The court cards
The sixteen court cards are Page, Knight, Queen and King in each suit. A Page is learning. A Knight is chasing. A Queen holds and understands. A King directs and decides. Each can be a person in your life, a part of you, or the way a situation is behaving. Ask which of the three it is before you read anything else.
Four ways to hold the same element
The Page of cups is falling in love for the first time. The Knight of cups is pursuing love. The Queen of cups understands love from the inside. The King of cups keeps love steady for other people.
The same four steps work in every suit. It is one lesson repeated four times, which is why the courts get easier all at once.
Person, part of you, or weather
This is the question that unlocks a court card. Is this someone in the situation? Is it the part of you that shows up in this situation? Or is it the atmosphere of the situation itself?
If a name arrived while you were turning the card, it is usually a person. If nothing arrived, read it as a way of behaving. Both are correct readings; guessing without asking is what goes wrong.
Do not assign a gender
Queens and Kings are not women and men. They are two different kinds of authority: one that holds and one that directs. Anyone can be either, and most people are both depending on the room.
When several courts appear
Two or more court cards usually means other people are the real subject. The question you asked is about you, and the answer is about the room you are standing in.
What to remember
- Page learns, Knight chases, Queen holds, King directs.
- Ask first: a person, a part of me, or the mood of the situation?
- Queen and King are two kinds of authority, not two genders.
Try it now
Read the four Queens side by side in the library. Ask which one you become when you are at your best.
✶ Open the card libraryCards in this lesson
Common questions
What do court cards mean in tarot?
A court card means a person, a part of yourself, or the way a situation is behaving. Pages are learning, Knights are pursuing, Queens are holding and understanding, Kings are deciding and directing. The suit tells you which area of life it belongs to.
Does a court card mean a real person?
Sometimes. If a specific person came to mind as you turned the card, read it as them. If nobody came to mind, read it as a way of behaving that is present in the situation, often your own.
Why are court cards so hard to read?
Because they can mean three different things and most guides only teach one. Once you decide up front whether the card is a person, a part of you, or the mood of the situation, the sixteen cards stop being confusing.