How-to Guides · 4 min · 2026-07-18
The court cards do not lie directly on the Tree of Life, but are personified manifestations of elemental forces. They represent human choices — personal decisions that activate the numbered cards in the tarot deck.
Cabbala scholar Gregory Matthews describes the court cards as cards that do not lie directly on the Tree of Life, but exist alongside it. This suggests that they do not belong entirely to the Tree of Life system, but are extended expressions of its characteristics.
The court card represents the elemental forces of four Divine names in four different worlds. They personify specific elemental properties, so when they appear in a fortune telling, they often represent actual people. If not, they show an event or situation that has certain personality traits. It can also be said that the court card symbolizes the decisions that we or others make. A useful check is to name the visible action on the card before choosing advice.
It is personal decisions — or the situational outcomes that arise from those decisions — that activate the blinding forces represented by cards two through ten in the tarot. That is why when the court card appears in a fortune telling, it often suggests an element of human control.
Major Arcana cards often represent karma which also controls the numbered cards. You can understand the fortune telling context as follows:
Of course, any card in the deck can identify a specific individual. When several cards repeat a theme, treat the pattern as emphasis rather than certainty.
The court card can also correspond to the Zodiac system of twelve signs. The four types of court cards are divided as follows:
In a composite chart, the Aces to Tens, along with the court cards, can all be integrated together. However, this two-way layout is just a simplification of a truly three-way linkage system. Further connections of this system point to the Earth and its two magnetic poles.
The complete system of correspondence between the tarot and the Tree of Life in three-dimensional spherical space is described in detail in the work "Golden Dawn" by Israel Regardie. If the card feels abstract, ask what it changes in the next small decision.
The small number card and the court card are respectively distributed on the ecliptic in concentric circles:
1. The innermost circle: Twelve Zodiac signs and their positions 2. Second round: Small number tarot cards 3. Third round: The time periods of the ten Thien Can correspond to each day of the year 4. Fourth round: King, Queen and Prince on the zodiac 5. Fifth Circle: Higher levels when observed from a three-dimensional perspective 6. Outermost circle: Court cards
This arrangement reflects the complex connection between tarot, astronomy and Kabbala philosophy.
Reference source: zhihu.com — Get acquainted with the Court Card in Tarot
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Reading note: Check these meanings against the cards beside them before settling on one keyword.
Source: Zhihu
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