Court Card Excersize 1

Court Cards can be problematic for many people as they learn to use tarot cards... for many they are difficult to interpret in a reading. Some people will say that the Court Cards ALWAYS refer to other people in the querent's life, but I have found this to be far from true. My rule of thumb is this; Court Cards almost always refer to YOU and alternatively will sometimes refer to someone you know. In fact, the Court Card can refer to you AND someone you know. After all, the people in our lives often reflect some part of ourself.

"Jungian psychology provides a framework for integrating both points of view; the Court Cards as yourself and as another person. The concept called "projection" refers to projecting (or thrusting) inner qualities of yourself onto other people around you, whether or not they have these qualities. They become shadowy reflections of yourself. It works like this: You notice in other people some of the characteristics that you do not recognize in yourself - both positive and negative. As a result, you tend to let these people act out your own unconscious perceptions of yourself and your own inner situations, or you get angry with them when they don't." ~ from Tarot For Yourself by Mary K. Greer.

So, a good first step in understanding the Court Cards is to recognize their aspects and personalities within ourselves. We all have many different roles that we play in life... we change gears, energy, and focus depending on which role we are playing at any given time. Myself, for example; I am a Mother, a Wife, a Waitress, a Blogger, a Tarot Reader, and many other things. This excersize suggested by Mary K. Greer inher book, "Tarot For Yourself" not only helps you understand some Court Card personalities better but also helps you on your road of personal self discovery.

Make a list with two columns. On the first side write down the many different roles you play in your day to day life. On the second side, write the Court Card that you think is expressed in that role. Male/Female doesn't matter, and you can use the same card in more than one role if you feel it fits. Use this chart by Joan Bunning if you need help determining what card applies to each role.

Current Roles In My Life / Corresponding Court Card
__________________/____________________
__________________/____________________
__________________/____________________
__________________/____________________

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My Court Card Roles
Current Roles In My Life / Corresponding Court Card

Mother / Knight of Swords
Wife /Knight of Pentacles
Housekeeper /Queen of Pentacles
Waitress / King of Wands
Friend / Queen of Swords
Volunteer /Page of Pentacles
Teacher-Writer-Blogger / Knight of Swords
Tarot Reader - Astrologer / Queen of Cups

If you wanted to take the self-discovery a step farther, you could revisit each of these cards to help you understand yourself better, make improvements on flaws, embrace your strengths, etc. The next blog post I make will be a follow up excersize of this nature - check back soon!!