AUTHOR’S NOTE: I was just reading Paul Fenton-Smith’s character analysis for the court cards in Tarot Master-Class (a thorough portrayal that I find to rival that of Aleister Crowley for useful insights), and encountered his description of the Swords personality as a “skimmer” who is known to casually stroll through any topic without dipping too deeply into its profundities. Cynic that I am, I prefer to see the opportunistic “schemer” rather than the innocent “skimmer” in these dilettantes who are constantly angling for self-advancement but don’t want to get roped into anything except on their own terms.

I’ve written in the past about court-card characteristics based on real-life reading experience, perhaps most notably for a woman whose younger brother came up as the Knight of Wands reversed. I told her he looked like a “player” who was unreliable and couldn’t stick with anything for long. She was amazed by this since the guy was a gambler who was constantly “playing the odds,” couldn’t hold a job, repeatedly tried to take advantage of family members and spent money like water. This profile can be applied at least in principle to the rest of the Wands court, who have a reputation for being “all over the place” and unable or unwilling to settle into a groove.

Another woman had an “ex” come up as the Knight of Cups reversed, clearly describing his hope of getting back into her good graces without intending to commit to anything. She was already on to him by the time I mentioned it. I find this behavior to be typical of the “dreamer” who is so emotionally self-absorbed that he can’t take a hint or even try to see the other person’s side of the matter.

As mentioned above, I tend to see the Swords personality as usually looking for some kind of “edge,” even if unconsciously. I know someone of the type who can never seem to divide anything precisely in half, and I always joke when handed my potion that it looks more like 60/40 to me. Having come from a competitive family of nine children, I used to work this subtle ploy myself. The Swords’ lack of diligence can challenge the Wands for the title of “Least Focused.”

The pragmatic Pentacles don’t need an introduction. They think everyone else is the idle “grasshopper” of Aesop’s fable to their industrious “ant.” Unlike the breezy Wands who never give it a second thought, the placid Cups who wade right in and make themselves at home, and the nimble Swords who dance lightly across its surface without getting their feet dirty, the Pentacles person will become “stuck in the mud” due to a stubborn nature and a lack of foresight since they frequently live in-the-moment and process every occasion in terms of “how it feels right now” (i.e. purely as a matter of sensation), ignoring its more logical, long-term implications. The “delver” of the title refers to their uncanny ability to “find the bottom” even when they aren’t looking for it.

I realize that these are gross generalities that will amuse some and offend others, but they are no more damning than those of Crowley without being nearly as mean-spirited. I draw much of my inspiration from a lifelong study of astrology and the same classical elements that are attributed to the tarot, each of which exhibits a fundamental positive and negative quality: in brief, Fire is both forceful and fitful; Water is compassionate but can be complacent; Air is perceptive but occasionally petty; and Earth is patient and persistent but at the same time plodding. I don’t believe my assumptions for the tarot suits are too far off the mark in their oversimplification.