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Court tarot cards confuse more readers than any other group in the deck. They’re slippery. Sometimes they show up as people, sometimes as moods, sometimes as echoes of your own behaviour. Pages, Knights, Queens, Kings, what are they actually doing in your reading?
The usual answers feel flat. Traditional guides will tell you the Queen of Cups is a woman, or the Knight of Swords is a fast-talking man. But that’s not the whole story. Court cards are alive with elemental energy. They are developmental phases. Archetypes. Shifting roles. Not fixed identities.
If you’ve ever pulled a court card and thought, “Well… now what?”, you’re not alone. This post is here to crack them open. No lists of generic meanings. No assumptions about gender. Just a deep dive into how these cards actually work, and how you can work with them.
In this final part of the Minor Arcana series, we are going to look past the surface. You will not find a list of meanings for the Knight of Wands or the Queen of Cups here. I have already written about those on my tarot meanings pages. Instead, we are diving into the structure underneath the court cards. What do they really represent? How do their energies evolve across the ranks? And how do they interact with the suits when you bring in elemental correspondences?
This post is an invitation to rethink the court cards as a dance of elements and energies. To see their roles as fluid, evolving, and non-binary. To connect more deeply with your own intuition as a reader.
How To Understand The Court Cards
They Are Not People And They Are Not Binary
The old-school view of the court cards assigns them fixed genders and roles. Page as young girl, Knight as teenage boy, Queen as nurturing woman, King as powerful man. You still find this in some books and beginner resources. But it is not how tarot has to work.
These roles are energetic. Archetypal. And they exist in all of us. The Page’s curiosity, the Knight’s drive, the Queen’s emotional intelligence, the King’s strategy. None of these are tied to a gender or a body. They are modes of being.
The Fifth Spirit Tarot is a brilliant example of how this can be reimagined. It keeps the traditional titles but queers the court cards through androgynous and fluid imagery. You will find people of all shapes, genders, and expressions in those cards, holding the energies of Queen or King without needing to fit a binary mould.
Four Ranks Four Elements Four Phases
Each court rank has an elemental correspondence, which gives it its own flavour. This is not universal, but here is the system I use:
Page as Earth
Knight as Fire
Queen as Water
King as Air
These reflect a journey of development. Page is the seedling stage, learning and exploring. Knight brings fire and momentum, often rushing in before thinking things through. Queen holds emotional wisdom and maturity, sustaining and nurturing the energy. King brings clarity and strategy, with a wider view of the picture.
They also reflect how we engage with the world. Page asks questions. Knight takes action. Queen listens and responds. King directs and plans. All four exist within us and within the cards. When we pair these with the suits, the elemental interactions get even more layered.
Pages
The Energy Of The Page
The Page represents the beginning of a journey, where Earth energy gives form to curiosity, learning, and the first stirrings of growth. This is the stage of potential, not yet defined but full of promise. The Page asks questions, not to challenge but to understand. It does not assume it knows. It watches, listens, absorbs. The Page is the energy of showing up with wide eyes and open hands, ready to try, to stumble, to learn by doing.
This is beginner’s mind in action. The Page does not perform expertise or pretend to have it all figured out. It is the energy of the seed cracking open underground. It is tactile, patient, slow to trust but keen to discover. The Page brings presence to every moment, because it is still forming its worldview. You might feel this energy when you are stepping into a new spiritual path, entering a fresh phase of emotional development, or learning the ropes of a new role in your life. There is wonder here, and some awkwardness too, but it is all part of the alchemy.
Elemental Interactions With The Page
When Page energy combines with the suits, we see how grounded curiosity interacts with other elemental qualities. These are not character profiles but energetic dialogues.
With Wands (Earth and Fire): Earth tempers the spark. This is the slow ignition of a new creative project or desire. There is enthusiasm, but it is tested through trial and repetition. A dance between inspiration and steadiness.
With Cups (Earth and Water): Emotional learning takes root. This is the energy of exploring your feelings gently, figuring out how to name them, how to hold them. Vulnerability is handled with care.
With Swords (Earth and Air): Thoughtful, inquisitive, mentally alert. Earth gives grounding to Air’s mental agility, leading to deliberate questions and quiet reflection rather than overthinking. Learning through observation, not just abstraction.
With Pentacles (Double Earth): The slowest and most stable expression. This is foundational growth, planting a seed and tending to it daily. Practical, methodical, and quietly ambitious. It is the start of something that will matter in the long run.
Knights
The Energy Of The Knight
The Knight brings Fire to the courts. This is the energy of movement, change, intensity, and ambition. Where the Page was grounded in curiosity, the Knight blazes ahead with urgency and drive. It is the part of us that wants to take the leap, to fight for a cause, to pursue something that matters deeply.
Knight energy is not always refined. It can be impulsive, tunnel-visioned, or stubborn. But it is also passionate, devoted, and motivated by purpose. The Knight is the catalyst. It wants to get there. It does not always know where there is, but it will push forward anyway. It is the energetic response to restlessness and calling.
When you feel like something inside you has lit a fire and you cannot ignore it anymore, that is Knight energy. It shows up when you are done preparing and ready to act. Even if you are still rough around the edges, you are moving now. And movement teaches.
Elemental Interactions With The Knight
With Wands (Fire and Fire): This is unfiltered passion. Knight of Wands energy is bold, confident, and often impulsive. It goes big or goes home. High energy but easy to burn out if not channelled wisely.
