Dagda Moon~Lily
May 7th, 2001, 06:48 PM
Properties - Court card meanings are harder to learn to interpret than most. They can indicate people, personalities, messages, situations, ideas and quickly approaching events. Make sure to take into account the type of reading being completed, the question, suit and surrounding cards.
Card -Properties
King -Closure, completion, finility. Mature, usually wise men (or women) who know what they can and cannot accomplish.
Queen -Female energy or influence, receptive qualities. Completion of a relationship, project, job, pregnancy. Mature women (or men) who understand who and what they are about emotionally and spiritually.
Knight -Long standing situation is about to change, travel, incoming ideas. Young man or woman impacting or entering your life.
Page -Messages, communications, beginnings of the properties of their suit. Children or adolescents in or entering your life.
(Credited to www.queenofpentacles.com Joani Collins)
The Court Cards and Myers-Briggs Personality Types
http://www.nccn.net/~tarot/cardmngs.html
This webpage is full of information about the Court Cards! :D
Tarot Court Cards
http://members.cts.com/king/s/saoirse/TarotCourtCards.html
This is another equally informative webpage :D
KINGS
by Nina Lee Braden
Kings are mature persons (gender non-specific in modern Tarot) in leadership or administrative roles. They are Minor Arcana versions of the Emperor. Some systems relate Kings to Air, others to Fire. If you saw Kings as Air, for instance, then the King of Swords would be Air of Air; the King of Wands would be Air of Fire, the King of Cups would be Air of Water, and the King of Pentacles would be Air of Earth. In modern Tarot, Kings are sometimes also called Chiefs, Shamans, Sages or Fathers.
The King of Swords is the Warrior/Scholar/Diplomat. I like to think of the King of Swords as Jean-Luc Picard, the Captain of the Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is a master of the intellect, and also a master of battle. He is also a superb diplomat. Jean-Luc Picard is the embodiment of all of these aspects.
The King of Pentacles is the successful manager. I think that Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's chain of fast food restaurants might be a good commonly known representation of the King of Pentacles. You need someone with wealth, but someone who is warm. You need someone successful materially, who is a good manager. I think that Thomas, at least as he is portrayed in the media, is a very good King of Pentacles.
The King of Cups is the Lover, whether it be the lover of his domain, his family or his romantic interest. He is also the visionary, the ruler who would risk all, give all, for his vision of a better tomorrow. I think that Ray Kinsella, Kevin Costner's character in Field of Dreams makes a good King of Cups. To me, the King of Cups has to have great love for his family and he has to have a vision. Ray Kinsella has both--at least by the end of the movie. In fact, in this film we almost can see him becoming the King of Cups as he struggles with his vision and finally accepts it and acts on it with courage. The danger with the King of Cups is that he can get so caught up in a vision that he risks losing everything. The King of Cups is the least stable of any of the Kings (that water, you know), and this possibility of risk is a manifestation of his instability. If you want stability, try for the King of Pentacles. He has dreams too, but he's always practical about them.
The King of Wands is a forceful and dynamic ruler who follows his instincts. He has great instincts, great passion, but he has the maturity and wisdom to keep his emotions and impulses under control. The King of Wands is an empire builder, but the King of Pentacles is the Empire runner and improver. The King of Wands has a fierce determination and is the mover and shaker among the kings. He is a ruler, in charge of a group, though, and not an independent, solitary explorer or revolutionary. James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise in the original Star Trek makes a good King of Wands.
Reversed, any of these cards will emphasize the weaknesses of the cards or the strengths gone out of control. The King of Swords becomes cold and alienated from humanity. The King of Wands becomes temperamental and undisciplined. The King of Pentacles becomes greedy and power-hungry, perhaps miserly as well. The King of Cups becomes either a dreamy lover and mystic who lets his kingdom go to pot because he can't be bothered with reality or a man who abuses his sexual charisma by indulging in numerous affairs and risking his public image.
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
Queens
by Nina Lee Braden
Remember that court cards are a combination of suit and rank. Queens are mature persons in nurturing roles or with nurturing talents. Sometimes in contemporary Tarot they are also called Mother, Priestess, Woman, Giver, Lady, or Matriarch. They are usually associated with the element of water, although this varies in some systems. Therefore, the Queen of Swords would be Water of Air. The Queens can be seen as Minor Arcana versions of the Empress or the High Priestess, depending on the suit and personal preference.
