AUTHOR’S NOTE: I hate to say it, but far too many of the tarot readers I encounter online are convinced they’ve attained the pinnacle of tarot mastery and make sage pronouncements based on that assumption, when it’s clear to this seasoned observer that they’re still finding their way and may in fact be going in the wrong (or at least in an unprofitable) direction. Even after five decades of study and practice, I’m aware that I’m not there yet myself and still have more to learn, so I always temper my observations with that knowledge by making them conditional rather than absolute. There are no certainties in the realm of tarot prediction, and acting like there are is disingenuous and potentially dangerous.

This was painfully obvious during a recent discussion in one of the communities I frequent that debated the reasons behind the assignment-by-rank of the classical elements Fire, Water, Air and Earth to the four court cards, independent of but coincident with their suit designations. There were many different opinions, but some of them disavowed the connection entirely and very few showed any comprehension of the fact that this work was pioneered by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn when bringing elemental correspondences into their Qabalistic model of the metaphysical universe. (There may in fact be links to the ideas of Eliphas Levi, Etteilla, Papus and other Continental occultists but I haven’t come across them in my reading.) The discourse opened with a question about the correct attribution for the RWS Knights and Kings in the aggregate (which are Fire and which Air?) and then grew into a broader conversation. Following is my contribution:

The Golden Dawn flip-flopped on the Knight/King dichotomy a couple of times but eventually settled on the mounted Knights at the top of the heap (taking over the same position as the RWS Kings) and representing the Yod of Tetragrammaton. The chariot-borne Princes (analogous to RWS Knights) assumed the third spot in the ranking as the Vau of Tetragrammaton. The Queens remained second in prominence as the initial Heh while the bottom-tier Princesses (RWS Pages) were given to the final Heh.

Acknowledging the confusion, Aleister Crowley noted that one only has to recall that the “horsed figures” refer to Yod, and the “charioted figures” to Vau. The assignment of Fire (Wands), Water (Cups), Air (Swords) and Earth (Pentacles) to Yod, Heh, Vau and Heh Final (Father, Mother, Son, Daughter) in right-to-left order brought in the secondary elemental correspondences, for example making the Knight of Wands “Fire of Fire” and the Prince of Wands “Air of Fire.” (When working within the RWS system, the Kings – although not mounted – symbolize Fire due to their elevated status and the Knights-on-horseback represent Air in keeping with their lower station.)

I’ve written a detailed study of the whole mess (linked below) that meticulously describes the iterations according to the Golden Dawn literature. A key point to remember is that the hierarchies should not be mingled; a Golden Dawn/Thoth Knight is not the same as an RWS Knight, it sits higher in the pecking order, while the RWS Knight is found at the same level as the Golden Dawn/Thoth Prince.

In closing, I’ll only say that a little inaccurate knowledge can be a risky thing for one’s credibility when plunging into the crucible of tarot debate, and spouting the wrong facts can be thoroughly discrediting. As always, the general tone of the group’s commentary was tolerant of any and all positions and I didn’t rock the boat, just presented what I see as the truth of the matter for their consideration.

A King is a King is . . . a Knight?