I’ve found this card to be a bit of a love or hate card and personally, I don’t like it much!

The reason I don’t love this card is because I relate it to authority, religion and tradition. I’m a free spirit, especially when it comes to my religious beliefs. Due to my own upbringing, I don’t care much for rigid belief systems, and as a bit of a rebel I don’t care much for rules.

I think your own view of this card will often come down to your own personal view of these things.

If you’re a deeply spiritual person and conform to a traditional religious belief system, then you may see this card as comforting. Many people thrive on rules and rituals, they believe traditional values are important and they like to be guided by something higher or bigger than themselves. The hierophant is like a spiritual guide, he looks out for your spiritual well-being and points in the right direction when you’re feel a little lost or are soul searching.

The hierophant is you’re spiritual father, he’ll teach you all he knows and offer comfort when times are tough. But by the same token, he’ll most certainly let you know when he believes you to be you’re flouting the rules or breaking tradition.  The rules and traditions that he’s enforcing are not just his own, they’re part of a huge system or organisation that goes ‘way back when’, so they really hold some weight. Some people (that would be me) find this all a little stifling and restrictive.

So when it comes to interpreting this card I often liken it to; the church, an extremely religious family or father figure, the government, the police, schools and universities etc. Any authority that wants to have a say in how we live our life. I’m definitely not an anarchist but these authoritative bodies unnerve me. I don’t like the idea of being confined to others’ way of thinking and doing.

Anyway, the hierophant has its positive and negative connotations just like any other card, you have to use your intuition to decipher what you’re dealing with.

Here I’ve put together a few example hierophant combinations and what they could possibly mean. This is by no means an exhaustive list:

Hierophant & Five of Pentacles:

• A fine from authority

Hierophant & Emperor:

• A big commercial organisation
• Overly religious and strict father

Hierophant & Temperance:

• Finding a belief system that gives you spiritual balance and well being

Hierophant & 4 of Wands or 3 of Cups:

• A religious ceremony

Hierophant & Justice:

• A court case

Hierophant & Hermit:

• Reassessing current beliefs

Hierophant & King of Cups:

• A relationship with a man you feel a strong spiritual connection to, a soul mate

Hierophant & The Devil:

• Corruption and abuse of power, influence & authority

Hierophant & 6 of Wands:

• Recognition and praise from important people

Hierophant & The Star:

• Having faith and drawing strength from ones spiritual beliefs

Hierophant & 7 of Wands:

• Defending your religious beliefs
• Standing up to authority and tradition

When I see a knight in a spread I will generally see him as representing an individual. He’ll either be a young adult; teenager or twenty-something, or even an older man who is quite youthful or immature. Although the knights can also represent an energy present in yourself, whether you’re a young adult male or not.

The knights are a progression from the pages. If you think about the energy in a page being like starting the ignition, a thought or an idea etc. Then the knight is like shifting gear, and putting that thought or idea into action. For example, the page of pentacles could represent thoughts and plans concerning work or business, whereas the knight of pentacles will carry that idea through to an action. He’s no longer thinking about it, he’s doing it. He’s putting in the work, being practical, diligent, paying attention to the details and shaping is future financially.

Then there’s the knight of wands. He picks up the bright ideas and creative stirrings in the page and takes the steps needed to manifest that idea into something tangible. He makes that dream a goal and starts galloping towards it at full pelt. I often see this guy as a musician or artist of some kind, he’s talented and charismatic, and you won’t catch him hiding his light under a bushel. He loves attention so he’ll often ‘perform’ to steal the limelight.

The knight of  cups is concerned with the emotions, as is the page. However, where the energy in the page is more fragile – to me it can represent getting your confidence back after being hurt – the knight is taking the next step and actually making some kind of romantic advance. His feelings are roused and he’s embracing the notion of love. He’s spotted his target and actually asking her out on a date… or two. He’s sensitive and understanding and knows how to charm the ladies. You could say he understands them a little ‘too well’.

Then last but not least there’s the knight of swords. The page represents communication, making contact, getting in touch. The knight communicates really well, he has the gift of the gab, he’s making contact with everybody, talking to exactly the right people to get to wherever it is he needs to go. He uses his intelligence and sharp wit to win people over and make them see his way of thinking. This knight is restless, he needs a lot of mental stimulation and gets bored easily. He’s elusive and extremely hard to pin down, he comes and then he goes! This guy likes to chase and to conquer, just for the hell of it.

