AUTHOR’S NOTE: One of my sly assumptions when court cards appear in a tarot reading is that, rather than defaulting to psychological, ethical or spiritual conventions, they will quite often signify the direct involvement of another human being who has a stake in the querent’s future “for good or ill.” I say this mainly because many people love to have someone else to blame for their troubles and may let this slip when asked by the reader what a court card means to them. Another observation I frequently make is that the farther out in time the conclusion of a matter is projected to occur, the more likely it will be to diminish in accuracy because someone else’s (or some other entity’s) agenda will almost always interfere with the proposed trajectory. Putting the two together, I came up with a simple spread that is intended to aid in identifying the agents of just such an intervention. (Unlike Godot, the long-awaited “no-show” in Samuel Beckett’s play of the same name, I’m convinced that one or more of them will eventually arrive.)

Begin by separating the court cards from a tarot deck and set them aside as a pool of “likely suspects” for later use. Shuffle the remaining cards while concentrating on the question and then deal three of them face-up from left to right to portray the “Present, Near Future and Long-Range Consequences” of the seeker’s current situation and any subsequent actions they might reasonably take as implied by the cards pulled. (Reversals may be used to suggest indirect or oblique influences entering the individual’s life.)

Next, shuffle the 16 court cards (again allowing for reversal) and deal one of them face-up above the last card on the right and another below that position. The upper card will ideally reflect the overt engagement of another person whose intentions are transparent, with no veiled insinuations to complicate their contribution to the “end of the matter.” You will always know where this person stands. If the card is reversed, it may show a “hidden benefactor” or an “impartial advisor” who prefers not to have their presence known. When it fingers an adversary, that person will do a poor job of trying to remain invisible.

The lower card of the pair will convey a more covert stance on the part of another individual, denoting someone to “watch out for” as the situation winds down to closure. It could be an opportunist who wants to ride on the coattails of a successful venture, or a disgruntled acquaintance who wants to see it fail. This is the position of the “eleventh-hour change-of-heart” prompted by an unforeseen intercession (the proverbial “new information”). It would be like getting an affirmative response when an officiating clergyman routinely asks the congregation “Is there anyone here who objects to the union of these two people in marriage?” If the card is reversed, its secretiveness could be doubled, requiring extraordinary alertness.

Depending on their rank in the hierarchy, one of these cards can wield a stronger influence over the situation than the other, and the relative maturity of both individuals can also be judged from this factor. Two cards of the same rank can indicate a “tug-of-war” between two evenly-matched opponents with the unfortunate querent caught in the middle.

A King of any suit will be deliberate and unswayed by appeals for swift justice; it is likely to represent an older, established male authority figure who sits in calm judgment over the querent’s affairs. The advice would be to avoid jumping to conclusions or second-guessing the magistrate before the verdict is handed down, and to adopt a stoic “It is what it is” attitude thereafter.

A Queen suggests a wily mature female who is in a position to “pull strings” either for or against the querent’s long-term wishes. It would be wise not to offend her.

A Knight can be either male or female and symbolizes the “cheerleader” of the bunch, pushing an agenda that may or may not coincide with the querent’s plans. The choice confronting the latter would be to climb aboard or get out of the way and let the Knight’s enthusiasm run its course.

A Page identifies a young person, either male or female, who may have a claim on the seeker’s attention simply by being needy and in a position to leverage that need. It would be imprudent to let emotions steamroller reason when there is a risk of sympathetic overreaction.

The seeker would be well-advised to step carefully around these individuals even if their input appears to be salutary; whims can be a dangerous thing if underestimated. In any reading of this type there is always a chance that the matter will be one that is impervious to impact from the external forces shown by the presence of court cards, but that is beyond my scope here and must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Here is an example reading to illustrate the process. The hypothetical client had a question about his long-term relationship potential with a woman he has in mind.

The 6 of Wands (Victory) in the “Present” position indicates that he’s feeling pretty good about his chances at the moment.

The 10 of Cups (Satiety) in the “Near Future” position shows that abundant emotional fulfillment is coming his way soon.

But the 2 of Cups (Love) reversed in the “Distant Future” position (I didn’t have room to name it “Long-Range Consequences”) gives the impression that some of the “bloom will go off the rose” in the long term.

The reason for this souring of his prospects lies in the reversed Queen of Swords, who makes no bones about her dislike for him. (Maybe it depicts the woman’s judgmental mother sticking her nose in the affair and whispering in her daughter’s ear.)

The reversed Prince of Swords could mean that the object of his pursuit has a previously-undisclosed young son whose discovery changes the picture for the querent, who didn’t particularly want such “strings attached.” It could also describe a much younger rival (possibly championed by the mother) who is trying to insinuate himself into the woman’s confidence. In short, she is being “double-teamed.”

Fending off the second eventuality should be within his means, but placating the mother’s hostility will be no easy feat. The downside with the 2 of Cups reversed is that, much to his chagrin, his love interest may very well be acceding to her mother’s complaints as that “not-so-impartial” advisor gets her way. What began as a favorable scenario for the seeker quickly degenerates into an antagonistic hotbed of carping and criticism. I don’t hold out much hope for a happy ending.