Let me do a comparison of the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Pentacles. Both are minor Empresses; both are nurturers, although the Queen of Cups has a streak of the High Priestess to her. The Queen of Cups is more romantic and more psychic; the Queen of Pentacles is more practical and more down-to-earth. You'd ask the Queen of Pentacles to run your business or help you with your taxes. You wouldn't ask the Queen of Cups. You'd ask the Queen of Cups to read your Tarot cards or to hold your hand while you waited at the hospital during a loved-one's surgery. The Queen of Pentacles might be able to manage these tasks, but the Queen of Cups would be better at them.
The Queen of Cups might be the older woman in the neighborhood that all of the teenage boys have crushes on, not because she's beautiful, but because she's so sympathetic. She is the one that gives poetry readings, that is the one that others instinctively confide in, the one that always has just the right word at just the right time. The Queen of Pentacles is the one that drives the carpools, heads up the scout troop and makes brownies for the band bake sale. She is always there to help too, but in a more material or tangible way. The Queen of Cups is more intangible. The Queen of Cups is the dreamer, the creator. The Queen of Pentacles can see and understand that dream and can make it happen.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Counselor Deanna Troi is the Queen of Cups, the empath. Guinan might be a cross between the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Swords. Elizabeth Taylor is one type of Queen of Pentacles, with her love of wealth and luxury and splendor. The Queen of Pentacles is also often willing to use her wealth and influence to help others, as Taylor does with her AIDs involvement.
Key word for the Queen of Cups: Imagination
Key word for the Queen of Pentacles: Prosperity
The Queen of Wands as warm and enthusiastic, as fiercely loyal and as warm and passionate. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a French or Italian accent. She is vibrant and she is radiant, but she is not always stable. She seems perpetually out of breath. She is independent and exuberant, dynamic and bubbly, creative. She has some trouble sticking with a project to completion, more so than either the Queen of Swords or the Queen of Pentacles, yet she does not lack for determination. This Queen can be a steamroller, but she doesn't always plot her course carefully before starting up her engines. She combines some of the features of the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Pentacles, being more practical than the Queen of Cups and more vivacious than the Queen of Pentacles. She is also the most hot-tempered of the queens. The Queen of Wands is outside the bounds of normal conventions. She have a rebellious streak; she can be a trailblazer or a revolutionary, but if so, she does it from experience and emotions and not from intellectual motives or reasoning. She will be a leader and not a follower.
Key word for the Queen of Wands: Vibrant
The Queen of Swords is Athena, the great warrior-goddess. She is ready to protect and defend, to equip her charges for battle. She cuts her subjects free from all that would hinder them. She can be the psychologist who helps others on our inner journeys. She is a teacher, a leader, an encourager, and a counselor. Her insights into complicated situations is unparalleled because she combines the intelligence of swords with the intuition of water.
The Queen of Swords is an intelligent woman with great insight and a keen mind. She is an excellent communicator and can "cut through" a lot of confusion. This Queen is often a woman alone, an independent woman with her own career and values. This is a strong card, a card of wisdom and experience, but also a card of sorrow and loneliness. Sometimes she is viewed as the sister and co-consort of the King of Swords. She is a bit more like the High Priestess than some of the other Queens, and she also bears a resemblance to the Major card Justice.
Key Word for the Queen of Swords: Perception
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
Knights
by Nina Lee Braden
To me, all of the Knights are related to The Chariot. They have a great deal of drive, energy, and will power. They are motion, movement, change, travel. These knights have the attributes of focus and singlemindedness, which can be positive or negative. They are immature versions of the Kings and Queens. They may have some flaw that prevents their maturing into Kings and Queens or they may just be young, in age, experience, or personality. They may be male or female, but I am going to use the male pronoun since we normally think of knights as male.