People often say that it’s tricky to decipher whether or not the court cards represent an actual person or they’re just reflecting our own energy. The knights are no exception, but in my opinion and experience I’m more likely to see them as other people. I believe that that is what the court cards are there for. I figured that the court cards are there for a specific reason, and it’s to help identify relevant people that feature in our life. But that’s just me!

So here’s how I might describe the guy that the knight represents:

Knight of cups – romantic, a ladies man, sensitive, sensual, charming, lovable, dreamer, friendly, understanding, artistic, deep

Knight of wands – bold, creative, exciting, ambitious, a bit unreliable, determined, passionate, talented, performer, charismatic

Knight of pentacles – reliable, hard working, practical, respected, successful, money-minded, trustworthy, also sensual, protective

Knight of swords – clever, communicative, quick-witted, elusive, restless, realistic, cool, sharp-tongued, intellectual, professional

This tarot combo was selected randomly using the Mythic Tarot deck, which happens to be my first deck and the deck I used to teach myself tarot many moons ago. Although I don’t use them as often these days, I still have a special connection with them. I found the mythological stories to be really helpful when trying to remember and understand all the card meanings.

So here we have the sensitive knight of cups with the the daring fool. What does it mean? Well if your looking for love what better card to pull than this knight. Seeing him in a spread can mean that you are about to enter a romantic and emotionally fulfilling phase. I often see this card as a courtship; when you first meet someone and you start dating. As a person this individual understands women well, he’s charming, sensitive and a good listener… not forgetting sensual and passionate.

So what does it mean when he’s mingled with the fool? Well perhaps there is an element of ‘what the heck’, maybe this guy isn’t your usual deal or the circumstances in which you meet aren’t so typical. A blind date perhaps? Throwing caution to the wind in a romantic sense can be very exciting, but wild abandon could get you in hot water. If I wanted to be cynical here I’d be weary of being too naive perhaps.

All in all this is a positive combination and could represent the beginning of fun filled new relationship. As long as you exercise any necessary caution then you can let your sense of adventure  lead the way!

Well it’s been a long time since I wrote my last blog post. I had what was possibly one of my worst years ever in 2011 and found it extremely difficult to write so I literally hung up my pen. But I’m back now; it’s 2012, it’s dragon year,  I’m full of beans so let’s get started!

Just to let you know that I always shuffle, then pick these tarot card combinations at random – they often have great significance to me personally! I wasn’t best pleased to see this combo this morning.

First I drew the four of swords which I sometimes find quite worrying, when I saw it I thought of illness straight away. The four of swords can be a warning, a need to rest, recuperate and take things easy. Energy levels have been depleted so slowing down is essential if there’s any hope of getting back on your feet. Now if this wasn’t sitting next to a king I would have assumed that this warning was for me. As it is, it precedes the king of wands who is usually a very high energy character, I feel this is for someone who is close to me.

The king of wands doesn’t know how to stop, he is constantly on the move; he has a mission and he won’t rest until he’s accomplished it. Maybe this is the problem! I liken him to either an Aries, Leo or Sagittarius character of a fairly mature age. I associate the four of swords with hospitals and clinics, maybe he needs to go and have something checked out. Looking at the nine of swords that follows, I actually believe that he knows this already.

The nine of swords shows that there is a lot of stress and worry around this guy. Perhaps he knows that something isn’t quite right health-wise. Has he been avoiding that visit to the doctor because he’s frightened of what he’ll hear? Or are his health issues related to mental health. I often feel this nine can be quite maddening, like there’s just too much going on inside the brain, whether that’s through guilt, stress or worry, it simply overloads! Stress is dangerous if it’s not managed properly and the four of swords could represent the physical problems that stem from stress and worry, such as; high blood pressure, anxiety and panic attacks.

I myself am worried for this guy, and my own worry could also be reflected here. If I knew who he was then I’d tell him straight that he needs to take things easy and go seek some professional help. If he’s already aware of his health issues then he needs to be able to talk to a friend about them instead of bottling it up and worrying alone.

