In case you ever forget that the King of Wands is the King of Fire, the crown he wears in the Rider Waite Smith deck is actually shaped like flames.
And with the Queen of Wands, her creativity is apparent in the leaves sprouting on her headdress.
The Queen of Swords has a crown of butterflies, and her King sports a golden angel just above his third eye.
Take a look at the crowns of all the Kings and Queens in the RWS Tarot Court cards (and the other cards as well). They all have a little something to say about the character whose wearing them.
Ok … so here’s an idiotic 48 second video of a pile of Gummy Bear Tarot cards, flashing lights, and people talking in the background. But it reminded me of an excellent Tarot exercise you can do to get to know the Court Cards.
Think about the different Tarot characters out together at a club. For instance, the Queen of Wands and Knight of Disks. What would the Queen be wearing? How about him? Could she be a cougar, would he be interested. What might they say to each other?
Or who do you think the King of Swords would arrive with? Would he dance? And that pack of Pages in the corner, are they old enough to be in here? What card would be the bouncer asking for ID?
The point is to get your characters to interact. Using the traditional meanings of the cards and your imagination, the images start coming alive. It’s easier then when you’re doing a reading and come across one of these characters in a spread.
You’ve already met them at the club and know how they acted there. Now look at the cards surrounding them and consider how they’d act in the situation the cards describe.
Of course you can try this exercise using any background: an office place, a family reunion, a meeting at the UN. The more you play, the more you’ll learn about the cards and how they get along. Go play now!
