Struggling with those Court Cards

[3crows]

Does anyone have advice on how to interpret court cards? I am so stumped and struggling with these petty tyrants! I know the basics of the elements and that often times they represent people crossing your path, or a side of yourself that needs to be cultivated or looked at. But....argh! I can't keep them straight! (p.s. thanks everyone for all the great advice on my Moon Card dilemma!)

 

[Orlando]

Remove the Restrictions...

The Court are a tough bunch, indeed! Be open to not restricting them to being representations of specific individuals only. Interpretative possibilities abound when you allow them to symbolize types of behaviors influencing and/or even atmospheres surrounding the subject of your reading.

In time, that tiny dread you might experience when they appear in a reading will be replaced with a "hmmmmmmmmm...this makes things really interesting!"

Best of success!

 

[Apocalipstick]

You can always look at it in terms of mastery over the qualities of a particular suit.

The King is the accomplished leader. He actively utilizes the suit's qualities.

The Queen holds things together. She intuitively embodies the suit.

The Knight does the questing, seeking and searching in a direction determined by the suit's focus.

The Page is just getting started, and is a bit naive. Not particularly focused.

These are just thumbnail sketches, but it may help to keep them in mind.

 

[Nholdamek]

I like how the Book of Thoth describes them. For example, the Knight of Swords (keep in mind knight generally equals king in other decks) is the fiery part of air. What comes to mind when you think of the fiery part of air? It is air being very active and violent. Violent winds, etc.

 

[Nerd]

I would basically agree not to limit the court cards to representing people. They can be impulses, ideas, etc. I recommend doing some intense observation of the cards, maybe writing down a description of each one in your journal. Just do one a day for a couple of weeks. Look at every detail and nuance of the illustration, and think about what it might mean. Write it all down, and just read over your notes now and then. Then when these folks appear in a reading, you'll have a whole history with them, and they'll be "old friends."

 

[Skydancer]

I would also recommend you look at Mary Greer's book Understanding the Tarot Court. I just bought this recently, and it has opened up a new avenue for me to explore. The courts (or coats) are not just people, which I had always found hard to relate with. They can/are also be an aspect of yourself (or sitter) - how you are acting in a given situation.

*S*

 

[Deacon76]

I've had a rough time with the courts as well. Generally, when I read for myself, I try to use them to figure out what aspects of myself I either need to work on or emphasize. If I have a specific question that involves other people, then I'll read them as they might apply to either myself or other people, depending on what position they show up in. Of course, the last realtionship spread I did, pips showed up to signify myself and the other person, and it was a Court that showed up in the slot reserved for the nature of our relationship, so my usual way of thinking had to go out the window! At that point I fell back on intuition and how the card made feel, and also applied personality attributes to how we interacted with each other. And that seemed to help.

Not sure if this is useful or not. Def, take a look at the books the others have suggested, and also atThirteen's Card meanings. I found it helpful to get the gist of the court members as a whole, and then focus on them suit by suit.

Best of luck to you!
---Deacon

 

[Alan Ross]

I've always had a rough time with those pesky court cards as well. Everytime they come up in a reading, I think "urghh!" or something else inarticulate. I guess the main problem for me is that they don't do anything. I look at the RWS Seven of Swords and I see a guy making off with a bunch of swords. Okay, no problem, he's being a thief, he's taking a risk, trying to get away with something, being clever etc. etc. etc. Or with the Two of Cups, you have a guy and a gal making moon eyes at each other over a cup. Once again, no problemo. Romance, friendship, partnership, etc. etc. etc. But when, say, the King of Whatever comes up, what is he doing? He is just sitting there, defiantly (as I see him, anyway). What the heck do I do with a guy who is just sitting there?

There is one thing that helps me a little when using a court card as an advice card, rather than as a person. When a court card comes up, for example the Queen of Cups, I'll ask myself, "What would the Queen of Cups actually be doing in this situation?" Then I'll visualize her getting off her throne and taking some action that is consistent with how the Queen of Cups would react. It is that mental image I'll work with or refer to in the reading.

BTW, I would like to second Skydancer's recommendation. Mary Greer's book on the courts is excellent.

 

[Star-Willow]

I would also recommend you look at Mary Greer's book Understanding the Tarot Court. I just bought this recently, and it has opened up a new avenue for me to explore. The courts (or coats) are not just people, which I had always found hard to relate with. They can/are also be an aspect of yourself (or sitter) - how you are acting in a given situation.

*S*

This is a brilliant book, it has a gr8 exercise called 'The Beach Party', this helped me so much with understanding the courts and it was a lot of fun aswell!

I have found that I can relate each court to someone who is close to me, and then I think about that persons personality and even mannerisms, and how they would react in the situation, this has helped with some readings.

I'm still learning but it's a gr8 journey

 

[Lysh]

I have been having difficulty with court cards as well (and from what I see this is not uncommon!). My understanding is that court cards can represent others, aspects of our own character/personality, maybe roles we play, events/situations coming into existence, or even qualities we should work on to help in a situation. I think what is so confusing about court cards is figuring out which avenue they are pointing too...if they come up in a reading we are left to interpret whether it could be a person with those qualities in the querent's life...or aspects of the querent's personality...or aspects that querent should work on etc. or symbolizing a situation coming into play (for example: pages = messages of some sort). That is what I am currently struggling to figure out. If anyone has input on this, please help!