The ‘Court’ Cards

It felt intuitively right to make the traditional Page, Knight, Queen and King ‘court’ cards into European birds and animals, rather than human characters.

People were rarely depicted in pre-historic art, yet numerous animals feature from c.30,000 BCE. The very sophisticated symbolic naturalism of the painted Palaeolithic caves in France i.e. Lascaux (c.17,000 BCE) shows a complex animal mythology. This is based on direct observation of their natural environment. I have spent many enjoyable hours studying the behaviour of birds and small mammals in the British countryside. I wish the cards to have a practical power; for them not to be dissociated from the land itself. I have included some animals now extinct in Britain such as the wolf and lynx but surviving in other parts of Europe, i.e. Spain. Their mythic resonance is too deep for them to be forgotten.

The birds and beasts are grouped in suits around the Wheel of the Year

The titles, i.e. knight, page, queen and king refer to qualities rather than gender.

The Pages or Blessings are all small, secretive, heralding new energy. Their ‘coat’ or plumage containing the sacred colours of the wheel, i.e. the rainbow plumage of the Kingfisher and the green, red, white and black of the woodpecker. They are therefore thought of as guardians of the mysteries of their element.

The Knights or Wanderers are independent and far-ranging; perceptive travellers such as the hawk or wolf.

The Queens or Holders placed at the times of stasis, the solstices and equinoxes represent empowered stillness.

The Kings or Empowerers embody the fulfilment of the qualities of their element, enhanced by the power of the cross-quarter festival day they are aligned to, and containing the beginnings of the next element/season. Thus the rising and falling of entwined Adders combine the dynamic passions of fire with the life and love enhancing qualities of Air, fitting in well with their place on the wheel at Beltane, with the cards of the ‘Lovers’ and the combined ‘serpent’ energies of ‘Balance’. The four Kings are also the primary totems of this land; the Horse, the Snake (dragon) the Lynx (lion) and the Reindeer (deer).

The colours of reddish-brown, white and black are the natural camouflage colours of many birds and animals, as well as being the sacred colours of the Upper, Middle and Lower worlds respectively. occasionally a bird such as the green woodpecker or goldcrest will have the green as well as red, white and black; these birds are then the living heart that unifies and awakens all three worlds.

Divination When you chose a court card in a reading it can refer to someone who bears the qualities of the animal depicted. Each card has many textures of meaning and will obviously influence the context in which the card is read. In meditation the animals and birds are your helpers, guardians and guides.