When I first started thinking about court cards, I saw the Knights as Fire rather than Air, which they are more commonly associated with. These days, I waffle between the two associations, depending on my mood and the work that I am doing, but I lean towards Knights as Air and Kings as Fire. The knight's individual attributes are shaped by their suit. Therefore, to me, the Knight of Swords is usually Air of Air, the Knight of Cups is usually Air of Water, and so forth. My favorite set of Knights are those by Robin Wood whose deck resembles the Waite Smith deck. Wood takes the images of the Smith Knights and hones it a bit. In her deck, the Knight of Swords rides a Pegasus through the air, and lightning actually strikes the Knight's sword. The Knight of Cups rides a merhorse; the Knight of Wands rides a horse with a flaming tail and mane, and the Knight of Pentacles, very much like Smith's Knight, rides a stocky workhorse.
The Knight of Cups is romantic, often psychic, creative, brilliant, and frequently unstable (like heated water). He can be quite impetuous, giving his all to art or love. Examples of this Knight might be Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The Knight of Cups has lots of heart, but not necessarily much in the way of brains or judgement.
The Knight of Wands is similar to the Knight of Cups but more intense, hotter, even more focused. He is driven by an inner heat or compulsion, but he can be even more impulsive or impetuous than the Knight of Cups. Three examples of the Knight of Wands are Joan of Arc, Ensign Ro from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the young Simon Peter in the Garden as he cut off the guardsman's ear and later as he denied Jesus before the crowing of the cock.
The Knight of Swords is the young warrior/scholar. He makes an excellent detective, but may be too quick or impulsive and may miss a vital clue. Or he may become so single-minded and wrapped up in his chase that he forgets to be human. Examples of the Knight of Swords might include Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark. A little heart is sometimes lacking in this Knight. He is not cold, merely distracted, preoccupied. He is often extremely attractive to the opposite sex, but usually makes an unsatisfactory partner in a long-term relationship.
The Knight of Pentacles is the easiest for me to understand but the hardest to explain. This is the steadiest, the firmest, the least impetuous of the Knights, and it is all too easy to think of him as nothing but steady and dependable and possibly somewhat dull. However, beneath his exterior, there is a smoldering fire, hot coals that may burst into flames at any moment so be careful not to underestimate him or to take his calm exterior for granted. When he does lose his temper, he becomes a volcano.
Although this Knight is pictured as standing still, he is a superb organizer, very efficient. He is one who gets things done. He is the one who plans, who works behind the scenes, often in the shadow of either a King or Queen or even one of the other Knights. If you want a job to get done and to get done in a fast yet comprehensive way, give it to a Knight of Pentacles. They are dependable without being flashy. They have an aura of safety, dependability and reliability. This is the most trustworthy of the Knights, and the one that most closely approaches being a King or Queen. They have an incredible sense of responsibility and are devoted to the care of the earth and to the protection of families. Sometimes, they are perceived by others as being stiff or wooden. Vice-President Albert Gore, Jr. is an almost perfect example of the Knight of Pentacles. It is hard to give examples of this Knight since we don't usually notice him/her. Frequently, the Knight of Pentacles is the able organizer or spouse behind the leader who is in the limelight.
Text copyright 1994, Revisions copyright, 1997, Nina Lee Braden
Pages
by Nina Lee Braden
In Tarot, pages represent children, students and apprentices. They can represent anyone who is starting over in life. When Grandma Moses picked up a paint brush, she was being a page, no matter that she was chronologically well past the age of the typical page. I like to think of them all as related at least partially to the Fool. They also can represent messages, letters, and news, related to their particular suit, of course. In some decks, pages are called daughters or princesses, which gives an entirely different feel to them. Under many of these systems, the princesses have a strong sexual element. Pages are normally gender-neutral or can apply to either sex.
The Page of Swords is an informations specialist and analyst. He/she is in charge of scanning and researching new areas, to provide information for the other court cards. He can be seen as a bit of a sneak, but he is very talented at espionage, and is a valuable addition to the Swords defensive strategy. He is meticulous, never missing a detail. The Page of Swords is a figure of communication and directness, with an easygoing approach to problem solving. He doesn't get tense over a paradox or puzzle. He dives right into trying to solve it, almost gleeful to have a project to occupy him. This card can also sometimes indicate beginnings and a new avenue of study or interest. Lt. Commander Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation seems to me to represent a popular example of the Page of Swords. His intelligence, his curiosity, his naivete, his childlike wonder, his detachment, his boundless command of the facts and great ability to observe and apply logic--all are very characteristic of the Page of Swords.