This guy needs a hug, he more than anyone will hate the thought of having to take time out. He has dreams and ambitions to achieve and will want to get back on his feet as soon as possible.

When I say “too much personal influence”; I’m talking about the times that either I myself have influenced another reader’s interpretation, the personal influence when reading for those close to me and the personal influence that sometimes prevents me reading for myself objectively.

To explain why I think there is even a point for discussion here, let me give you an example… A good few years ago a lovely tarot reader was recommended to me by a friend. She is brilliantly accurate, has a lovely caring personality and I’ve found myself growing really fond of her over the years. Whenever I have a major issue I go to see her for some much needed guidance.

Now although she is a talented professional with years of experience, I’ve found that since we have become friends and therefore more familiar with each other, I have unwittingly influenced my readings with her. Like the time I was offered what appeared to be a great business opportunity and considered leaving my full time job. I was so excited that I’d already half made up my mind when I went for the reading and was really just looking for confirmation that I was making the right decision.

I was so enthusiastic about my new venture that I’m sure I made it difficult for my tarot reader – who was now my friend – to burst my bubble. I could kick myself; I remember her telling me that she saw disappointment next to the ace of pentacles and that she saw me out of work, but every time I heard that or anything else that was even a tinsy wincy bit negative, I would just find some kind of explanation as to what that must mean. I just kept throwing other things into the mix and confusing things. Instead of allowing my reader to go with her gut instinct I made her ‘think’, reconsider her interpretation and soften the blow.

What I should have done was keep my mouth shut and let my dear friend sucker punch me with the truth. To cut a long story short; the fantastic business opportunity turned out to be a complete nightmare beyond anything that I could have ever predicted. I’d left my job and  found myself out of work, disappointed and feeling very sorry for myself.

My tarot reader agrees that she had allowed me to influence her interpretation and that even after her 30 years of experience she was still always learning. Now when I go for readings I say only the bare minimum, I don’t ask questions I just take in whatever tarot wants to tell me.

Since I’m both a client to other readers and a reader myself; I have seen this problem from both perspectives. As a reader I can honestly say that I find it easier to read for complete strangers whose lives I know nothing about. When you read for a stranger you cannot think or consider the individual’s circumstances, you only have your tarot skills and your intuition to go by. When you are reading for a friend or family member it’s very difficult (but not impossible) to eliminate all you know about that person. For example, you read for a friend who you think is single yet the spread is full love cards. Would you gravitate towards another interpretation of a card that would appear to be more relevant to their situation, or do pretend you know nothing of their situation and talk about the wonderful relationship that you see blossoming? Obviously you have to go for the latter, you can’t assume you know everything – maybe your friend does have a relationship blossoming but s/he just hasn’t broadcast it yet. Never ‘think’ too much, just trust your cards implicitly and they won’t let you down.

Then there’s that thing about delivering bad news to someone you care about. It’s tough, but I’ve learnt (sometimes the hard way) that honesty is the best policy; whether you’re delivering or receiving a bit of a blow. Otherwise you’ll be doing a disservice to yourself and others.

Then the last point; reading for yourself. For me this is my biggest tarot challenge yet. I read my own cards daily, I try and try to be objective, forget who I am and be open to whatever the cards are telling me. Sometimes the messages are blatantly obvious or support how I’m currently feeling, but put me in a situation were I’m confused or emotionally attached and then give me cards I don’t like the look of  and I’ll be straight on the phone to my reader. How can you be objective about your own life? I know there are readers out there who are quite happy reading for themselves. Maybe they have evolved to a level of inner calm that I haven’t yet managed to achieve, who knows?

Have you ever faced an issue where either you or someone else has had to much influence on a reading?

The tarot court cards are a tricky lot, aren’t they?  Judging by the feedback I’ve had recently, it seems they could be one of the biggest challenges that beginners face.

When it come to deciding if a court card represents yourself, another individual or an ‘energy’; there is no book or post that can decide that for you. As a beginner this may seem a bit disheartening.

The thing is, it’s not a struggle because you haven’t yet read the right book or found the secret formula. The only difference between knowing what a card means and not being sure, is your confidence in your own intuition. This is something that will come with experience.

