AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’ve almost always viewed court cards in a reading as describing potential interaction with other people who have an interest in the matter, or as attitudes and behaviors the seeker should either adopt or avoid. But I just encountered another possibility in a sub-reddit thread. Suppose that numerous court cards in a spread reflect that control of the situation may be taken out of the querent’s hands, or that excessive compromise could be necessary to make any headway.

Depending on whether (and, if so, where) they are conjoined in the narrative, the ability to combat this take-over will be either inhibited or enhanced. If the layout is “back-end-loaded” (i.e. heavily populated with court cards near the end), the awareness of being squeezed may occur too late in the game to do much about the loss of independence. With little or no advance warning, the onslaught of clashing agendas might sneak up on the individual. On the other hand, if the overpopulation appears early in the scenario, there may be an opportunity to fight back if the threat of manipulation is recognized in time and promptly confronted.

When the reading is performed far enough in advance of either eventuality, the advice will be cautionary in the first case and remedial in the second. Identifying hints of interpersonal friction early and trying to steer clear of discord is the best solution, but If the risk of subjugation is recognized after symptoms have emerged the likelihood of regaining control is a toss-up since external considerations can dictate the course of events.

Another way to look at it is that the querent could experience several conflicting desires or ambitions that produce an internal lack of direction when he or she is pulled first one way and then another by uncertainty as circumstances unfold. Realistically, this may be more about a lack of focus than a loss of control, although one can certainly turn into the other. Scattered priorities accompanied by poor self-discipline may result in pursuing too many self-imposed objectives at the same time and accomplishing none. The psychological disarray can decline into mental gridlock and eventual stagnation if it becomes entrenched.

Regardless of the specific conditions, there can be a feeling of being “ganged up on” by influences that elude oversight. There may be “in-fighting,” either among the competing parties or within the querent’s own psyche when various personality types and levels of maturity are evident in the different court cards. My own experience is that an abundance of such cards in a reading shows a “crowded house” environment where everyone is stepping on everyone else’s toes. (As the oldest of nine children, I know the feeling.)

It can be productive to examine whether one of the warring factions can be singled out as the “ringleader” and primary target of corrective action, and then determine where pressure might be applied to reassert one’s authority. (In my own situation, I left home at eighteen but it was by my own choice.) Our clients will be the best source of insight regarding whether the antagonist is another person or group, or simply an aspect of their own personality that must be brought into line.