly because of this. When are they me, when somebody else?
In my readings for myself I usually take them to mean other people because I feel, what is the necessity to show me anyway, the reading is for me, I am there. One exception of course is if I am asking something like "what do I need to work on in my own self?" but apart from that.
Court cards usually reflect the energy of the astrological house for me. For instance, Pisces is the sign on the 12th house, the Knight of Cups (as the mutable water sign in the mutable water house) would represent Pisces, the dreamer in the 12th house of self-undoing, addictions or the Hanged Man and Moon in the major arcana, Nine of Cups is Jupiter, ruler of Pisces, who is prone to drinking, and living in the dream world of the 12th house of addictions. Of course when the other cards show up in the reading with the Knight of Cups that gives more clarity to the reading of what the energy of the Knight is about.
The King of Pentacles represents a Taurus man in the 2nd house of money, and the Hierophant as they are often on Board of Directors, or teachers or lawyers...representing institutions. The Empress is Venus, ruler of Taurus, who are often gardeners.....If I were reading for a Virgo or Capricorn, I would see them as the King of Pentacles, because like Taurus, they are the element of earth, which is the Pentacle. And, in truth, they are all very practical people, money and work oriented. It is the element that makes the most important connections for me.
As an Aries woman, I can't help but see the Queen of Wands as myself and the 1st astrological house when it shows up in a reading for me. If I were reading for a Leo or a Sagittarius, I would see them as the Queen of Wands...because of the fire element. However, as a Leo, I would apply 5th house attributes to the Queen of Wands, and to Sagittarius, the 9th astrological house attributes.
I consider the court cards in accordance to their energy: Knights are the most energetic, perhaps even 'off center' and changeable, coming and going, disappearing like mutable signs. Queens are stable cardinal signs, and Kings are practical, strong, dependable fixed signs.
It just all seems to interconnect for me, probably because I studied astrology long before I picked up the tarot, so I cannot help but make the connections.When I see the court card for the querent turn up in a reading it is a confirmation that the cards are picking up the energy of the querent.