Tarot Court Cards: Understanding Them

The court cards represent both types of people and kinds of situations. Upright cards indicate positive personality traits, while reversed cards suggest negative ones. Keep in mind that the same person may appear differently in various readings depending on which traits they are predominantly displaying at that time.

Providing physical descriptions based on court cards is tricky and is best avoided unless specifically requested. When offering descriptions, err on the side of vagueness and always remind the querent that the person’s appearance may differ from the description. Focus more on personality and behavior.

Here are some general physical traits associated with each tarot suit:

Wands: Light hair (blond, red, light brown) or bald, bright eyes, athletic build. Often Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius.

Cups: Brown hair (light to dark), light to medium eyes, rounded or slightly overweight physique, “bedroom eyes.” Frequently Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces.

Pentacles: Dark hair (black or dark brown), dark eyes, proportionate height/weight, may wear a hat or have a tattoo. Commonly Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn.

Swords: Light or unique hair color (blond, strawberry blond, white, gray), dark eyes, may wear glasses, usually thin or tall. Typically Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius.

Kings represent mature men and are interpreted as follows:

1. The first King in an adult male’s reading represents the querent himself – his past, present or future behavior and actions.
2. This King also symbolizes a helpful person the querent likely knows if upright. If reversed in the future, it indicates an unknown but ultimately beneficial individual.
3. Additional Kings denote various mature men in the querent’s life. Assess if they are known to the querent and whether they are helpful based on card position and orientation.

Key traits:

• King of Wands: Active, eager, family-oriented but needs time outside the home.
  Reversed: Potentially abusive, selfish, explosive temper, insensitive, prone to infidelity.
• King of Cups: Deeply emotional, prefers solitude, intuitive, a caregiver.
  Reversed: Overemotional, unstable, addiction or depression issues, emotionally unfaithful.
• King of Pentacles: Good with hands, money and business, even-tempered, dependable.
  Reversed: Lazy, untrustworthy, poor with finances, manipulative, lacks spirituality.
• King of Swords: Brilliant communicator, cultured, a social artist.
  Reversed: Icy, harsh, verbally abusive, enjoys inflicting pain, litigious.

Queens signify mature women from puberty onward and are read similarly to Kings:

1. The first Queen in a female querent’s reading represents her past, present or future self.
2. This Queen also indicates a helpful person, known if upright and unknown but ultimately beneficial if reversed in the future. Reversed in the past/present suggests a negatively behaving acquaintance.
3. Other Queens represent various women in the querent’s life. Interpret based on position and reversal.

Key traits:

• Queen of Wands: Understands men, has more male friends, idealistic, athletic, strong.
  Reversed: Unfaithful to partner or values, can be physically violent, aggressive.
• Queen of Cups: Emotionally attuned, compassionate listener, intuitive, offers good advice when balanced.
  Reversed: Manipulative, draining, overly emotional, depressive, gives poor advice.
• Queen of Pentacles: Solid, grounded, good with money and practical matters, helpful when engaged.
  Reversed: Controlling, uncaring, vengeful if provoked.
• Queen of Swords: Intelligent, slow to trust due to difficult past, great conversationalist.
  Reversed: Gossips, untrustworthy, verbally cruel, obsessive.

Knights embody adolescent males or immature men of any age. They are interpreted in two ways:

1. Knights indicate beginnings (upright) or endings (reversed) of situations based on the suit:

• Wands: Physical/Medical
• Cups: Emotional/Relationships
• Pentacles: Financial/Spiritual
• Swords: Career/Education/Communication

2. Knights personify an adolescent or immature man. Assess traits and the querent’s acquaintance based on position/reversal. The Knight of Swords near other court cards also suggests impending trouble for the person represented.

Key traits:

• Knight of Wands: Flamboyant, impressionable, good values.
  Reversed: Fights, questionable morals, ill-tempered.
• Knight of Cups: Romantic, artistic, sensitive, insightful.
  Reversed: Emotionally unstable, anxious, depressed, addictive, selfish.
• Knight of Pentacles: Thoughtful, mature, practical, responsible.
  Reversed: Unmotivated, impractical, gives poor advice.
• Knight of Swords: Impulsive, cocky, skilled improviser, attracts women.
  Reversed: Chaotic, arrogant, rebellious troublemaker.

Pages typically represent children under 13. They are read in several ways:

1. Pages indicate news, with the suit determining the type (same as Knights) and uprightness/reversal showing good or bad news.
2. Pages represent children, well-behaved if upright and acting out if reversed. Uprightness suggests the querent is familiar with the child, reversal in the future an unknown child, and reversal in past/present a known misbehaving child.
3. For querents without children, Pages can signify pets – healthy if upright, ill if reversed.
4. The upright Page of Wands near any court card indicates that person is trustworthy, even if the court card is reversed.
5. The Page of Pentacles represents the querent’s higher self. Upright, they should trust their intuition; reversed, they should seek outside guidance.
6. The reversed Page of Pentacles, especially as the first card or near other court cards, can warn of suicidal thoughts in the querent or the person represented.

Key traits:

• Page of Wands: Idealistic, innocent, approval-seeking, trusting, needs physical activity.
  Reversed: Untrustworthy, hyperactive, accidentally troublesome.
• Page of Cups: Intuitive, sensitive, affectionate, shy, creative, needs artistic outlets.
  Reversed: Tantrum-prone, selfish, dramatic, guilt-tripping.
• Page of Pentacles: Independent, helpful, spiritually inclined.
  Reversed: Naughty, stubborn, withdrawn, prone to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.
• Page of Swords: Quick-witted, curious, talkative, intelligent but easily bored.
  Reversed: Dishonest, gossipy, bullying, gang-affiliated, disrespectful to women.

Mastering the court cards takes practice, but by interpreting them in multiple ways – as people, situations, and even just by suit – you’ll gain the skills to tackle the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Consider doing daily court card only readings to hone your craft.

An interesting tarot tidbit is that the court cards show women maturing faster than men, going straight from Page to Queen, while men have an adolescent Knight phase. Some men remain Knights for a long time or regress after reaching King. In contrast, women rarely revert to the Page once reaching Queenhood.

Happy reading!