The Page of Cups is the warm, touchy-feely, creative, sensitive child of the deck. You might think of a shy rabbit or budding poet when you think of this page. Emily Dickinson would make a good Page of Cups, at least our common perception of her. A person represented by this card is perhaps overly sensitive, and may take too much guilt upon herselfhimselffeeling overly responsible, more serious than the average child. This Page can be a joy to have around because he/she is so sensitive and generous, so warm and loving. On one level, the Page of Cups could be compared to benevolent pixies, sprites, and elves, full of perpetual innocence and naivete, ready to laugh and play and cry with you.
The Page of Pentacles is the official student of the deck. The student is different from the scholar represented by the suit of Swords. The student is physically and materially involved in a plan of study or apprenticeship as opposed to the theoretical and non-structured study of Swords. The Page of Pentacles can also indicate financial dealings, a new friendship with someone of a steady nature, study, scholarship, or a fascination with work itself. You might think of this card as the budding inventor, someone who turns the theoretical into the practical. Think of Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, or George Washington Carver as children, and you might have an idea of this card. This person is a good thinker, but not usually a leader, retiring without being shy, calm, sturdy, grounded. The Robin Wood deck shows this Page barefooted, and I like that.
The Page of Wands is enthusiasm personified. The Robin Wood deck shows this Page with a string of firecrackers on her belt, and that detail really picks up the character of this card. Think of her as a little firecracker, as a miniature ball of fire, rolling into everything before stopping to think or look. If you are familiar with astrology, you might want to think of Sagittarius in association with the Page of Wands. This Page is perhaps the most erratic of the Pages, and she is constantly varied, always changing. Dennis the Menace is one example of this Page, but so is Jo March from Little Women. The Page of Wands is playful and creative, with a flair for the dramatic (sometimes excessively so), warm and enthusiastic, yet sometimes uncertain and unsteady. When you think of this Page, picture her jumping up and down from a messy desk scattered with art supplies, parts of a chemistry set, overflowing papers and books, a guinea pig, a half-eaten carrot and assorted other treasures. For sheer excitability, you can't beat this card, but it tends to be short on stick-to-it-iveness.
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
I will be posting each individual court card meanings by Joan Bunning later this week.
Card -Properties
King -Closure, completion, finility. Mature, usually wise men (or women) who know what they can and cannot accomplish.
Queen -Female energy or influence, receptive qualities. Completion of a relationship, project, job, pregnancy. Mature women (or men) who understand who and what they are about emotionally and spiritually.
Knight -Long standing situation is about to change, travel, incoming ideas. Young man or woman impacting or entering your life.
Page -Messages, communications, beginnings of the properties of their suit. Children or adolescents in or entering your life.
(Credited to www.queenofpentacles.com Joani Collins)
The Court Cards and Myers-Briggs Personality Types
http://www.nccn.net/~tarot/cardmngs.html
This webpage is full of information about the Court Cards! :D
Tarot Court Cards
http://members.cts.com/king/s/saoirse/TarotCourtCards.html
This is another equally informative webpage :D
KINGS
by Nina Lee Braden
Kings are mature persons (gender non-specific in modern Tarot) in leadership or administrative roles. They are Minor Arcana versions of the Emperor. Some systems relate Kings to Air, others to Fire. If you saw Kings as Air, for instance, then the King of Swords would be Air of Air; the King of Wands would be Air of Fire, the King of Cups would be Air of Water, and the King of Pentacles would be Air of Earth. In modern Tarot, Kings are sometimes also called Chiefs, Shamans, Sages or Fathers.
The King of Swords is the Warrior/Scholar/Diplomat. I like to think of the King of Swords as Jean-Luc Picard, the Captain of the Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is a master of the intellect, and also a master of battle. He is also a superb diplomat. Jean-Luc Picard is the embodiment of all of these aspects.
The King of Pentacles is the successful manager. I think that Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's chain of fast food restaurants might be a good commonly known representation of the King of Pentacles. You need someone with wealth, but someone who is warm. You need someone successful materially, who is a good manager. I think that Thomas, at least as he is portrayed in the media, is a very good King of Pentacles.