Page of Wands; Stoat. (Ferret US)
Time of year; Imbolc Element; Fire
	Stoats are secretive but highly alert and energetic, sometimes seen playfully ‘dancing’. They are determined hunters, taking prey such as rabbits which are twice their size. They emerge from burrows like the serpentine energies of spring rising from the winter earth. A wand of elder grows beside the stoat; this is one of the first trees to come into bud (leaf). Stoats are considered highly sacred in many societies, because in cold climates they transform their coats into white winter fur and are then called Ermine.
I was struck by the extensive use of ermine on shamanic clothing and ceremonial objects in Native American tribes. In European witchcraft weasels and stoats were allies, shapeshifters, mediators between the worlds.
In Britain ermine is considered symbolic of the Sovereignty of the land and is worn at the coronation of the monarch; but the roots of its sacredness must be far more ancient. One is painted on a French Palaeolithic cave. (Reseau Clastres-Ariege)
White is especially sacred at Imbolc (fig 2). Once savagely hunted for their fur pelts, they are now suffering from loss of habitat.
Divination; renewal of an alert determination. Realignment with the sacred will of the land. Secrecy and magical sensitivity. Playfulness. An ability to slip out of situations.
Knight of Wands; Fox
Time of year; Towards Spring Equinox Element; Fire
	A fox is a survivor, adapting quickly to new environments, predatory and cunning. Foxes can scavenge, roam far and wild, are untameable, yet will live in close proximity to humans. The wand shown is a hazel divining rod used for detecting water and subtle energies. These were used by the ‘Cunning men and women’, the village shamans, the cunning referring to their knowledge as well as to their wiliness needed for survival. The fox (and raven) are the trickster archetypes of our mythology.
Divination: A quick-witted person able to weave in and out of situations, usually turning them to their own advantage. Difficult to ‘pin down’ or to be sure of their motives. Someone often on the edge of society. A wanderer.
Queen of Wands; Hare
Time of year; Spring Equinox Element; Fire
	The hare still has connections to the Spring Equinox through Easter eggs and Easter rabbits. The name of the Anglo-Saxon Hare Goddess Eostre is preserved in the name Easter. In the tarot card a hare stands facing the dawn, looking towards a new future. A blackthorn wand stands behind. These trees are unusual in that they flower in spring before they come into leaf, and they reflect the dual nature of this time of year; the sharpness of the March weather, the beauty of the spring flowers. The hare’s paw leans on an Eastern European decorated Easter egg painted with a wheel of the year design. The Egg is the promise of potential abundance.
At her feet the grass seems to dance with the rising sap of spring. In folklore hares were the spirit form of witches.
Divination: An empowered and energised person, with the ability to utilise their full potential, as long as they are not tempted to use that power against themselves or others.
King of Wands; Adder
Time of Year; Beltane Element; Fire-Air
	At this time of year adders intertwine in what seems to be a courtship dance. It has only recently been discovered to be a display of male rivalry. Previously this was seen as a representation of lovers. The fiery energies of the earth, the sap rising to meet the softer energies of air. The rising and combining of the sexual ‘kundalini’ serpent powers. The wand is of naturally spiralled ash, mediating fire from below and air from above. The glyph of the caduceus seen between the adders’ heads is the ancient symbol of healing, which comes from dynamic, balanced energies.
Divination: Raw and potent sexuality. Earth or healing energies expressed and recharged. A healer. A rebalancing and re-empowering of one’s physical and subtle energy and creativity.
Page of Arrows: Green Woodpecker
Time of year: Beltane Element: Air
	Green woodpeckers have always been considered particularly sacred, their plumage being of the four magical colours; red, white, black and green. They also spiral up trees (i.e. the tree of life) and disappear into trees to nest. Therefore they were thought to hold the secrets of the Greenwood Tree of knowledge. In Britain these gentle and beautiful birds are called yaffles because of their extraordinary call like a laugh.
Divination: Their drumming (pecking) on trees which echoes through the woodland heralds your entry to a place of the heart. In the tarot the pair of woodpeckers look at each other, a third flying down the arrow shaped path, guiding you to love.
Knight of Arrows: Hawk
Time of year; Towards midsummer solstice Element; Air
	A large hawk with powerful flight flies on the summer wind currents, able to watch all below with clarity of perspective, and act on its own perception. These birds of prey, now a protected species are making a welcome comeback. In myth they are wisdom and ‘medicine’ bringers. The arrow in the card is in steady mid-flight, its aim will be true.
Divination: A person with a sharp mind, able to fly high, be competitive, impatient, ambitious, focused, potentially intolerant and arrogant. A skilful mediator of new ideas. A watcher.
Queen of Arrows: Deer
Time of year; midsummer solstice Element; Air
	I am very fortunate to live in Oxford near Magdalen College deer park where there are actual white hart and hinds (albino fallow deer) . Each time I visit them is a sacred occasion. The white deer, rare in reality, has a strong mythology; it is the inner heart guiding one into an inner place of stillness and mystery. (see also The ancestor). In this tarot card the deer sits still on a grassy mound, whilst the vibrant, healing, vitalised air of summer swirls in currents behind it. The arrows stand still in the ground.
Divination: A person with a gentle, tender and loving heart, whose quiet wisdom brings healing. They could have qualities of shyness and oversensitivity; difficult to get close to initially, they are loyal and deep. A person happy and healthy.
King of Arrows: Lynx
Time of year; Lammas Element Air-Water
	A lynx and its cub stand watchfully beneath a Lammas (blood) full moon. A lynx is a predator, attacking prey stealthily and with the grace and strength of all big cats. Able to climb trees, leap, run at speed or to stand and silently, alertly, watching its prey. The lynx balances powerful action with needful passivity. It will fight to defend its territory and cubs, yet will play gently and tenderly with its young, remaining ever vigilant for danger.
Divination: A person of power, able to defend, protect and nourish their children or inner child, proud and independent. A tendency to anger curbed by a warm heart.
Page of Cups: Kingfisher
Time of year: Lammas Element; Water
	The first time I saw a kingfisher (they are rare in Britain) I knew it was deeply significant. Each time I see them, as a sudden flash of azure, I know it is a blessing. Kingfishers are very small, with fast agile flight, able to dive into water and fish with skill, (hence combining air and water). They are the rainbow bird announcing the beginning of healing, perhaps tears bringing emotional release. The cup is a precious gift. They are the northern mythological equivalent of the hummingbird.
