So I am new to tarot and a little bit obsessive so when I found an obsession spread I decided to try it. So it is an 8 card spread and it turned out that 6 out of those 8 cards were court cards... It was so funny in the beginning because I was utterly confused what to make of it. In the end I got round to recognizing that most of them described a part of my personality. whew... Which is interesting because I really can't relate to any court as representing me. It is also confusing that in every book or website they have different descriptions.
Today, in this reading the one that I related the most was Queen of Swords and the description here just fits me as she is also a mixture of air and water which are well represented in my birth chart(as well as earth). But I am not as mature or logic-driven (I am very emotional while still focusing on logic and knowledge if that makes sense). As for the artwork, I am using the Shadowscapes deck and I am really drawn to the Page of Swords... but it is too airy. Ugh... any advice how you found out what resonates with you? I have been reading a lot but maybe I need something more unorthodox?
That is a pretty common experience when you are new to Tarot, seeing the cards laid out and not knowing what to make of them. LOL I remember that when I was new. In fact at first that happened more often than not. It does take some work to learn Tarot AND to find the way to do things that works best for you.
I also use the Courts to represent different aspects for myself (or of the querent) Not everyone uses them that way but that is my current method too.
How you find the card meanings and methods to read that work best for you? My advice is always to read as many Tarot books as you can, but to remember there is no set way you have to do anything. Try out any of the techniques that call to you that you read about. If they are fun for you and work well, keep them. If not try revising them and if that still does not work, let them go.
I am always suspicious of any books that tells me you HAVE to do anything in only one specific way in Tarot> When I see a book that starts off with that I don't trust what it says after. And over time you have a collection of methods that you really like and that work well for you. You can try combining them in different ways and you are always very much free to invent your own ways of methods. Some of my methods I love most to use are ones I invented myself.
Your cards are YOUR tool, to learn to use in the best way, the best way for you will be unique and ultimately different from anyone else's.
I also think it is important to know who you want to be as a reader, as some styles of reading may be more conducive to one type of reader than another. If you want to just be a predictive reader, or a helper with problems reader...IF you want to be very blunt and just state what you see, or if you want to cushion things a lot...all this affects the best style for you. Eg my meaning for the Knights has lot to do with the kind of reader I want to be... but that kind of meaning for that card would not make sense to a reader who wanted only to do predictive readings....(more on that below)
Just in case this interests you or helps, here is how I use the Courts.
Page- your are encountering something unlike anything you have have, some confusion, uncertainty, maybe more hesitation on how to proceed.,,,the kind of thing you can imagine feeling when facing something for the first time.
Then I add in the suit. EG Page of Swords says you are having thoughts that you never have before, thinking of the situation in a way you have before. The Page of Wands says you need to or want to create something unlike anything you ever have before...likely not sure how to even begin.
Knight: The Knights are about empathy for me. The are about imagining what it would be like for you to be in the situation someone else is in. They are about taking a walk in another person's shoes.
Eg The Knight of Cups would mean to imagine how you would feel if you were someone else. This could come up in a situation about how to heal an argument. Imagine if you had been through all that they had, how would YOU feel? Or just in general, or just in general when the cards think there is something to be learnt from imagining how you would feel if the circumstances of your life were different. The Knight of Cups would be about imagining how you might think differently if your had had different experinces in your past, Or if there were things about the situation you did not know....
Queens: The Queens and Kings are about mastering a situation, but in opposite ways. They already know how to fix things, through the energy they embody. The Queens, for me, are about accomplishing goals TOGETHER with others. They are about cooperation, teamwork, good communication, democracy, even sometimes compromise for the highest good of the project as needed.
EG The Queen of Cups may be saying that the best way to work together is to stop and talk out our feelings. People with hurt feelings are not working together as well....
King: The Kings are about mastering a situation ALONE. They are more about mastering your inner self. Inner mastery. It might be about conquering a need to cheat on your diet, Conquering any fears or uncertainties inside you...
Eg The King of Cups would be about conquering any feelings getting in your way. The King of Cups would be out working out or controlling any thoughts in your way...The King of Wands could be about succeeding at what you are working to create by staying in charge of anything inside you that could get in the way, mastering or eliminating it altogether.
Hope this helps. I will not get started on how I use the Courts reversed here as it is complex and related to my system of reversals....which I invented...
And just to add in, I DO get most of my answer from the cards through the card imagines anyway though...rather than from any set meanings.
Babs
