How to Read Tarot Court Cards: Person, Situation or Attitude?
Have you ever turned over a Court Card in a Tarot reading and thought, “Who the hell is that supposed to be?” Your boss? One of your mates? You on a good day, or on a day when everyone needs to leave you alone?
It’s easy to start putting names to every face in the deck. But what happens when nobody fits? Or when you’ve asked what to do about a problem and the cards appear to have sent you a random bloke with a sword?
A Court Card can represent you or somebody else. It can also describe a situation around you, or an attitude: how someone is handling things, or how they need to handle them.
So the useful question is: “This Court Card has appeared - how do I work out what it represents here?”
My Court Card Toggle System
There are sixteen Court Cards: a Page, Knight, Queen and King in each of the four suits. They each have their own character, but knowing that character is only part of interpreting the card.
You also need to understand what it’s doing in your reading. This is where my Toggle System comes in. It’s part of my personal Tarot Mastery Code System, developed from 34 years of working with Tarot.
When a Court appears, explore three possibilities:
Person: Who is behaving like this Court Card? It could be you or someone else.
Situation: What circumstances does this card describe?
Attitude: What approach is being shown or called for?
“Toggle” simply means switching between those possibilities to see which makes sense.
The question you’ve asked the cards gives you a starting point. If you’ve drawn other cards, they help you understand the Court too.
Let’s use the King of Swords as an example.
First, get to know the King of Swords
The King of Swords is sharp, experienced and decisive. He can assess the facts, see through a weak argument and make the difficult decision everyone else has been avoiding. He often appears as a boss, lawyer, doctor or another professional whose judgement carries weight.
But he has a much harder side. He can be cold, calculating and cruel. Once he’s made his mind up, he can cut somebody off without a second thought. You could still be lying awake replaying the conversation while he’s sleeping perfectly well.
Both sides belong to him. A Court Card can show someone at their best, at their worst, or somewhere in between. You don’t have to turn it upside down before you’re allowed to recognise difficult behaviour.
And the person doesn’t have to be a man, older than you, or look anything like the figure in your deck. We’re interested in how they behave.
Could the King of Swords be a person - including me?
Suppose you ask about a disagreement with a friend and draw the King of Swords. Does his character sound familiar? Perhaps your friend has made a decision, shut down the conversation and shown very little concern for how you feel.
Or perhaps you’re the one who has decided, “That’s enough. I’m done.”
The King could describe either of you. Go back to what you asked and what’s actually happening between you. If your question is about your own behaviour, include yourself among the possibilities.
He might also represent someone whose advice you need. That could be an experienced professional, or the friend who will give you an honest answer even when you’d much prefer them to agree with you.
Could he describe the situation?
Imagine asking, “What do I need to understand before I agree to this?” and drawing the King of Swords.
Perhaps you’re dealing with a contract, an official decision or an agreement where the terms and responsibilities matter. What has actually been agreed? Who is responsible for what? Is everything clear?
Here, the King can describe the conditions you’re dealing with. The situation requires careful judgement and an understanding of the facts. Enthusiasm alone won’t sort out an agreement you haven’t understood.
You can read him this way even when there isn’t an obvious King of Swords person involved.
Could he show an attitude I need?
Now suppose your question is, “How should I handle this disagreement?”
The King of Swords may be asking you to think clearly, check the facts and say what you mean. If you’re upset, give yourself time to work out what you actually want to say before firing off a savage WhatsApp message you’ll wish you could take back once you’ve calmed down.
His decisiveness can help you draw a firm boundary or stop putting off a necessary decision. You can use those qualities while still caring about the other person.
An attitude interpretation can also draw your attention to how you’re already behaving. If you’ve been dismissive or determined to win the argument at any cost, his harder side may be something to recognise and reconsider.
What if I only pull one card?
You can use the Toggle with a single card. Start with a question, even something as simple as, “What needs my attention today?”
If the King of Swords appears, think about the day ahead. Have you been avoiding a decision? Are you dealing with someone who expects a clear answer? Is there an agreement you need to understand?
Without other cards, you have fewer clues. Let your question, circumstances and intuition guide you. You can make a note of your first impression and return to it later to see how the card related to your day.
You don’t need to name a mystery person just because you’ve drawn a Court.
How do the other cards help?
Imagine a simple three-card reading about tension between you and a friend or lover. You draw the King of Swords, the Five of Swords and the Three of Swords.
The Five and Three bring conflict and hurt into the reading. That gives you something more specific to consider: the King’s clear thinking may have become harsh words, a ruthless decision or a refusal to listen.
If you asked about your friend’s behaviour, the King could describe their coldness towards you. If you asked what you need to recognise about your own part in the disagreement, consider whether you’ve been behaving that way yourself.
The other cards help you understand which side of his character is relevant. Here, the conflict and hurt suggest that his harsh judgement may be part of the problem. Your question helps you work out how he fits into the reading. The King could be describing someone’s behaviour, including your own, or showing that you need a clear head and a firm response when dealing with it.
Sometimes more than one interpretation fits. Another person may be creating the difficult atmosphere, and the reading may also show how you need to respond. The Toggle gives you possibilities to explore; you don’t have to squeeze the Court into one box.
Try it next time a Court Card appears
Take yourself back to the question you asked. Think about the Court’s character and try the different possibilities against your circumstances and any other cards you’ve drawn.
Then explain your interpretation in an ordinary sentence: “In this reading, I think this Court Card is showing…” Add why you think that.
If you can explain how it relates to your question, you’re beginning to interpret the card for yourself. That’s far more useful than knowing sixteen personality descriptions and still wondering what the bloody hell to do with them.
I’d love to know whether this has helped you make sense of the Court Cards. Let me know in the comments!
Cheryl xx
The illustrations in this article were generated using AI, guided by my instructions and creative direction. They were created specifically to support my Tarot teaching, interpretations and examples, drawn from 34 years of knowledge and experience.
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