The best advice I can give when it comes to ‘deciding’ which way to read a card is this:

Look at your spread as a ‘big picture’ first and consider all the cards as a whole. Look for patterns. Are you dealing with emotions, love, career or finances? If you’ve asked a specific question then you’ll already have a good idea anyway. Then use the cards to build a story; make connections and form relationships between them. Once you have a basic ‘storyline’ it will be much easier to see where the court cards fit in to it all. You’ll find that other cards that seemed a little ambiguous will suddenly throw clues at you and the whole thing will start to make sense.

Sometimes it just doesn’t fit for a court card to represent another person, the story doesn’t make sense. I would then assume that the card represents the person I’m reading for or myself (if I’m reading my own cards).

Pages

Every reading is different but in my experience I generally see pages more as energy than individuals, unless children and family are integral to the ‘story’. Two pages together in this scenario might make me feel I’m with two children, and if one was the page of cups, or the empress was nearby then another could be on the way. The page of cups quite often screams pregnancy at me, although I feel it can also represent someone who is getting back on their feet emotionally, rebuilding their confidence and self esteem; especially if I saw it with the devil, tower or 5 0f cups, 4 of swords, etc.

Since the pages were messengers way back in the day they are often associated with the receipt of news and communication. For me this is especially true of the page of wands and swords. If I saw the page of wands next to a negative card like 10 or 3 of swords or the tower etc, then I’d assume that the news is not going to be good. However, next to the sun, star, 3 of cups, 6 of wands or any other positive card then I would assume the news will be good.

These neighbouring cards can also indicate what the news is about specifically. Page of wands with 6 of wands can indicate good exam results are about to arrive, with 4 of swords perhaps you’ll hear that somebody is unwell and so on.

The page of swords represents communication, it can indicate that someone will be in touch or or even warn that communications need improvement. If this page is paired with another court card say a king of swords, then perhaps tarot is telling you who this communication will be with. I often see the king of swords as an intellectual and  professional type of guy, therefore conversations with a doctor or lawyer may take place.

The page of pentacles is concerned with material and earthly matters, he prepares and plans for the future. See him with the hanged man and obstacles could present themselves or sacrifices may have to be made.

Knights

The knight of cups nearly always represents a guy to me, especially if I’m reading a relationship spread and particularly if I see evidence of a new relationship (ace/two cups, lovers, etc). He would be the guy with the invites, the one saying all the right things at the right time.

The same goes with the knight of wands; amongst relationship cards he would be the love interest, only he would be a little more cock-sure of himself and more difficult to pin down. If you see him next to pentacles or other wands cards especially then it’s more likely he will be a colleague or business partner.

If a story is looking more like the personal journey of an ambitious individual then it’s likely the knights represent the spirit of the individual. It could indicate their state of mind or next course of action.  The action will be motivated by either; money/security (pentacles), ambition/competition/creativity (wands), love/affection (cups).

I find the energy in the knight of swords to be somewhat erratic and scattered. As an individual he’s a bit of a slippery fish. In a relationship he confuses the women in his life no end.

Kings and Queens

In my experience the kings and queens almost always represent people; whether it’s the person I’m reading for, myself or someone else – but that’s just me. If I see all the kings in one spread I think of important meetings with influential people. All 4 queens can indicate a dispute or gossip.

The king and queen of cups side by side would indicate a couple with deep loyalty and a tight bond. Two queens side by side or close to each other can represent friendship but if one is facing away from the other then there could be a quarrel or disagreement.

I hear alarm bells when I see the queen of cups next to the seven of swords could this be the woman who’s trying to steal your man? Be careful of the queen of cups near any cheating cards. The king of pentacles next to seven of swords – is this guy as successful and wealthy as he says? Just don’t give him your pin number! The king or queen of wands near the seven of wands could be telling you that a friend is competing with you.

It’s really important to consider the surrounding cards as they will tell you much more about who or what the court represents. For example; if a reading generally looks positive, except for a rogue tower that’s sitting smack bang next to a court card, then you have to consider that maybe the tower won’t directly affect the person you’re reading for.

At the end of the day, tarot is an art not a science and the court cards mean whatever it is that you believe them to mean. Just fill your mind with all their many associations, talk to other readers and read as many books as you can. Once you start to trust your intuition you will pull out the relevant information as and when you need it and sometimes you won’t even know how you did it!

