How to Read the Court Cards in Tarot?

For me, court cards reveal themselves through intuition. I let them tell me if they’re showing up as a person, an energy, or a situation based on how they feel in that moment.

I know some readers say you should never look at court cards upside down before shuffling (old superstition that they’ll get ‘confused’ about who they represent!), but I find they communicate just fine either way. When I’m learning a new court, I just sit with the card and notice what personality vibes it gives off. Like the Knight of Cups always feels like that friend who writes poetry at 3am, while the Queen of Pentacles feels like someone who’d have the coziest kitchen. The combinations can seem overwhelming at first, but I mostly just go with my gut about each card’s personality.

I treat it like casting for a movie.

The position in the spread tells me if a court card is a person (Environment), a way to handle things (Advice), or how someone makes decisions (Outcome). Then I look at what they’re after based on their suit and who has more pull based on their rank. Helps me figure out who wants what and who wins out in the end.