With Cups (Fire and Water): This is emotional intensity. Romantic longing, spiritual quests, big feelings that want expression. Fire fuels emotion, sometimes making it more dramatic or reactive.
With Swords (Fire and Air): Intellectual urgency. This is the drive to argue, explain, persuade, or defend. When aligned, it brings clarity through action. When misaligned, it can become self-righteous or rash.
With Pentacles (Fire and Earth): This is steady pursuit. The desire to build something meaningful over time. Fire gives ambition, Earth gives patience. It is the energy of committed growth and slow-burning passion.
Queens
The Energy Of The Queen
The Queen holds Water. This is emotional intelligence, receptivity, compassion, and presence. Queen energy is not loud or flashy, but it runs deep. It listens more than it speaks. It nurtures rather than demands. It understands that some things unfold in stillness.
Where the Knight acts, the Queen absorbs. They do not rush to react. They feel their way through. Queen energy is relational. It considers the whole system, not just the self. It is the part of us that knows how to hold space for discomfort, how to tend to others without losing our own centre.
This is the power of presence. You feel it when someone makes you feel seen without needing to fix you. When you hold your own emotions with care. When you respond with grace instead of defensiveness. The Queen teaches us to stay open, stay soft, and stay grounded in feeling.
Elemental Interactions With The Queen
With Wands (Water and Fire): The meeting of heart and will. The Queen of Wands channels warmth, creativity, and radiant confidence. This is leadership that uplifts others, not just self-promotion.
With Cups (Double Water): Deep emotional resonance. The Queen of Cups lives in the realm of intuition, dreams, and empathy. This is the energy of the healer, the artist, the compassionate witness.
With Swords (Water and Air): Clear emotional expression. This is the ability to speak truth with love. To hold boundaries while staying connected. Insightful, thoughtful, and emotionally articulate.
With Pentacles (Water and Earth): Grounded care. The Queen of Pentacles embodies nurturing through action. This is the energy of providing, creating safe space, tending to daily needs with love.
Kings
The Energy Of The King
The King carries the element of Air. This is the realm of strategy, structure, vision, and leadership. King energy is about seeing the bigger picture and making informed decisions. It steps back to analyse. It guides, it directs, and it creates systems for long-term flourishing.
King energy is not inherently hierarchical. It is not about control, but responsibility. It asks, what needs doing and how can we do it well? It is the voice that cuts through confusion with clarity. It is the energy of long-term planning, mentorship, and intellectual integrity.
When you feel called to take ownership of a situation, to lead not for ego but for the good of the whole, that is King energy. It is what helps us make sense of things, build frameworks, and maintain focus when others falter.
Elemental Interactions With The King
With Wands (Air and Fire): Visionary leadership. The King of Wands has passion and direction. They inspire through clarity and purpose. This is charisma rooted in conviction.
With Cups (Air and Water): Emotional steadiness. The King of Cups balances thought and feeling. They remain calm in conflict and know how to navigate complexity with compassion.
With Swords (Double Air): Mental mastery. The King of Swords is clear-thinking, articulate, and principled. This is the archetype of the judge, the strategist, the philosopher.
With Pentacles (Air and Earth): Thoughtful structure. The King of Pentacles blends intellect and practicality. This is the energy of the provider, the planner, the one who builds for the future.
Different Names For The Court Cards
Naming Traditions In Modern Decks
Not every deck uses the traditional Page, Knight, Queen, King structure. Some change the titles to reflect different roles, relationships, or energies. This helps move away from the gendered and hierarchical baggage of the original names.
Thoth Tarot: Princess, Prince, Queen, Knight (Knight is highest rank)
The Spacious Tarot: Child, Explorer, Guardian, Elder
The Wild Unknown Tarot: Daughter, Son, Mother, Father
These alternative names invite readers to connect differently with the cards. They shift the emphasis from power or gender to relationship and stage.
Why Names Matter
Language shapes perception. When a card says Queen, it may carry all kinds of associations depending on your cultural background. By changing the names, some decks encourage us to engage more intuitively, more reflectively.
That said, you do not have to abandon the traditional names to read in a non-binary way. The Fifth Spirit Tarot shows how even familiar labels can be queered, expanded, and made inclusive.
What matters most is the energy, not the label.
Summary Table The Energy Of The Court Cards
| Rank | Element | Developmental Vibe | Common Names | Core Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page | Earth | Curious child | Page, Princess, Child, Daughter | Learning, observing, exploring |
| Knight | Fire | Passionate intern | Knight, Prince, Explorer, Son | Action, intensity, mission-focused |
| Queen | Water | Receptive nurturer | Queen, Mother, Guardian | Emotional wisdom, support, mastery |
| King | Air | Visionary strategist | King, Father, Elder | Authority, clarity, long-range thinking |
Conclusion
Court cards do not need to be gendered. They do not need to be people. They are patterns of energy. They show us how we relate to the world, to ourselves, and to the elements that make up a tarot deck.
When you read them as an elemental dance between rank and suit, something clicks. Suddenly the Page of Swords is not just a person, it is the spark of curiosity engaging with ideas. The Queen of Cups is not a woman, it is emotional wisdom holding space for feeling.
Try it for yourself. See what the energies feel like in your own life. Notice which ranks show up when you are learning, leading, acting, or resting.
Curious how these energies show up in your own readings? Explore my court card meanings or try one of my tarot spreads to see the courts in action. Or book a personalised tarot reading and we will explore them together.