The King of Cups is the Lover, whether it be the lover of his domain, his family or his romantic interest. He is also the visionary, the ruler who would risk all, give all, for his vision of a better tomorrow. I think that Ray Kinsella, Kevin Costner's character in Field of Dreams makes a good King of Cups. To me, the King of Cups has to have great love for his family and he has to have a vision. Ray Kinsella has both--at least by the end of the movie. In fact, in this film we almost can see him becoming the King of Cups as he struggles with his vision and finally accepts it and acts on it with courage. The danger with the King of Cups is that he can get so caught up in a vision that he risks losing everything. The King of Cups is the least stable of any of the Kings (that water, you know), and this possibility of risk is a manifestation of his instability. If you want stability, try for the King of Pentacles. He has dreams too, but he's always practical about them.
The King of Wands is a forceful and dynamic ruler who follows his instincts. He has great instincts, great passion, but he has the maturity and wisdom to keep his emotions and impulses under control. The King of Wands is an empire builder, but the King of Pentacles is the Empire runner and improver. The King of Wands has a fierce determination and is the mover and shaker among the kings. He is a ruler, in charge of a group, though, and not an independent, solitary explorer or revolutionary. James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise in the original Star Trek makes a good King of Wands.
Reversed, any of these cards will emphasize the weaknesses of the cards or the strengths gone out of control. The King of Swords becomes cold and alienated from humanity. The King of Wands becomes temperamental and undisciplined. The King of Pentacles becomes greedy and power-hungry, perhaps miserly as well. The King of Cups becomes either a dreamy lover and mystic who lets his kingdom go to pot because he can't be bothered with reality or a man who abuses his sexual charisma by indulging in numerous affairs and risking his public image.
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
Queens
by Nina Lee Braden
Remember that court cards are a combination of suit and rank. Queens are mature persons in nurturing roles or with nurturing talents. Sometimes in contemporary Tarot they are also called Mother, Priestess, Woman, Giver, Lady, or Matriarch. They are usually associated with the element of water, although this varies in some systems. Therefore, the Queen of Swords would be Water of Air. The Queens can be seen as Minor Arcana versions of the Empress or the High Priestess, depending on the suit and personal preference.
Let me do a comparison of the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Pentacles. Both are minor Empresses; both are nurturers, although the Queen of Cups has a streak of the High Priestess to her. The Queen of Cups is more romantic and more psychic; the Queen of Pentacles is more practical and more down-to-earth. You'd ask the Queen of Pentacles to run your business or help you with your taxes. You wouldn't ask the Queen of Cups. You'd ask the Queen of Cups to read your Tarot cards or to hold your hand while you waited at the hospital during a loved-one's surgery. The Queen of Pentacles might be able to manage these tasks, but the Queen of Cups would be better at them.
The Queen of Cups might be the older woman in the neighborhood that all of the teenage boys have crushes on, not because she's beautiful, but because she's so sympathetic. She is the one that gives poetry readings, that is the one that others instinctively confide in, the one that always has just the right word at just the right time. The Queen of Pentacles is the one that drives the carpools, heads up the scout troop and makes brownies for the band bake sale. She is always there to help too, but in a more material or tangible way. The Queen of Cups is more intangible. The Queen of Cups is the dreamer, the creator. The Queen of Pentacles can see and understand that dream and can make it happen.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Counselor Deanna Troi is the Queen of Cups, the empath. Guinan might be a cross between the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Swords. Elizabeth Taylor is one type of Queen of Pentacles, with her love of wealth and luxury and splendor. The Queen of Pentacles is also often willing to use her wealth and influence to help others, as Taylor does with her AIDs involvement.
Key word for the Queen of Cups: Imagination
Key word for the Queen of Pentacles: Prosperity
The Queen of Wands as warm and enthusiastic, as fiercely loyal and as warm and passionate. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a French or Italian accent. She is vibrant and she is radiant, but she is not always stable. She seems perpetually out of breath. She is independent and exuberant, dynamic and bubbly, creative. She has some trouble sticking with a project to completion, more so than either the Queen of Swords or the Queen of Pentacles, yet she does not lack for determination. This Queen can be a steamroller, but she doesn't always plot her course carefully before starting up her engines. She combines some of the features of the Queen of Cups and the Queen of Pentacles, being more practical than the Queen of Cups and more vivacious than the Queen of Pentacles. She is also the most hot-tempered of the queens. The Queen of Wands is outside the bounds of normal conventions. She have a rebellious streak; she can be a trailblazer or a revolutionary, but if so, she does it from experience and emotions and not from intellectual motives or reasoning. She will be a leader and not a follower.
