Table of Contents

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction


1 The Royal Family
Royalty: Our Connection to Divinity
Family: Our Link to Community
Royal Family Members as Archetypes
From Divinity to Divination

2 From Arrow Divination to a Game of Deputies:
A Court Card History
Arrow Divination (Belomancy)
Asian Cards
Arabic Cards
European Adaptations

3 Two Hundred Years of Court Card Interpretation
Court Cards as an Environmental Influence
Court Cards as a Type of Person
Court Cards Assume a Spiritual Dimension
Court Cards as Inner Potential and Talent
Support-Based Court Card Interpretation

4 A Qabalistic Equation
The Suits
Royal Hierarchy as Stages of Creation
Court Card Faces Revealed
Court Cards as Supporters
Court Cards as Detractors
Court Cards as Resources
Court Cards as Challenges
Identify Your Supporters and Detractors

5 The Wand Court in the Kingdom of Spirit
King of Wands
Queen of Wands
Knight of Wands
Page of Wands

6 The Cup Court in the Kingdom of Love
King of Cups
Queen of Cups
Knight of Cups
Page of Cups

7 The Sword Court in the Kingdom of Knowledge
King of Swords
Queen of Swords
Knight of Swords
Page of Swords

8 The Pentacle Court in the Kingdom of Power
King of Pentacles
Queen of Pentacles
Knight of Pentacles
Page of Pentacles

9 Divination with Court Cards
Reading Court Cards
One-Card Spread
Support Spread I
Support Spread II
Who Am I? Spread
Three-Card Support Spread
Tree of Life Spread
Astrological Wheel Spread

10 Court Cards Cast a Shadow
The Shadow Side of Court Cards
Dispelling the Shadow
Shadow Spread

11 Meditation and the Court Cards
Meditation
Stepping into a Court Card
Focal-Point Meditation
Assuming a Court Card Personality
An Introduction to Pathworking

12 Four Kingdoms, One Road
A Pathworking


Afterword

Appendix

Court Card Quick Reference Guide

Court Cards at a Glance

Comparison of Court Card Titles

Alternate Suit Names

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Tables
Key Events in the History of the Tarot
Suit Correspondence Table
Court Cards as Supporters
Court Cards as Detractors
Court Cards as Resources
Court Cards as Challenges
Wand Court Cards: A Range of Divinatory Meanings and Associations
Cup Court Cards: A Range of Divinatory Meanings and Associations
Sword Court Cards: A Range of Divinatory Meanings and Associations
Pentacle Court Cards: A Range of Divinatory Meanings and Associations
Court Card Supporters and Resources
Court Card Detractors and Challenges

About the Author

Kate Warwick-Smith is a Marriage and Family Therapist who facilitates dream groups and has been studying the Western Mystery tradition for over twenty years. She lives in Sonoma, California, with her husband and two children.

Reviews

"This book is an entertaining and thorough look at a neglected aspect of the tarot cards--the effect and relationship of the 'people,' or court cards, on divinatory readings. The author has created a unique system whereby the court cards can be 'read' to reveal individuals in our lives and the roles that they play."
*deTraci Regula, author of The Mysteries of Isis*

"Practicioners and students of tarot will find integrative perspectives, fresh lucid significances, and practical applications in this resource guide."
*Joi Eden, New Age Retailer, November-December 2003, Vol.17 No.7*

"I feel that this author offers a fresh, distinctly unique approach to working with the tarot Courts."
*Diana McMahon-Collis, Tarot Association of The Brtish Isles, Autumn 2003*

“By looking at court cards from so many different perspectives, the author helps tarot readers everywhere better understand one of the more difficult parts of the deck.”
*Rachel Pollack, author of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot*

“Never before has a comprehensive study of the origin, meaning, and significance of the sixteen court cards been written. The Tarot Court Cards offers historical and mystical insights into the evolution of the court cards and their diverse meaning and uses. A treasure of a book.”
*Isha Lerner, Author of Inner Child Cards*

“A comprehensive and practical resource guide that offers valuable insight into our personal relationships. No other book addresses the sixteen royalty cards so thoroughly.”
*Angeles Arrien, PH.D., Author of The Tarot Handbook*

"This refreshingly straightforeward book is easy and quick to read, but intelligent and thoughtful."
*Nellie Levine, TBP Review, June 2004*

"With clean, clear, thoughtful writing, interesting history, at-a-glance tables, and plenty of stimulating how-to, this book expertly handles the Tarot deck's aristocracy."
*Stephanie Mills, ForeWord Magazine, Jan.-Feb., 2005*