People, roles or energies?

In the last lesson you met the sixteen courts. Now the real question: when one turns up in a reading, who or what is it? There are three common answers, and part of reading well is choosing between them.

1. Another person

Sometimes a court card points to someone in your life. The Queen of Pentacles might be a practical, caring friend. The Knight of Wands might be an exciting new colleague. If a person comes to mind straight away, note it. But hold it lightly. The card describes a style or an influence, not a person’s hidden thoughts. Remember the ethics module: tarot cannot read someone else’s mind, so do not invent what they feel or plan.

2. A part of you

Very often a court card is you, or a side of you. The Page of Swords might be your curious, questioning self. The King of Cups might be the part of you that stays calm when others panic. This reading is often the most useful, because it is about what you can actually do.

3. An approach or a role

A court card can also describe an approach to the situation. In an advice position, the Queen of Swords might simply mean: be honest and clear. The Knight of Pentacles might mean: be patient and steady, one step at a time. A court card can even describe a role you are being asked to play: teacher, leader, beginner, messenger.

How to choose

Ask yourself three questions:

1. Does the position point to someone? In a spread with a “them” position, a court there is likely about the other person. In an “advice” position, it is probably an approach.
2. Does a person come to mind at once? If yes, consider it. If you have to search for someone, it is probably not a person.
3. Which reading helps more? When in doubt, read the court as a part of you or as advice. That keeps you at the center and gives you something you can do.

A worked example

Imagine you ask, “How can I handle the stress at work?” and draw the Knight of Swords. As a person, it might be a colleague rushing everyone. As a part of you, it might be your own habit of charging ahead without thinking. As an approach, it might say: act quickly and directly on the one thing that matters most. Each reading is possible. The question and your own honest sense of the situation decide which one fits.

When several courts appear

Many court cards in one reading often mean that other people play a big role in the situation, or that you are juggling several roles at once. Notice which suits and ranks appear. Three Pages, for example, suggest a time of learning and new beginnings. Two Kings might point to a question about leadership or authority.

Practice makes this easier

This is one of the places where your notebook teaches you most. When you write down a court card, note which reading you chose. A week later, see which one turned out to fit. Over time you will develop a feel for it.

Try this

Today’s exercise: Draw one court card and write three readings of it: as another person, as a part of you and as advice. Keep it short. Two or three lines in your notebook are enough, and there are no wrong answers. If you like, come back to the page tomorrow and add one more line about anything you noticed in the meantime. Small, regular notes like these are how the cards slowly become familiar.

Quick recap

• A court card can be another person, a part of you or an approach.
• Never invent another person’s private thoughts.
• Let the position and the question guide your choice.
• When in doubt, read the court as you or as advice.

Keep going

When you have done the exercise, press “Mark as done” and continue with the next lesson, The one-card daily draw. There is no hurry. If a lesson needs a second day, give it one.

To go deeper, read “The Court Cards” in my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot.

Need a refresher? Go back to Meet the court or see the whole course.

Go deeper: The Novice's Guide to Tarot: The Court Cards

Mark as done