Court Cards
Sixteen cards. Four ranks (Page, Knight, Queen, King) across four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles). The court describes the people a reading invokes, and so it reads two ways: once by rank, to see how a Knight differs from a Queen, and once by suit, to see how a Wands family differs from a Pentacles one.
The Four Ranks
A Knight is a Knight is a Knight, regardless of suit. Reading the court by rank reveals what the figure does in a spread before its element colours the picture.
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Pages
The Messengers
Pages are the youngest court figures, the messengers of their suits. Each Page brings news, an invitation, or the first turning of a learner toward the world their suit governs.
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Knights
The Seekers
Knights are the suits in motion. Each Knight carries the energy of their element outward, on horseback, on a quest. Where Pages announce, Knights pursue.
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Queens
The Stewards
Queens hold the suit from the inside. Each Queen knows her element by long inhabitation, and so the Queens are the most self-possessed figures in the court.
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Kings
The Sovereigns
Kings are the suit at full authority. Each King has integrated the lessons of his element into a public stance. Where Queens inhabit, Kings declare.
The Four Suits
A Wands family resembles itself: charismatic, restless, persuasive. Reading the court by suit reveals what the elemental temperament gives to every figure who carries it.
