By Judy Jennings
© Copyright 2015
We all know the quiet power
of a look. Gazes, glances, and glares all
have
the ability to deliver messages far beyond what words could ever convey. In Tarot, the court cards have the same ability,
and the direction a royal is facing in a reading contains vital information.
If there are two or more
court cards in a layout, are they looking at each other, or facing opposite directions? That can tell you a great
deal about the level of compatibility between personalities in a situation, and
whether or not the parties involved are heading in the same direction.
The direction of the gaze can
also offer information regarding the essence of the card. In the Rider Waite deck, for example, the
King of Swords is the only one of 16 royals that is facing directly forward. Others, such as the King of Pentacles, may be
facing mostly forward, but the head is turned at least slightly and the gaze is
averted. What does this tell us about
the King of Swords?
For one thing, it makes plain
that this is the card of an extremely direct personality. Another suggestion made by this stance is that
this person is highly unlikely to back down from their position. And somewhat obviously, in times of conflict,
this King can be expected to display aggression. All of this, and more, can be known about
this card just from studying the body language and direction of the gaze of the
character, even if you don’t know anything else about Tarot.
Something to keep in mind,
though, is that not everyone sees the same things in a card, and everybody is
right. Intuitive interpretation of Tarot
symbolism is highly personal, much like dream interpretation. One person might see the introspective Queen
of Cups as representing a very spiritual state of mind, for instance, while
another might interpret her mood as depression.
Certain combinations of court
cards in a reading can add to or diminish the power of one another. Knights are advocates for the Queens,
especially the Knight of Swords, and a Knight strengthens a Queen in a
reading. On the other hand, Knights can
conflict with Kings, and that combination often suggests volatility.
Pages almost always show a
light-hearted influence on the situation.
When a Queen or King presents along with a Page it suggests guidance, and
a growth process that is marked with excitement, optimism and vision.
It will really take your
readings to a new level if you can not only interpret individual court cards,
but put them into the context of their relationships to others. And just like with
people, you can tell a lot from the way they’re looking at each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment