Merry meet!
How do you feel about the Court cards in tarot? I struggle with them less now than I did a few years ago, but I still keep a few trusty guidebooks close on hand for when ones pops in a weird or unexpected way during a reading.
Court cards stand out because they fall into their own category in a tarot deck. They don’t have the weight of Major Arcana cards, but they also don’t really fit in with the other Minor Arcana cards. The other Minor Arcana fall into a neat numeric order of one to nine before they arrive at the gates of the court. From there, their numbers become titles. “10” is now page, “11” is knight, etc. By name and by energy, the Court claims its own space within a tarot deck.
I wanted to do a deep dive into the Court in the name of deepening my own connection with the cards. I’m doing this by drawing on the elemental associations of the cards.
If reading Court cards is something you’re hoping to improve too, please feel free to join along!
Members of the Court
The Court has 4 unique members (page, knight, queen, and king). Each of the 4 tarot suits (wands, pentacles, cups, and swords) has its own Court, for a total of 16 Court cards in a traditional tarot deck.
Many guidebooks and decks categorize court members by gender, with some as “male/masculine” and others as “female/feminine”. I know there is a lot more to these categories than a person’s gender or sex and not every instance of a Court card represents an actual person, but over the years I have personally found using these categories was restricting how I read the cards.
Instead, in the name of categorizing and reading in a way that was more intuitive for me, I have chosen to use the elemental alignments of the cards. I like how the elemental energies tie into so many areas of our lives and the Craft. I also think four general categories resonates better for me than two exclusive categories. That being said, please feel free to use whichever categorization methods resonate with you and your practice.
A note that the following elemental alignments of the Court are based on my own interpretations and experiences. The court members are less strictly associated with an element than the tarot suits are, so please feel free to use your own associations.
Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at each of the Court cards!
Decks pictured here and below are the Ostara Tarot by Molly Applejohn, Eden Cooke, Krista Gibbard, and Julia Iredale; and the Mystical Manga Tarot by Rann
The Pages
Pages embody the energy of youth. They are the youngest and least experienced members of the Court. In this way, they resemble some traits of The Fool - they may be naive, but their open mind and willingness to learn paired with the energy and enthusiasm of youth helps them open doors. Pages carry a lot of possibility and potential. Whether they are ready or not, they are embarking on a journey of growth and discovery.
Element: Pages represent new life and the potential for growth, associating them with the Earth element.
The Knights
Knights are more experienced members of the court with more power than the Pages. Their experience and accomplishments are visible in the form of their mounts - powerful beasts able to carry the Knights where they wish to go. Knights have the ability and tools to fight for what they believe in. Like The Magician, they have what they need to take a stance and make change if they choose to act on it, although their judgement may not always be the best. For better or worse, the actions of the Knights have far-reaching consequences.
Element: As carriers of change able to cross great distances quickly, the Knights tie well into the energies of the Air element.
The Queens
Queens are a beautiful collection of wisdom and experience. They have taken all they have learned and used it to nurture a deep and profound spiritual side. Like The Empress, they are in tune with their emotions and able to empathize with others. Others look to the Queens for love, comfort, and spiritual guidance.
Element: The emotional and spiritual prowess of the Queens makes them in tune with the Water element.
The Kings
Kings are the pinnacle of their court and stand above all others. They have learned, explored, developed their beliefs, and reached a point where they claimed their crown. They have an undeniable power and charisma that draws others to them. People follow them and look to them for life guidance and inspiration. Like The Emperor, they rule in line with their deep desires and their will is manifested into being.
Element: The powerful energies and bright hope that Kings inspire aligns well with the Fire element.
The Four Suits
The Minor Arcana in a traditional tarot deck is split into four suits. These suits directly align with the four elements.
Pentacles
Pentacles are grounded and strong. They are the seed that grows into the bare necessities that keep us fed, sheltered, and healthy. The suit of pentacles often appears when exploring material goods and money matters. They can also point to situations of growth, new life, fertility, and fresh beginnings. Pentacles are associated with the Earth element.
Swords
Swords are the cutting edge of intellect. They deal with situations of fast change, communication across distances, and conflict between opinions. Cards in the suit of swords may represent education, learning, competition, and overcoming challenges. They are associated with the Air element.
Cups
Cups provide a deep and quiet basin for introspection. This suit is an emotional one that handles matters of the heart. Cups cards are often examined for inquires of love, mental health, spiritual development, and loss. They can be meditative and soothing for the soul. Cups are associated with the Water element.
Wands
Wands are the tools of manifestation - they spark change and make wishes come true. The suit of wands is for pursuing passions and moving forward toward desires. It is a passionate suit for matters of creativity, light, evolution, and blazing willpower. Wands are associated with the Fire element.
An Elemental Chart of the Court Cards
By looking at the elemental energies of the court members and the elemental associations of each suit in tarot, we can make a chart showing the overall elemental energies of each of the 16 individual Court cards.
(Note: 
= Earth, 
= Air, 
= Water, 
= Fire)
I like these elemental associations because they give each of the 16 court cards their own blend of energies. It’s a fast way to draw on the traits of the elements to help “flavor” or read the card.
It also opens the door to finding good matches. The Queen of Pentacles, for example, has a similar blend of earth and water energies as the Page of Cups. Seeing these two cards in a reading could show a good and natural match, either between people or selecting one option (be it jobs, houses, other opportunities) from an array of potential answers.
Finally, it highlights four specific members of the court as being especially powerful:
- The Page of Pentacles, Herald of the Earth
- The Knight of Swords, Rider of Air
- The Queen of Cups, Beholder of Water
- The King of Wands, Master of Fire
When any of these four court cards come up in a reading, I know they carry especially strong energies of their element and type. If I was looking for certain energies, they would stand out as being good representatives or solid options.
It’s just one more piece of knowledge that can enhance a reading - and the more information we have, the easier it should be to read the card!
That’s all for this deep dive into tarot theory. If you read this far, thanks for sticking around! I hope my ramblings and exploration of the cards might be helpful for you in your own tarot journey.
How do you distinguish the 16 Court cards in your practice? Do you have different elemental associations? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 
Wishing you all the best with your readings. Good luck and blessed be 
The cards are so complex and there are so many ways to read each one (and I’d say there’s no wrong way to read them either!) that I think it’s perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed. But you’ve checked in with yourself and are taking action to connect with your cards, so I’d say you’re right on track! 
Brilliant idea, Katharina! 
I have been having trouble with the court cards too. This is sooo helpful. I try not to associate people with the cards, however, there are 2 cards that I have to use a person to keep the idea in focus. 9 of Wands, he’s looking over his shoulder as if he is waiting to be found-out. This reminds me of the Paklids from Star Trek:TNG. Paklids were always using technology/things without really “knowing” what they were doing. They were basically always looking over their shoulder. Another card where I associate an individual is 7 of Swords I think Dennis the Menace, just trying to stir the pot whereas the 5 of Swords is more a Selfishness. No matter how many books and “definitions” I read, I still “see” the 4 of Pentacles as greed. He is holding with his feet, and hands the pentacles (tangibles) and is wearing one on the head like a crown. Just looks greedy to me.
posted in the wrong place…this is the 12 card zodiac spread. Can’t seem to delete this, but I moved it to the other post.
Been there, done that, Amethyst.