Key word for the Queen of Wands: Vibrant
The Queen of Swords is Athena, the great warrior-goddess. She is ready to protect and defend, to equip her charges for battle. She cuts her subjects free from all that would hinder them. She can be the psychologist who helps others on our inner journeys. She is a teacher, a leader, an encourager, and a counselor. Her insights into complicated situations is unparalleled because she combines the intelligence of swords with the intuition of water.
The Queen of Swords is an intelligent woman with great insight and a keen mind. She is an excellent communicator and can "cut through" a lot of confusion. This Queen is often a woman alone, an independent woman with her own career and values. This is a strong card, a card of wisdom and experience, but also a card of sorrow and loneliness. Sometimes she is viewed as the sister and co-consort of the King of Swords. She is a bit more like the High Priestess than some of the other Queens, and she also bears a resemblance to the Major card Justice.
Key Word for the Queen of Swords: Perception
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
Knights
by Nina Lee Braden
To me, all of the Knights are related to The Chariot. They have a great deal of drive, energy, and will power. They are motion, movement, change, travel. These knights have the attributes of focus and singlemindedness, which can be positive or negative. They are immature versions of the Kings and Queens. They may have some flaw that prevents their maturing into Kings and Queens or they may just be young, in age, experience, or personality. They may be male or female, but I am going to use the male pronoun since we normally think of knights as male.
When I first started thinking about court cards, I saw the Knights as Fire rather than Air, which they are more commonly associated with. These days, I waffle between the two associations, depending on my mood and the work that I am doing, but I lean towards Knights as Air and Kings as Fire. The knight's individual attributes are shaped by their suit. Therefore, to me, the Knight of Swords is usually Air of Air, the Knight of Cups is usually Air of Water, and so forth. My favorite set of Knights are those by Robin Wood whose deck resembles the Waite Smith deck. Wood takes the images of the Smith Knights and hones it a bit. In her deck, the Knight of Swords rides a Pegasus through the air, and lightning actually strikes the Knight's sword. The Knight of Cups rides a merhorse; the Knight of Wands rides a horse with a flaming tail and mane, and the Knight of Pentacles, very much like Smith's Knight, rides a stocky workhorse.
The Knight of Cups is romantic, often psychic, creative, brilliant, and frequently unstable (like heated water). He can be quite impetuous, giving his all to art or love. Examples of this Knight might be Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The Knight of Cups has lots of heart, but not necessarily much in the way of brains or judgement.
The Knight of Wands is similar to the Knight of Cups but more intense, hotter, even more focused. He is driven by an inner heat or compulsion, but he can be even more impulsive or impetuous than the Knight of Cups. Three examples of the Knight of Wands are Joan of Arc, Ensign Ro from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the young Simon Peter in the Garden as he cut off the guardsman's ear and later as he denied Jesus before the crowing of the cock.
The Knight of Swords is the young warrior/scholar. He makes an excellent detective, but may be too quick or impulsive and may miss a vital clue. Or he may become so single-minded and wrapped up in his chase that he forgets to be human. Examples of the Knight of Swords might include Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark. A little heart is sometimes lacking in this Knight. He is not cold, merely distracted, preoccupied. He is often extremely attractive to the opposite sex, but usually makes an unsatisfactory partner in a long-term relationship.
The Knight of Pentacles is the easiest for me to understand but the hardest to explain. This is the steadiest, the firmest, the least impetuous of the Knights, and it is all too easy to think of him as nothing but steady and dependable and possibly somewhat dull. However, beneath his exterior, there is a smoldering fire, hot coals that may burst into flames at any moment so be careful not to underestimate him or to take his calm exterior for granted. When he does lose his temper, he becomes a volcano.
