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Tarot’s court cards—the pages, knights, queens, and kings of each suit—are usually grouped with their corresponding aces through tens in guidebooks. But in this guide to the Divination Deck, we’ve broken them out into their own category for a couple of reasons. First, the game itself treats them differently: court cards form what we call the Figures Deck, a tool for building and defining non-player characters. But perhaps more importantly, these cards deserve a separate, closer look because they’re so often misunderstood.
For many tarot readers, court cards are the most opaque part of the deck. They don’t fit cleanly into narrative spreads, they resist simple symbolism, and they’re notoriously difficult to interpret consistently. Are they people? Archetypes? Aspects of the self? All of the above? The answer is usually yes… which doesn’t make them any easier to read.
That’s why Matthew’s framework for the Figures is so valuable. It offers a consistent internal logic to the court cards, one that makes their roles and energies both clearer and more flexible. It’s a system that frames them as dynamic forces—defined by how they move, what they seek, and how they shape the world around them—and makes their meanings easy to remember and intuitive to read.
Each court card is defined by both a primary action (questing or ruling) and the orientation of that action (internal or external). Pages and Knights are questing; Queens and Kings are ruling. Pages and Queens represent internal dimensions of experience; Knights and Kings represent the external.
Layered on top of this is an elemental framework that augments the elemental associations already present in the suits. Swords and Pages both represent air, Wands and Knights represent fire, Cups and Queens are water, and Pentacles and Kings are earth. The Queen of Wands, then, is the element of fire behaving in a water-like way.
When viewed through this framework, the meaning of each court card becomes easy to understand and even easier to recall. No more rote memorization of opaque archetypes!
PAGE OF SWORDS
I am on a QUEST for the INTERNAL aspects of SWORDS
The Page of Swords is AIR behaving as AIR. They’re a being of pure thought.
This manifests as a daydreamer, a philosopher, a space cadet, a genius, a puzzle solver. A cerebral individual with a passion for psychic pursuits. This is a person who has ideas and enjoys getting lost in them. The Page of Swords ventures inside themselves for new thoughts and ideas, often finding them in artwork, books, media, etc. They are a sponge for games and facts and concepts, still growing into whatever state of mastery they’ll one day exhibit.
Our Page of Swords is a solver, a student, an airy being of thought and study. Their world is a world of pinned ideas, stacked and categorized, or waiting to be read in due time. They seem to float down their columns of thought, questing ever deeper into the world of learning and theory.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
I am on a QUEST for the EXTERNAL aspects of SWORDS
The Knight of Swords is AIR behaving as FIRE. They’re a being of action, what happens when you turn thought into behavior.
The Knight of Swords is out to prove and discover truths. They’re people of swift decisive action: leaders, strategists, peacekeepers, zealots, rescuers, and journalists. They’re what happens when thought catches fire and forces change to take place. They’re catalysts for that change. Knights of Swords are on a mission they take on with zeal. Their ideas crave to be proven in the world. These are debaters, arguers, assemblers and fighters.
Our Knight of Swords is a photojournalist, one with a zeal to discover and share the truth with the world, no matter what he must wade through. Using his camera—his particular sword—he quests with a burning determination, bravely bringing light to dark places.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
I am a RULER of the INTERNAL aspects of SWORDS
The Queen of Swords is AIR behaving as WATER. They are a manifestation of powerful thought that sees deeply, even into Cups territory of feeling. They hold these thoughts still inside themselves, emotionally controlled.
The Queen of Swords is a perceptive figure whose understanding of the world shows them deep truths. They rule their own thoughts, hiding or revealing them as they please, and when they appraise others, their own inner work reveals things to them about the inner workings of others. These are people that walk any walk of life where insightfulness is valued, which is most places.
Our Queen of Swords doesn’t just see you, she sees you. When she looks at you, her perception cuts deep, showing her the caverns of feeling inside you. She offers you a drink as a way to fill the vessels inside you that might be empty, but don’t expect her to spare you from the truth as she sees it. Sometimes you need a stiff drink from someone who sees your heart and therefore knows your tactics, defenses, and true needs.
