how can i tell if a court card is a person or situation?

[mahimaisme]

i've been learning to read the tarot for just about a month. i'm still learning keywords and trying to explore my own interpretations (not using them yet, tho! just exploring and getting to know my cards and my mind better! ) and things....
i usually tend to take the presence of a court card or a major arcana card like the high priest/priestess, emperor, empress esp, as implying people. i know it does also imply a certain kind of situation but how would i know that in a reading?
i would love to get some feedback on this!
thank you.
mahima.

 

[Amhran]

For me, they are always people. But depending on the situation, it could be implying qualities a person has or might need to develop. I think you will only know when doing the reading. See how the story flows from one card to the next. Intuition will tell you. I hope that helps a little...

 

[mahimaisme]

thank you, amhran

i do tend to interpret them as people...most of the time...so i was just wondering...what if i'm telling someone its a person in your life and the guy attributes those qualities so someone he knows and its wrong!?

:s

mahima.

 

[doreen]

Court cards are difficult to get the hang of.
They can be people, messages, or aspects of one's personality.
You need to take the surrounding cards into consideration, and above all listen to your intuition.
I find in most cases they are aspects of the querents personality.
Just relax and listen to your inner voice and you won't go wrong.
Doreen

 

[sharpchick]

I generally view Kings and Queens as people. . . for me, knights (princes) and pages (princesses) can be people, or the traits of the card, as well as indications of messages or travel. When I draw a knight or a page in a position in a spred where it's not clear that it could be interpreted as being a person, I'll sometimes draw a clarifier for the knight or page. If I get another court card, then I interpret the knight or page as being a person.

 

[tmgrl2]

Depends upon the reading.

Listen to your own inner voice.

Listen to the querent.

Look at the card and where it appears in the spread.

Could be a person in the querent's life.

Could be aspects, qualities, or roles of the querent.

Pages could represent someone younger than the King or Queen or Knight, but could also represent learning stages of either the querent or another person in his/her life.

Practice and journal. Try to let the meaning come from the process.

There are some good books on reversals, but I believe you will be rewarded by doing readings and using your gift of imagination...the wonderful sense we have that can roam across the cards and bring forth guidance.

Takes time....and you won't always be "right" about the whole reading....but the process allows for interaction. The sitter often "knows" the information but just below the conscious level...and we hope to bring to light something that the sitter can put into action.

You can do "searches" here as well....click on one week and older or all older threads...and use terms "Tarot Court cards" ....For example, Rhiannon has taken the time to put this thread together.....:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32366

Great work on doing that Rhiannon...I'm going to subscribe to that thread.

Enjoy
terri

 

[SunChariot]

The way I do it, the courts always represent people, usually people in the querent's life whom they know. It can also relate to personality traits that the querent has in common with the person the card represents.

The rest depends on the question, and the card's position in a spread. If the question is about two men in your life and you ask which you will end up and get a court card, the card is just indicating one of them.

If the question is about an event in the person's life....first you have to figure out who the person it represents is. Then it might be asking you to think about how THAT person would handle the situation. What would they do in that situation. The card is likely asking you to emulate that person, to act as you think they would in the situation. Or just pointing out a similarity between your situation and a recent one in their lives...

There' s my take on it,

Babs

 

[thinbuddha]

To me they *always* represent people, or an aspect of a person. Sometimes more than one court card can be refering to the same person.

 

[WalesWoman]

Court cards... funny but most of the time I don't see them as people in my readings as much as personality traits, qualities or attitudes to look at or work on or emmulate.

That's why I won't say I "always" see them as this or that, because it will change according to the question for the reading. Sure I will associate a certain card with some one or if a court falls on a position that refers to a specific person... then I will see where they are at that particular time. That's the other thing about court cards, we may associate one with someone, but one day they might be a King of Swords and the next Knight Pentacles and then another day a Queen Cups!!!

The best thing you can do for yourself is not lock yourself or anyone into stereotypes or limit yourself to absolutes... there are none.