Although this Knight is pictured as standing still, he is a superb organizer, very efficient. He is one who gets things done. He is the one who plans, who works behind the scenes, often in the shadow of either a King or Queen or even one of the other Knights. If you want a job to get done and to get done in a fast yet comprehensive way, give it to a Knight of Pentacles. They are dependable without being flashy. They have an aura of safety, dependability and reliability. This is the most trustworthy of the Knights, and the one that most closely approaches being a King or Queen. They have an incredible sense of responsibility and are devoted to the care of the earth and to the protection of families. Sometimes, they are perceived by others as being stiff or wooden. Vice-President Albert Gore, Jr. is an almost perfect example of the Knight of Pentacles. It is hard to give examples of this Knight since we don't usually notice him/her. Frequently, the Knight of Pentacles is the able organizer or spouse behind the leader who is in the limelight.
Text copyright 1994, Revisions copyright, 1997, Nina Lee Braden
Pages
by Nina Lee Braden
In Tarot, pages represent children, students and apprentices. They can represent anyone who is starting over in life. When Grandma Moses picked up a paint brush, she was being a page, no matter that she was chronologically well past the age of the typical page. I like to think of them all as related at least partially to the Fool. They also can represent messages, letters, and news, related to their particular suit, of course. In some decks, pages are called daughters or princesses, which gives an entirely different feel to them. Under many of these systems, the princesses have a strong sexual element. Pages are normally gender-neutral or can apply to either sex.
The Page of Swords is an informations specialist and analyst. He/she is in charge of scanning and researching new areas, to provide information for the other court cards. He can be seen as a bit of a sneak, but he is very talented at espionage, and is a valuable addition to the Swords defensive strategy. He is meticulous, never missing a detail. The Page of Swords is a figure of communication and directness, with an easygoing approach to problem solving. He doesn't get tense over a paradox or puzzle. He dives right into trying to solve it, almost gleeful to have a project to occupy him. This card can also sometimes indicate beginnings and a new avenue of study or interest. Lt. Commander Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation seems to me to represent a popular example of the Page of Swords. His intelligence, his curiosity, his naivete, his childlike wonder, his detachment, his boundless command of the facts and great ability to observe and apply logic--all are very characteristic of the Page of Swords.
The Page of Cups is the warm, touchy-feely, creative, sensitive child of the deck. You might think of a shy rabbit or budding poet when you think of this page. Emily Dickinson would make a good Page of Cups, at least our common perception of her. A person represented by this card is perhaps overly sensitive, and may take too much guilt upon herselfhimselffeeling overly responsible, more serious than the average child. This Page can be a joy to have around because he/she is so sensitive and generous, so warm and loving. On one level, the Page of Cups could be compared to benevolent pixies, sprites, and elves, full of perpetual innocence and naivete, ready to laugh and play and cry with you.
The Page of Pentacles is the official student of the deck. The student is different from the scholar represented by the suit of Swords. The student is physically and materially involved in a plan of study or apprenticeship as opposed to the theoretical and non-structured study of Swords. The Page of Pentacles can also indicate financial dealings, a new friendship with someone of a steady nature, study, scholarship, or a fascination with work itself. You might think of this card as the budding inventor, someone who turns the theoretical into the practical. Think of Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, or George Washington Carver as children, and you might have an idea of this card. This person is a good thinker, but not usually a leader, retiring without being shy, calm, sturdy, grounded. The Robin Wood deck shows this Page barefooted, and I like that.
The Page of Wands is enthusiasm personified. The Robin Wood deck shows this Page with a string of firecrackers on her belt, and that detail really picks up the character of this card. Think of her as a little firecracker, as a miniature ball of fire, rolling into everything before stopping to think or look. If you are familiar with astrology, you might want to think of Sagittarius in association with the Page of Wands. This Page is perhaps the most erratic of the Pages, and she is constantly varied, always changing. Dennis the Menace is one example of this Page, but so is Jo March from Little Women. The Page of Wands is playful and creative, with a flair for the dramatic (sometimes excessively so), warm and enthusiastic, yet sometimes uncertain and unsteady. When you think of this Page, picture her jumping up and down from a messy desk scattered with art supplies, parts of a chemistry set, overflowing papers and books, a guinea pig, a half-eaten carrot and assorted other treasures. For sheer excitability, you can't beat this card, but it tends to be short on stick-to-it-iveness.
Text copyright 1994, Nina Lee Braden
I will be posting each individual court card meanings by Joan Bunning later this week.