KING OF SWORDS
I am a RULER of the EXTERNAL aspects of SWORDS
The King of Swords is AIR behaving as EARTH. They are the mind as it makes structures, solves problems, cuts through issues, and makes lasting change.
The King of Swords is enthroned in a stable world: one where law and order prevail, and the Truth is what matters most. They are a symbol of victory for one’s truth. These are lawyers, politicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, directors, playwrights, authors and CEOs. These minds are powerful, enduring, and attempt to make lasting marks using their mind.
Our King of Swords is a leader, enraged at an injustice being done. We don’t know what’s become of the silhouettes on the photos and posters behind him, but they’ve seen better days, and he’s doing something about it. He’s a leader who uses the truth he sees to fight in the world, to build momentum behind causes, and to leave the world a more just, fair place to live. It isn’t easy work, but he isn’t alone. Unseen is you, dear viewer, listening to him implore you, deciding whether or not you can help him keep others from suffering.
PAGE OF WANDS
I am on a QUEST for the INTERNAL aspects of WANDS
The Page of Wands is FIRE behaving as AIR. They are energy in the act of assembling a plan.
The Page of Wands is a planner, a visionary, a goal-setter, and full of positive energy for the object of their mission. They may not lead others into progress on these missions, but they charge up like a battery, working on themselves, gaining skill and power as they work on whatever they turn out to be.
Our Page of Wands is preparing for a grand adventure. She’s got her plans and maps, her ladder, her satchel. The fire inside her is a smoldering one: a steady source of heat propelling her to yet-undiscovered heights. She’s a being of preparation, of goal-setting, and of infectious energy. You don’t know what this Page may accomplish. Chances are, she’ll reach places even she can’t dream of right now, if energy, good cheer, planning, and determination are the only factors.
KNIGHT OF WANDS
I am on a QUEST for the EXTERNAL aspects of WANDS
The Knight of Wands is FIRE behaving as FIRE. They’re pure, unstoppable energy looking for heat in the world.
The Knight of Wands is an explosion of energy! They seem to be on fire, erupting with pure, ferocious energy. Why does life do this? Fire is necessary to fight in this most unstoppable form at times. This is how a person explodes into action. These are energetic people with power, vitality, and force, no matter where they may be: athletes, leaders, defenders, preachers, musicians.
Our Knight of Wands is an activist or a terrorist, depending on your point of view. They’re the burning heat inside us that must sometimes fight; they’re the burning fight inside us that sometimes never stops. They are wrath and anger and power and change. They are those amongst us who become the hand of destruction in the world, whether they should or shouldn’t. They are the fight within us to triumph, to overcome, to force our will on the world, as sometimes we all must do. This one is willing to throw a firebomb. What are you willing to burn down to see things change?
THE QUEEN OF WANDS
I am the RULER of the INTERNAL aspects of WANDS
The Queen of Wands is FIRE behaving as WATER. They’re a source of gathered, controlled emotional power, useful for defending as well as supporting.
The Queen of Wands is the glowing warmth of a summer day and the scorching rays of the sun. They’re fire that obeys an emotional law; one that values one’s people above all else. These are familial defenders and den mamas, those that organize others around the emotional supports they offer just by being themselves.
Our Queen of Wands is warm, sweet safety: a being with the geothermal energy of a volcano, fully under control, lest you threaten her wards. She’s fire when it’s tempered by water’s fluid movements and deep reservoirs in the heart. She’s a peacemaker and a keeper of a safe place. She’s got a Wand that warns you away from the places that might burn you, but she doesn’t hide the fire of the world from you, either. You have to know that beneath your feet, all the time, the world is burning, and safety must be made. Sometimes you have to fight with all your fire to make sure the ones you love are safe. That’s what the Queen of Wands saves her fire for.
THE KING OF WANDS
I am the RULER of the EXTERNAL aspects of WANDS
The King of Wands is FIRE behaving as EARTH. They’re a warm and fertile source of safe energy for those they shelter and gather around them.
The King of Wands is safety, charisma and leadership. The King of Wands uses their warmth to spread as far as it can and bring those it loves closer together. As leaders, they’re sources of inspiration and energy. Their positivity and force makes them natural coaches, trainers, educators, and leaders.