So what do these two cards mean when they appear together?

When I see the five of cups I see sadness; I see someone feeling very disappointed and let down. Things haven’t worked out they way they’d planned or hoped, or maybe they’ve been victim to an act of betrayal. I often see this card when one partner has discovered the infidelity of the other but is still trying to make the relationship work. They attempt to repair the relationship, forgive and forget, because they don’t want to lose what they’ve invested in.

It doesn’t always have to be related to infidelity though, it could just as easily be a friend or family member, or even a colleague. The common denominator here is that it hurts. Whoever it was, has done or said something that has had an effect emotionally.  This can be down to disbelief at the thought that someone we like or care for could let us down like that, or because we’ve lost something we dearly wanted.

If I consider the meaning of the five of cups with the two of swords beside it; I start to wonder how easy the journey to true forgiveness will be. The two of swords represents a state of tension. There is balance here; but it’s fraught with opposing energies and therefore quite fragile. Although there is a desire to move forward sometimes it just isn’t possible. Or maybe it is possible,  just not for long. Situations like this can stunt our growth and create stagnation. Eventually we’ll be forced to either find it in our hearts to truly forgive or break away.

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“Fly like a bird, take to the sky, I need you now Lord, carry me high… Don’t let the world break me tonight, I need the strength of you by my side, Sometimes this life can be so cold. I pray you’ll come and carry me home…”

This song always makes me think of the star. The star is a card of hope and optimism; having faith that better times will come. It’s a great card to see when there’s ill-health, sadness or depression, as it can represent the road to recovery; the light at the end of the tunnel. To me it is a very special card and it sprinkles stardust wherever it goes. I also think of special talents and fame when I see this card which suits Mariah Carey perfectly.

You have to believe in your wish if you want it to come true. Have faith!

Not a particularly nice thing to think about, nevertheless, in my experience cheating is something that’s often on people’s minds.

Whether it’s a love cheat, a con-man or an untrustworthy friend; nobody likes to think that there’s stuff going on behind their back and so they often turn to the tarot cards to help find answers. In this post I’m going to touch on a few cards and card combinations that I feel can indicate ‘skullduggery’ – I love those Old English words.

Let’s start with the moon; if the notion of cheating is already on someone’s mind it’s likely their intuition has already picked up on it. However, the moon is a card of undercurrents and contradictions so this intuition could be blurred. It’s like you know that something isn’t quite right but you’re so involved emotionally that your feelings have become distorted and confused. It could be that you’re heart won’t allow intuition to do its job for fear of what it might find. The clues are there but you refuse to see them.

When I see the moon I also look for the high priestess. Whatever is done in the dark, she will bring to light. To see her would give me confidence that the clouds will soon clear and the truth will be uncovered. Secrets will no longer remain secrets. The moon’s influence will pass and you will soon learn to trust your intuition implicitly.

Another card to look out for is the lovers; essentially this card is about choices but it also has connotations of third party involvement. To see this card near 7 of swords, the moon, high priestess, 5 of cups, queen of cups or 7 of wands would set my alarm bells ringing.

The 7 of swords can warn us about unknown enemies, dishonourable intentions and underhand dealings. It’s a sneaky card which can often confirm dodgy dealings going on behind your back, hidden behind deception or evasiveness. See this next to the 5 of cups or the lovers and think illicit affairs, next to pentacles then be careful who you trust in business and financial affairs.

The 7 of wands next to queen or king of cups can raise my suspicions too. The 7 can represent rivalry and competion, throw in the moon, lovers or 5 of cups and someone may be trying to steal your man/woman.

Other cards to look out for in combination with those above are 3 of swords (separations & heartbreak), the tower (break-ups) or 10 of swords (painful endings). Some of the most feared cards in the deck; if they pop up amongst any of my ‘cheating cards’ then…. well I’m sure you can piece it together. It’s not good!

There are many, many ways to detect skullduggery and this by no means an exhaustive reference. As I always say; let your intuition be your guide!

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“I can’t get no satisfaction!”
“When I’m riding round the world, and I’m doing this and signing that…”

He sounds like he has it all but he’s still not satisfied! Careful not to take things for granted.