Divination: A person who will guide you to a place of healing, perhaps by a message or gift. Be aware of small signs, that may have later significance. A special person who moves in and out of your life. A free spirit, elusive, but dynamic whose positive energy is illuminating.
Knight of Cups: Salmon
Time of year; Autumn Equinox Element; Water
	The card shows a magnificent salmon leaping in the well of wisdom, catching a hazelnut containing all the wisdom of the woodland. The Autumn sun sets over the mound of wonder from which ancestral wisdom and deep love pour forth. A golden bowl glowing with sunlight floats by the waterfall. At this time of year many salmon travel thousands of miles upstream to return to the place of their birth, lay eggs which are fertilised by the males, and die. The rare salmon that survives a second year is called a celt.
Divination: This card denotes someone whose life serves a greater purpose, someone with perseverance, determination, self-sacrificing and wise. Could have a tendency to martyrdom-to give away too much of one self.
Queen of Cups: Heron
Time of year; Autumn Equinox Element; Water
	A heron acts swiftly to catch an eel. Herons were considered the most sacred of all European birds. They lay the primal egg in the primordial swamps from which all creation emerges (see The Moon). As guardians of life and incarnation they are now represented as storks carrying babies. Because they stand still for hours looking into water, herons are considered both wise and ‘psychic’ ( see reflection). The glass cup holds the setting sun.
Divination: Drawing this card denotes someone who is deep, wise, knows when to be silent; is psychic, emotional, able to be solitary, but also able to impart wisdom with maturity and responsibility. Someone able to be still enough to receive gifts of wisdom. Tendency to day dreaming and over-passivity.
King of Cups: Reindeer
Time of year; Samhain Element; Water-Earth
	The reindeer stand at the cusp where the elements and earth meet, thus water becomes ice. Reindeer are wonderfully suited to living in icy environments, with their thick fur and specially adapted hooves. They inhabited Europe in the Ice Ages, and were considered guides, pathfinders- as the tribes followed the migratory herds, creating tracks through the landscape. These gentle reindeer stand before a prehistoric tent made of woolly mammoth bones, tusks and fur. At this time of year reindeer eat the fly agaric mushrooms, whole herds keeling over ‘drunk’. These mushrooms are toxic to humans.
Divination: Drawing this card denotes companionship, deep friendship. A sharing of profound understanding, a mutual love of knowledge from the past. Possible creation of a home together, a sense of home-coming and enduring friendship.
Page of Stones: Wren
Time of year; Samhain Element; Earth
	The card shows a green mossy stone in which the wren may rest. A small golden egg and incised symbols may be found on the stone. A goldcrest nestles in its mossy depths and a wren stands above amidst the ivy. Originally the goldcrest would have been the more sacred bird, with its plumage of red, white, black and green, but since it has become so rare, its mythos has been transferred to the wren. The wren was an oracular bird to the druids, held to know the secrets of the otherworld as it appears to disappear into tree roots, walls and ivy; crevices between worlds.
There was a cruel tradition of ‘hunting the wren’ on St Stephen’s Day (Dec 26th) when wrens were caught, beaten to death with sticks, then displayed in a glass lantern, representing the death of the old year. What a barbaric way to see it out, especially as the wren signified the inner heart of the land.
Divination: Someone who speaks with a quiet but persistent voice of secrets and mysteries that elude others, who may be shy, and underestimated; but should not be overlooked. Someone who loves nature, and is gently aware of its subtleties, and has ‘their ear close to the ground’. Being silent to hear the voice of your inner heart.
Knight of Stones: Wolf
Time of year; Towards Midsummer Element; Earth
	A wolf prowls through a snowy winter landscape, above a Pictish (Scottish) stone carving of a wolf. The Midsummer sun rises over the hills, shining through a dolmen, light illuminating matter. Wolves have sadly been exterminated in Britain, though they are being protected and reintroduced in other parts of Europe. Much misunderstood, they are still ferocious and accomplished hunters, prowling across huge territories. They were domesticated prehistorically.
Divination: This card is one of guardianship. Someone who is essentially protective, a loyal companion on long journeys, who remains their own person. A defender of your boundaries, leaving you safe to withdraw from the world. A provider, but one who is not tied to a life at home, but is restless. Their power needs matching to hold them.
Queen of Stones: Bear
Time of year; Midwinter Element; Earth
	A bear and cub hibernate. The skull is that of a cave bear with its thigh bone inserted in the jaw, placed in a ritualised setting by Neanderthals (Drachenloch cave c.45,000BCE) This is the earliest surviving European example of ceremonial burial and proves that the sacred mythology of bears is very ancient. (see The Guardian.)
Divination: This card is to do with being at one with the heartbeat, the rhythm of the earth, feeling content, secure, at home, protected by the Great Mother; able to sleep deeply and in peace. A person who is earthy, takes their time; is secure in the way that they live, strong and fierce in defence if necessary.
The King of Stones: Horse
Time of year: Imbolc Element; Earth
	The horse shown is a Przewalski or Takh horse, the original wild horses of both Europe and the US. They were plentiful in the Ice Age and were painted in the Palaeolithic caves. Almost extinct now, a small herd of these beautiful horses have been reintroduced to land near the famous cave of Lascaux in France.* This is deeply significant as the horse or rather mare, was prehistorically seen as the source of all life, The Mother. This is because there is a similarity between the ‘frog’ underneath a horses’ hoof and a vulva. It is this that is carved on the stone beside the horse on the tarot card. Stone reliefs similar to this date from c.30,000BCE.
This horse stands on a frosty winter’s morning, about to drink from a pool from which the ice has recently melted. The ancient ‘prehistoric’ horsetail plants grow beside it. In the background is the chalk figure of Uffington White Horse (see Ace of arrows.)
Divination: Choosing this card signifies a positive change in one’s life. A horse is a psychopomp-an animal that carries one between the worlds, bringing new life, the joy of the reborn sun. Perhaps there has been a fallowness, or an unhappiness in your life that will now begin to thaw. A person who is reliable, wise, practical, able to help others with problems; both serious and playful, magical and grounded. They have their feet on the ground and their head in the stars.