Another look at the Court Cards, part one

The Emperor and the King of Wands (Cary-Yale Visconti)

The Emperor and the King of Wands (Cary-Yale Visconti)

The Knight of Wands, Queen of Disks and Page of Swords.

The Court Cards are the super-humans of the deck of cards. They are the gods-chosen, the representatives of the gods in our world. For example, the Two, Three and Four of Wands are different facets of the Knight of Wands and their process of spiritual development – which may be called awakening or enlightenment – should lead them to transform into Knights of Wands. On the next level of evolution, similarly, the Knight of Wands work to become The Emperor one day. Therefore, although only breathly, I will make a couple of references also to some of the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot.
On a practical note, the Court Cards, just like the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot, may influence and alter the interpretation of the reading when they appear in a spread. For instance, if in a spread there are numerous Swords, signifying that a decision should be taken, but there is also a Cups Curt Card in-between, it means that one will make that decision based on emotional grounds, rather than rational considerations.
Not at least, the individual definitions of the Court Cards reveals the eminent inconsistencies regarding the correct gender attribution according to the Ptolemaic system.

Knight of Wands – Aries (Cardinal/Fire, Mars in Aries), under the rulership of The Emperor.
The Mars in Aries man has a strong libido, and sometimes the chase is better than the catch. He loves the competition and will never turn down a good fight. However, soon as the battle is over, he will rapidly move over to find the next excitement. The Knight of Wands likes new ideas and will never hesitate to experiment. He is very spontaneous and passionate, but sometimes aggressive and excessively controlling. The Knight of Wands can be rude and may lack discipline and patience. He is the archetype of the Father, the perfect personification of the nomad hunter.
In the spirit of the fundamental esoteric law, “As Above, So Below”, we may consider the Knight of Wands the earthly emissary of the heavenly father, The Emperor. For one dedicated student of the Tarot archetypes, an interesting aspect is the double or triple representation of specific archetypes in different cards. The Emperor represents the Father, the Wise Old Man; however, The Hermit is also identified with the same archetype of the Wise Old Man as Light Bearer. The Emperor is the strong-handed leader, while The Hermit is a spiritual guide. One governs the outside world, while the other rules over the depths of the soul. On the other hand, there is also a symbol of the separation of the earthly and heavenly powers, respectively the division of State and Church. The Emperor is the ruler of the material world, while The Hierophant – aka The Pope – is the ruler of the spiritual world, and both are representatives of the gods of heavens down on the Earth.
Straight: impulsive, spontaneous, enthusiast and courageous.
Reversed: aggressive, restless, unpredictable and impatient.

Read the full article at https://www.patreon.com/posts/30978756

#tarot #courtcards

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