The 4 of cups is a card of dissatisfaction, boredom or lack of interest in your current situation. It’s not a bad thing to want more out of life but we mustn’t forget to appreciate the things and people that we are already blessed with. Sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone!

Yikes! Let’s face it, the sight of the tower in a reading is enough to send shivers of panic right through to your very core. It’s got a bad reputation; people nearly always gasp and take a deep breath when they have to contemplate what it might mean. The immediate worry is obvious; the tower has the potential to knock us for six, suddenly and with force. It’s destructive and relentless in its mission to tear down anything that lacks substance or is surplus to requirements.

The threat of devastation is a scary prospect. However if we consider past events where we may have experienced similar loss; with the benefit of hindsight we will often see that whatever it was we lost was never meant to form part of our future anyway. We just couldn’t see it at the time, and that’s where the pain comes into it.

If you look at the tower from a different perspective its positive qualities begin to emerge. Although I would prefer never to have to lay eyes on the tower again, I’ve learned to embrace it. Sometimes we can be so wrapped up in something, so deeply involved that we cannot recognise if that thing is even good for us in the long term. If this is the case; we’re on the wrong track but can’t see it, then surely the forceful tower is somehow necessary. See it as an act of cleansing. You can be sure that anything that remains standing after these catastrophic events will be real, the deadwood will be stripped away and falsehoods eliminated.

Bear this energy in mind when contemplating the message in the heirophant. The heirophant is card of establishment; religion, institution and tradition all fall under his remit. To me the heirophant represents who or what it is that we belong to, what our values and beliefs are. To see this card may indicate a need to find where we belong spiritually, a period of souls searching, seeking spiritual guidance.

If you consider the energy of both these two cards in combination they are opposing. Does the crumbling tower wall represent the walls of establishment? You could look at this from a few different viewpoints. Could this mean that the very thing we feel we are a part of , whether it be a religion, organisation or way of life is flawed in some way? Are we looking for something else to feed our soul because we’ve lost faith in our current belief system? Or maybe the walls of establishment have become a form of confinement and restriction and are holding us back from realising our real pontential?

Whilst we’re contemplating that, what about the ace? The ace of wands beholds a powerful energy that’s fall of promise. It isn’t sitting next to the heirophant so its unlikely that this energy will emerge from the confines of establishment. This energy is much more free flowing, it has no order or refinement just yet as it’s still in its raw form. Any confining walls will be torn down so we can spread our ambitious wings.

These three cards as a combination are telling us that we need to break away from that which poses restrictions. Maybe it’s time for a change in values, a reassessment; maybe our current beliefs are misguided or our loyalties misplaced. This is a challenging combination but it offers positive change in the long term. The fact is, if we don’t realise our restriction and break free voluntarily, the tower will do it for us.

There’s definitely no shortcut to learning how to read tarot cards. However, if you are in tune with your sixth sense and class yourself as intuitive then it needn’t be as daunting a process as you think.

The biggest task will be to learn all the different meanings for each tarot card. There are no hard and fast rules to what each card means. The more books you read from different authors, the more you’ll  notice the variations in their interpretation. Your relationship with your tarot cards is very personal and it’s what a card means to YOU that is paramount.

The more time you spend establishing your own associations with the cards, the faster you’ll learn. That means practice, practice and practice. Like anything the more you do it the more confident you’ll become. I believe that having that confidence and trust in your own intuition is one of the biggest challenges a beginner will face. If you can achieve that then you’re 90% there.

Practice on your friends and get as much feedback as you can. If you had trouble reading a particular card, then following up to see how the story unfolded can help you to better understand what it might have meant.

Record your practice readings and listen back to them months later. Sometimes you’ll find that your friend was so focused on one point that they didn’t pay attention to anything they considered to be irrelevant to it. When you listen back it’s often the little, seemingly meaningless things that are said that turn out to be the most poignant. Getting these confirmations and assurances will go a long way towards helping you to achieve that confidence and trust your intuition implicitly.

Remember; if it pops into your head then spit it out, even if it makes no sense – you’ll be surprised how relevant it is.

To learn more about learning to read tarot, including tarot card meanings and combination interpretations, check out Tarot for Beginners for a no nonsense approach.

