In the Tarot the court cards represent various personality characteristics and types of people. Each Page, Queen and King is associated with a sign of the zodiac so they can also be useful for determining time frames in readings as well. Last week I featured the Wands court cards which are linked below. This week we'll look at the suit of cups.

In Tarot, Kings and Queens represent leadership, accountability and reaching one's fullest potential. Each one speaks to a specific set of talents and strengths. When they come up in abundance for a reading that is personal in nature they can speak of traits you need to develop to best reach your goals. Many reversals may indicate a need to take more responsibility for ones actions or to empower oneself more.

Below is a list of the cups court cards with the sign and personality traits they are most identified with. There are some variances of course depending on the deck you use. For example, some decks have pages and knights while others feature a prince and princess. Meanings do vary slightly, and of course as you learn to read Tarot you will likely come up with your own impressions of the personalities that these cards carry as well.

King of Cups

This King is represented by the sign of Cancer (June - July). This is someone who is very focused on family, friends, and community more than big business or career. The person with this King may struggle to handle their emotions at times and need to find a creative outlet to release tension or they may become moody and irritable. People with this card are naturally intuitive and can read people well and they are also moved by a deep desire to help and be accepted and valued by others. People with this card are often drawn to leadership in positions that benefit others. Clergy members, doctors, counselors often have the King of Cups as a significator.

Queen of Cups

This queen is represented by the sign of Scorpio (October - November). She represents those who are naturally psychic, keenly intelligent, magnetic and often somewhat solitary or removed. They feel deeply and are very passionate about helping others, however the person with this card does not often wear her heart on her sleeve. They are seemingly cool and collected under pressure, giving the appearance of aloofness. They are often seen as very controlled. Drawn to the unknown and with a love of mystery, you will find many Queen of Cups people in fields like the metaphysical, psychology, investigation, journalism, or alternative fields that help enhance their desire for learning and exploring the unknowns in life. People with this card are often viewed as having intense or mysterious energy.

Knight of Cups

This is a card of the lover, the passionate, driven person who is following the call of his/her heart. Whenever a Knight appears it means a condition is about to change rather suddenly so be ready for anything and enjoy the ride. This particular Knight is the romantic, the adventurer with a lust for life (and possibly the questioner haha) He comes up often around love interests, potential love affairs, and things of this nature. Often this card represents a deeply passionate but short-lived love, be it a romance or simply an infatuation with an idea. Other times he shows up to tell you to re-spark your passion and reignite the flames of passion in your life.

Page of Cups

The Page of Cups is represented by Pisces (February - March) The Page represents someone youthful, very sensitive emotionally, who is both reflective and imaginative. This page often comes up around empaths and those who are deeply intuitive and may not even realize it. They tend to carry the emotions of others and often feel burdened by that, despite being very warm and gracious souls. The Page of Cups person has a tendency to be a bit flighty and sometimes unreliable or disorganized. They love creative self-expression and are often drawn to careers that allow them to explore and/or express their inner worlds. Artists, stage actors, dancers, philosophers, interior decorators, photographers, anything visual is particularly alluring to the Page of Cups.