Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

Tag: court cards

  • Sola Busca | Mantegna | Triumphs of Caesar

    In an earlier post, Heroes Warriors and Worthies, we took a look at the naming of the Court Cards in French playing card decks and how these have been incorporated into Dame Fortune’s Tarot Wheel.

    Another deck that incorporates named court cards is the Sola Busca Tarot.

    This deck originated in Italy during the late 15th Century and is quite different from other Tarocchi decks in that it is entirely populated by warriors (with exception of the Court Queens).  The Majors are all named.  The Fool remains Il Mato (the Fool) but all else are whirled into a vortex of classical names ….Nerone (Nero), Catulo (Cattulus), Catone (Cato… no, not the Pink Panther one) and so on.

    The images in this deck are richly coloured and brooding in their mood.

    This deck is very important indeed, in that it has clearly formed the basis for the Rider Waite Smith deck.

    Look familiar? The Sola Busca’s 10 of Swords.

    As was the habit, the little Pages are not named – because in gaming decks there were only 3 court cards.

    We have:

    King of Swords – Alexandro M
    Queen of Swords – Olimpia
    Knight of Swords – Amone

    King of Staves – L Evio Plauto R
    Queen of Staves – Pallas
    Knight of Staves – Apolino

    King of Cups – Lucio Cecilio R
    Queen of Cups – Polisena
    Knight of Cups – Natanabo

    King of Coins – R Filipio
    Queen of Coins – Elena
    Knight of Coins – Sarafino

    The names have some affinity with the Heroes, Warriors and Worthies, as previously looked at here on m’blog.

    This is where my blog goes a bit off piste and veers utterly away from further discussion of the Courts, because I was very struck by the style of the vibrancy of colours, the all-male procession and the scale of the ‘booty’ and the similarity to the canvases of Andrea Mantegna’s Triumphs of Caesar which are housed at Hampton Court Palace in London.

    The nine paintings depict Caesar’s triumphant return from his campaign against the Gauls in a cavalcade of soldiers and booty.

    In his book ‘Lives of the Artists’ Vasari says: ‘The best thing Mantegna ever painted’ and the enormous canvases became extremely famous throughout Europe.

    The scale of the vases?  
    The artfully arranged trophy ‘Cups’?

    Look at the stuck-on breasts of Pallas. Do you think they resemble the bare breasts of the captive above?  The cloudy skies? 
    The only children depicted in the Triumph are captives.
    What about this child in the ‘Nerone’ (Justice) card of the Sola Busca?
    Perhaps the resemblances are pure fancy on my part, but if Mantegna’s paintings were famous throughout Europe, why wouldn’t a wealthy Italian Lord not want his own version?
    It has been suggestested that the creation of the Tarot’s Trumps IS based on Roman Triumph parades.  What if it was THIS one in particular, painted between 1484 – 1492?  The Sola Busca Tarot is estimated, by its Tarot historian champion, Giordano Berti, to be around 1490-91.
    So the two dates dovetail together nicely.
    What do you think? Is the link allllllll in my head?!

    *** edit: since I’m not a huge fan of very lengthy blog posts, I’ll just say here that I plan to write this up in greater detail and will work towards either showign a link or showing that there is no link.  And you will be able to have it as a pdf to read.  But it will take me a while, so don’t hold your breath! 😀

  • Full Moon in Cancer | Queen of Cups

    Gold backgrounds don’t
    scan very well!

    The Full Moon takes place on 5 January 2015 and appears in Cancer. This means that our world of Tarot Court cards, the corresponding Card character is The Queen of Cups.

    This character is caring, empathetic and often with a psychic streak a mile wide.

    A healthy Queen of Cups understands the power of emotional hooks can help YOU understand – and even dispel – those that are hooked into you!

    She cares how people FEEL and revels in cultivating great relationships and making genuine connections with people. Tom Cruise is a Cancerian and he is as well-known for his abilities to remember, for example, a wardrobe department assistant’s name AND all her family details as he is for his toothsome grin and Scientology beliefs.   Oh yeah, and his ACTING, of course.

    In your deck, does your Queen of Cups have the lid on or off her chalice? If she has the lid on – does this mean that she contains her emotions and avails herself of them when she WANTS to? If the lid is off, does it indicate that her emotions swill around and over the sides whenever idle fancy takes her?  What’s your opinion on the lid on/off interpretation?