The King of Wands is a torch, a campfire, a burning flare. He’s coaching his team to success using his voice and his inner energy. He takes the fire inside him and shares it in the world. He makes rules from it. He makes a team culture from it. He hangs a sign above the locker room door that compels the students to slap it on their way to the field. He takes his passion, heat, and energy, and stokes it in others, directing them toward what he wants them to burn down.
THE PAGE OF CUPS
I am on a QUEST for the INTERNAL aspects of CUPS
The Page of Cups is WATER behaving as AIR; feeling finding its way into ideas.
The Page of Cups is a poet, a songwriter, an artist, a gentle friend, a gardener. They turn their feelings into ideas for others to share in. They are intimate companions and are clever in their own right, but tend to thrive in quiet pursuits that appeal to those who truly understand them.
Our Page of Cups is a painter, one who paints deeper and deeper into the voluminous ocean of their heart. She’s a being of pure feeling, exploring her thoughts, expressing them in fluid lines that bring her ever-deeper into herself. Where do her thoughts end and where does she begin? This Page is determined to find that line within herself: the place where thought meets feeling. She’s always asking herself hard questions. Can her poetry be the most honest and elegant? Can her painting be so beautiful it speaks louder than reality? How deep can she go?
THE KNIGHT OF CUPS
I am on a QUEST for the EXTERNAL aspects of CUPS
The Knight of Cups is WATER behaving as FIRE. This is feeling and desire at its hottest and most energetic.
The Knight of Cups is a lover, a connector, a pursuant in search of desire and love. They are a dynamic figure, eager to satisfy their desires—the desires most people characterize as celebration. They are eager to make friends, to have intimate experiences, and to fall in love. They savor life with the passion of celebrants, bringing joy and beauty where they go.
Our Knight of Cups is a Casanova, a lover on the quest for love. They see their night ahead of them, envisioning the faces of those they’ll attract and the experiences they’ll share. They’re boiling, simmering with the desire to meet and connect, to discover and savor the way it feels to make a new friend, and whatever follows. What matters to this Knight is how it feels, the delicious depths of pleasure and kinship and connection that comes when people are drawn together in heat and in passion.
THE QUEEN OF CUPS
I am a RULER of the INTERNAL aspects of CUPS
The Queen of Cups is WATER behaving as WATER. She is the pureness of connection, desire, and love—loyal, unwavering, and compassionate.
The Queen of Cups is the person whose respect you hate to lose. They’re a source of unwavering good vibes. They feel genuinely connected to everyone, and everyone feels genuinely connected to them. They work everywhere—there’s nowhere this type is unwelcome, except where violence, might, and inequity prevail. They’re a force for healing, togetherness, and peace, simply by conducting themselves with grace and love in their relationships.
Our Queen of Cups is a portrait and a pool of water. She is surrounded by memories and experiences. Effortlessly relaxed, she’s using the massive vessel of her spirit, sharing her feelings, memories, and care with others. She’s water doing what water does—flowing into new vessels as the world spins. She has a way of offering care and love to anyone whose heart has even a little emptiness (and all of them do; the Cup of our heart is infinitely capable of holding more). Her presence can leave you feeling refreshed, fulfilled, and at peace. You benefit from the experiences that fill the portraits on her wall.
THE KING OF CUPS
I am a RULER of the EXTERNAL aspects of CUPS
The King of Cups is WATER behaving as EARTH. This is the stable form of deep family love, connection, and engagement that underpins peace.
The King of Cups is a diplomat, a keeper of the peace and fosterer of relationships. They work to understand everyone, so everyone can live together happily and prosperously. They want people to unite for empathetic reasons; that we all suffer the same way means we can all celebrate together, too. They bring people together and create healing through reconciliation and shared goals.
This King of Cups is a face you might cry to see. If you see him, you’re probably having the worst day of your life. He’s a rescue worker, the type of person to show up when the worst thing in the world is happening. Every time the worst thing in the world happens (to you, to someone out there), there is the opportunity for these Kings to arrive; the ones who have no reason to help you but show up to do it anyway. They make and join structures that support their efforts. They spread the word. They bring friends. Once they save you, join you, or even connect with you, you know they’ll show up for you, too.
