Tarot Tip #12 – Reading the Court Cards as multiple people in your reading

Tarot Tip #12 – Reading the Court Cards as multiple people in your reading

     When I teach my students to read the Tarot, I begin with the Court Cards, as most people find those the most difficult cards to read in a spread, even after they have memorized their various meanings.

     In earlier Tips I’ve discussed how to read them if they are upright versus inverted, how to derive their meanings from the quality of the suit, and how to interpret them depending if they fall into a present, past, or future position.  I even discussed some of the alternative meanings when you are interpreting them as something other than people.

     In this Tip we’re going to go deeper, and get a look at some of the biggest stumbling blocks for many tarot readers.  That stumbling block arises from the fact that one Court Card can actually represent many different people in your client’s life.  It’s also noteworthy that if my client is female, for example, all of the female cards in the reading should first be looked at as an aspect of her.

     This sounds very complicated, but I can assure you, once you get the hang of it you’ll find the Court Cards quite easy to read.

     Let’s look at an example.

     If in my Celtic Cross reading for my female client the first card I turn up is an upright Queen of Cups, I rightfully interpret her as a warm and sensitive woman.  But what many readers may miss, is that she also has another woman on her mind, perhaps a friend or relative, who is also a warm and sensitive Queen of Cups.  So, this first card in the Celtic Cross, that describes both my client and also what my client has on her mind, actually is read as two different women.  If the second card I put down, which describes the situation, is a Pentacle – that is, a money card, I will correctly interpret that both of these women have material things and finances on their minds. It may even be that my client is involved in some way with the finances of the other woman.  If the third card I draw, that tells me what’s coming over the next three months, is a Queen of Swords, I will first read this Queen as another aspect of my client – this aspect of her is very serious and is thinking, planning, and communicating – probably about the material or financial issues that showed up in the second card that described the situation.  After I have looked at this new aspect of my client, I will address the possibility that this new Queen is still a third woman that my client will be involved with during this next three months, who is someone who is a good communicator and will be helpful to her as this position is always read right side up.

     As the reading progresses each time another Queen turns up, I first interpret the Queen as a new aspect of my client and something she is involved with, and then I interpret it as someone other than her.  Additionally, as I pull other cards the various situations in my clients life will begin to develop as a story, and as I interrelate the new cards into the ‘story’ I can start to see these Queens as showing up as more and more different women in my client’s life.

     So you see only 4 Queens in the deck can represent all of the women in my client’s life, and likewise the 4 Kings, 4 Knights, and 4 Pages will also represent all of the men, young men, and children in her life.  Each time I look at them from a different point of view, looking at the cards surrounding them and telling ‘their story’, I will ‘see’ a different person.

     It will take a little practice, and you need to open your mind a bit to really be able to do this, but it will take your readings to a whole new level.