    With so much watery energy flowing in and around her, the Queen of Cups is someone who can change direction with grace and fluidity (think: oceanic tides)

    The watchwords for the Queen of Cups are: ‘sensitivity’ and ‘relationship’

    So far so wonderful, but an UNHEALTHY Queen of Cups will be an arch manipulator of your emotions – a moody emotional vampire who leaves you an exhausted wrung-out rag!

    In arguments, an unhealthy Queen of Cups will trump whatever statements of fact you might have with some over-blown (usually!) statement about her health and thus completely wrong-foot you.

    *cough* not that I’m speaking from personal experience AT ALL.

  • Yule Blog Hop | The Joy of Gifting

    Welcome to the Yule Tarot Blog hop!  Before we go any further, this is your navigation link to the blogs that flank me for this hop *waves to Mary and Stella*



    Our blog wrangler is the lovely Arwen Lynch and she set us the following questions which we are to answer through a Tarot spread:

    • Card 1:  What gift would you give the world if you could?
    • Card 2: What gift would you want from the world?
    • Card 3: What gift have you gotten that has brought you joy?
    • Card 4: What gift have you given that has brought you joy?
    • Card 5: What is one last thing you would like to share about this season?

    Because Tarot-thones.com is all about the court cards, I decided that my answers would have to come from the Court Cards.
    Since I have not managed to sneak in another blog post using Alexander Daniloff’s amazing Tarot for aaaaaages, let me take this last blog hop of 2014 to use them one final time!
    I have removed the 16 Court Cards from the deck and will now shuffle the Courts only, asking each question and drawing a card as an answer to that question.
    No fancy layout required for this one!
    Card 1:  What gift would you give the world if you could?

    The King of Swords

    As a blend of Fire and Air, this guy’s actions and thoughts must be consistent in order for him to be healthy.  He likes to know everything about what he’s involved in so that there are no nasty surprises.  Clarity and honesty are watchwords with him.

    This King will organise everything, from the multi-million pound company take-over strategy right down to the family picnic, to the finest detail. All this thinking (he’s a person of lists – pros and cons) can slowly paralyse him and that’s when the King of Swords starts to become unhealthy.

    He also has high personal standards and expects other people to live up to them. When people fall short, he can be scathing in his criticism. However he is equally tough on himself when he too fails to live up to his own standards.  And since none of us are perfect, he often makes himself unnecessarily miserable.

    But in a week where we have experienced the horror of the school massacre in Pakistan and the Sydney Lindt Cafe seige, the gift that I would give the world, if I possibly could, is the discernment and wisdom of the King of Swords.


    Card 2: What gift would you want from the world?


    The Page of Pentacles

    This is the first of THREE of the four Pages in my spread! The Page of Pentacles is Earth of Earth.  This Page begins new experiences.  This could be in health, in wealth or in the home.


    What would I like him to bring me healthwise? I’m too heavy for my height and a nice gift would be to start taking better care of my health.


    Wealthwise? I could do with bringing in more money in 2015 and am hoping that my Year in The Wildwood Tarot e-book will still be able to go ahead, despite the changes to tax on digital products in Europe.


    Homewise? Perhaps I could do with being more present at home, rather than living most of my life virtually?  I could start focussing more on the modelling that I’m doing for my son (stuck in front of a computer, messy desk, lack of interest in keeping home nice.  I am not overly keen on house-work, what can I say?)

    Card 3:  What gift have you gotten that has brought you joy?


    Page of Wands

    Ah this can only be my own little Page of Wands!  Fourteen years old and obsessed with Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program (don’t ask) he is a ray of sunshine in my life.  He is sunny-natured, always walks with a bounce in his step (as a child he skipped everywhere!), developing a nicely warped sense of humour, creative (you should see the space ships in Kerbal and the palaces in Minecraft!) and keen as mustard to grow up!

    Please don’t be sick, but the gift that the world has given me that has brought me the greatest joy is my son 🙂

    Card 4:  What gift have you given that has brought you joy?


    The King of Pentacles

    I try to give people practical gifts and (typical Leo) I am prone to spending too much money!  Money and generosity – King of Pentacles!

    For example, this year, my mum is getting a water floss (like a toothbrush, but for flossing).  Hubby is getting a cover for his Kindle…. and, no doubt, brake pads or a suspension-enhancing kit for the car.  Not mentioning anything about my son.  Just in case he reads this…

    The gift that I have given that has brought me greatest joy, ever?  The actual wrapped-up-you-shouldn’t-have pressie? I honestly can’t think of anything specific.