THE PAGE OF PENTACLES
I am on a QUEST for the INTERNAL aspects of PENTACLES
The Page of Pentacles is EARTH behaving as AIR. They’re the goals, aspirations, and ideas forming into a plan for how to engage with the wider world.
The Page of Pentacles is a student, a planner, a new entrant to the world of profession and training. They’re growing in something: as an athlete, an artist, a businessperson, whatever. They are the seed that grows into a mighty (wealthy) oak one day—they seek a passion and dedicate themselves to learning its craft, or discovering where its abilities take them. They are opportunists in all fields, eager-eyed and energetic to grow.
You see our type of Page of Pentacles all the time: the type working furiously on something you scarcely understand. She’s focused like a laser. She’s got projects brewing, and resembles her cousin Pages in determination. She’s growing something that will help her grow in the world, to find her place, to assume a role. She’s a student and a young professional, growing new roots into the soil and new branches into the sky to see what grows.
THE KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
I am on a QUEST for the INTERNAL aspects of PENTACLES
The Knight of Pentacles is EARTH behaving as FIRE. They are the urge to build, act, and use your skills to make something of yourself in the wider world.
The Knight of Pentacles is like all Knights, on a mission. This one is on a mission to establish themselves in some way. The Knight of Pentacles wants to work, to fit in, to find a niche and fill it. They are eager workers, builders of new industries, and homesteaders, willing to work long hours under difficult circumstances to get what they want.
Our Knight of Pentacles is a vault-maker; a being of safekeeping and aspiration. He’s tapping into heat to melt stone and metal into new shapes too strong to destroy. Like the Page of Pentacles, he’s a professional too, but he’s not planning or designing or learning, he’s forging. The Knight of Pentacles gets his hands dirty making his place in the world. If there’s no place for him, he won’t design the perfect spot for himself. Instead, he’ll burn things until there’s room for what he offers.
THE QUEEN OF PENTACLES
I am a RULER of the INTERNAL aspects of PENTACLES
The Queen of Pentacles is EARTH behaving as WATER. They are the steadiness of a provider, a good parent, a strong friend whose mindfulness makes them a good investor, caregiver, and master of abundance.
The Queen of Pentacles knows the world. They use what they know to advise the long view in most things: with money, with family, and with love. Feeling causes people to move and act quickly, but the Queen of Pentacles knows you have to be patient, shrewd, loyal, and most of all, you must have your priorities straight. The Queen of Pentacles take care of those that value them, in a way that shows their true heart. The Queen of Pentacles has mastered herself, and has resources both material and emotional stacked away for rainy days.
Our Queen of Pentacles has a well; a bountiful and secret one. She’s got enough for those she’s taking care of, and she’s proud to have cared for her reserves. Did she discover this bounty or fill that well herself, one Pentacle at a time? She’s a being of bounty and gratitude. If you’re close to her, she’ll show you those reserves and even share them with you. If you’re not, you’ll never know they were there.
THE KING OF PENTACLES
I am a RULER of the EXTERNAL aspects of PENTACLES
The King of Pentacles is EARTH behaving as EARTH. They are the steadiest: a source of legacy, abundance, safety, and security for all those around them.
The King of Pentacles is the mountain: the unchanging one who is always prepared, always has enough to be safe, and may offer that same security to you, if you love them and are loyal. Like a mountain may block the cold air, the King of Pentacles offers a wide aura of safety to those around them. The King of Pentacles is wealthy in some way: in wisdom, in love, in knowledge, in well, wealth. They may have so much of something, the essence of it suffuses their being. You can tell they offer abundance on sight. Like a tree, they have a canopy, an aura of shelter.
Our King of Pentacles has enough to share. He’s made it to the great heights amongst the branches of a tree, but he’s not determined to remain there alone. He’s throwing down a ladder to this higher level so others can join him. He’s a leader and a provider, one who isn’t as frugal and responsible as the Queen of Pentacles necessarily, but he wields his wealth in the world, capable of sharing it with the world. He builds new ways of ascendance in the world with his power. That’s what it means to be a King of Pentacles.