Continuing on from the wands court cards; today’s post is about ‘cups people’. Cups people are ruled by water and are therefore ruled by their emotions. They feel, they love, they sense and they nurture.

If we consider the nature of their astrological references we can get a much better understanding of these water people:

• Cancer: Caring and nurturing; their family and home life are paramount.
• Scorpio: Passionate lovers. Intense and secretive.
• Pisces: Romantic, sensitive and highly intuitive.

Obviously there is a lot more to each of these astrological character types than I’ve mentioned above, so it would be well worth getting hold of a good astrology book. I’ve always loved Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs but there is plenty of information available online. I’m by no means an astrologer but my keen interest over the years has helped me no end to understand the court cards.

Here are some of the general associations I have the the cups court cards:

Page of Cups

• A child or teenager – sensitive and maybe a little shy with artistic talents.
• New beginnings, new confidence and love of self.
• Pregnancy/conception
• Good news about matters close to your heart.

Negative

• An insecure and over emotional child or teenager
• Letting a lack of confidence hold you back

Knight of Cups

• A romantic young man who is in touch with his emotions.
• An intense and passionate lover
• A sweet talker who knows how to treat the ladies
• A slightly effeminate young man
• Invitations, dates wining & dining, courtship

Negative

• A promiscuous young man
• Jealous, insecure and over emotional
• A daydreamer with his head in the clouds

Queen of Cups

• A sensitive, compassionate and intuitive woman
• A caring woman with a strong maternal instinct
• A woman who understands the needs of men, sensual and passionate.
• Getting in touch with your own emotions and sensuality.

Negative

• A needy and insecure woman
• A promiscuous woman with underlying emotional issues
• The other woman in an illicit affair
• Using sexuality to manipulate a person or situation

King of Cups

• A laid back, sensitive and compassionate man
• A man who offer advice and understanding
• The man we are romantically involved with
• A romantic soul who loves and understands woman

Negative

• A promiscuous man who manipulates woman
• A man who is so laid back he doesn’t get things done
• A man with emotional baggage

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“At last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over, and life is like a song.”

“At last, the sky above is blue. My heart was wrapped in clover, the night that I looked at you.”

So fitting. Etta James describes the joy that can be felt when you finally meet somebody special. The cup is overflowing with emotion, new, pure and still untarnished. It’s early days but it feels good.

In my experience I have only come across a handful of tarot card readers that don’t read reversed meanings. When I very first started reading tarot I did too! I didn’t take me long to realise that it wasn’t necessary to reverse the cards; that I could give a perfectly good reading without doing so, and so I stopped.

I recently posted a Facebook poll and asked the question: Do you read reversed tarot meanings? Yes? No? Or sometimes? I was the only person who clicked no, and the third option was removed. I assume that it wasn’t considered to be a valid answer and I left it with just the two yes and no options.  However, there was a valid reason for including that option.

A while back I did a tarot Q&A with some of the best readers out there; including Mary K Greer. Ironically, it was her answer to the same question that inspired the third option in my poll. Mary answered: “You don’t have to read reversed cards. I don’t with some decks and for some kinds of readings, although I usually do read reversals now.” In fact only one of the six experts I interviewed said that they didn’t read reversals and two basically said sometimes.

It’s quite clear that reading reversals is common practise. However, if you’re a beginner and you’re feeling under pressure to do so just because everybody else does, I’d say don’t worry an iota about it. It’s not necessary. In my opinion, time is better spent learning how to understand the dynamics between pairs or groups of cards.

To me, tarot cards are so multidimensional and intricate that they contain both positive and negative energy anyway. I use the influence of surrounding cards to determine which way the energy is flowing. The ace of wands next to the sun or the world denotes a completely different feeling to me than if it was next to the devil or the five of cups.

Once you’ve mastered how to interpret the relationships between different cards then you’re half way there, the rest is down to your ability to tune in and gather the clues that aren’t so obvious. Once you accomplish this, deciding whether or not to read reversals will be easy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“What am I suppose to do when I want you in my world? How can I want you for myself when I’m already someone’s girl.”

“Your energy feels so damn good to me…. you got me spinning all around!”

Contemplating life with someone other than your current partner. Feeling a strong physical attraction and intense sexually chemistry.