    But, want the schmaltzy answer? Giving my old racing greyhound a home and the gift of life to Sonshine were pretty unbeatable as far as bringing myself joy!

    Card 5:  What is one last thing you would share about this season?

    Page of Cups

    Gentle and affectionate, the Page of Cups comes up to show us the last thing that I would share about the season.  He is as open-hearted as his Cup.

    This Page, whose tender feelings and flights of imagination are so easily bruised and battered by cynicism, ridicule and downright cruelty deserves to be the standard bearer for the season, just as much as his suit.

    Ignore the Scrooges, says the Page of Cups!  Wear your Christmas sweater with pride!  Kiss beneath the mistletoe! Call out ‘Merry Christmas’ to strangers in the rain!

    His message is the title of the biography of one of my favourite comics, Bill Hicks:  Love all the people.

    Have a lovely time!

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  • Knights of Wands | Annoying little gaming dudes

    Forget the bare arms –
    pull on a sweater, woman!

    So, it was Sunday.  I am alone in the house.  I am luxuriating a la Queen of Pentacles mode on the sofa with the soundtrack from Gypsy playing discretely.  Well, as about discretely as you can have Miss Mazeppa and her bugle,  a pot of posh coffee on the go…..the Sunday newspapers….I was in heaven.

    Until.

    My son and his equally computer-mad friend arrive at the door, asking whether they could just have ‘an hour’ playing a game on line.

    Don’t ask me what it was.  They tell me that it’s building space-craft but there seems to be a LOT of shooting involved in building spacecraft the way they do it.

    Anyway, I acquiesced, determined to keep my Sunday Morning Pentacly Vibe going for as long as possible.

    And so I read the paper, ignoring the explosive noises coming from next door and supped at my coffee and let Ethel Merman do her lung-busting thang.

    And the house got colder.

    And colder…..

    And colder……

    Until it was colder than a nun’s, erm, HEART.

    I turned the radiator up the sitting room.  Nothing.  My heart sank – we only had a new boiler fitted in August. Surely it wasn’t on the blink already?

    It came with a fancy new wifi thing called Hive. Which is MAGIC.  When it works.  You can turn your central heating up or down or on or off from anywhere in the world.  But not from the living room radiator by the looks of things.

    I went into my son’s room and tapped the Hive unit anxiously.  No lights.  No nothing.  Surely that wasn’t right?

    ‘Have you done anything to this?’ I ask a small gaming Knight of Wands.

    ‘To what?’  his fingers dance over the keyboard, his gaze locked on the screen.  His face lit up in an eery blue light.

    ‘THIS’ I say, resisting the urge to smack him round the back of the head with the Hive hub.  The Queen of Pentacles’ relaxed, nurturing energy was spiralling down the plughole faster than the incoming Queen of Wands wrath was climbing up it….

    ‘Nope.  Not touched it.’

    I fiddle about with the settings at the back of the Hive hub and pull gently on the cable that runs to the wall socket.  It feels suspiciously NOT PLUGGED IN.

    I trace the path of the wire, crawling beneath the computer desk and emerge with the plug.  In my hand.  Not plugged in.

    ‘You’ve unplugged it!’ I bellow fearsomely.  This time I do give him an irritated smack – it ruffles his hair and his pride, but not much else.

    ‘Oh is THAT what that plug’s for?  oh right! Sorry! Yeah, I unplugged it.’  His fingers don’t miss a beat on the keyboard.  His small gaming friend won’t make eye-contact with me.  They are a couple of guilty puppies.

    I sigh and pick up the telephone to the helpline…

    And lo! dear reader,  it took about an hour of running from room to room with the phone clamped to my ear, taking batteries out of thermostats, switching off the boiler, switching it back on, moving booster plugs….until the heating went back online….. and I headed straight to the drink’s cabinet for a celebratory (and warming!) whisky and ginger ale.

    Well, it was 5 o’clock somewhere, right?

    Court insights:

    Knight of Wands behaviour – action without thinking.  Mindless gaming activity.
    Queen of Pentacles behaviour – luxury and self-care.  Includes restorative whisky.
    Queen of Wands behaviour – fast-rising wrath that is unabated by motherly love.  Or even chocolate.

    Enjoy the Gypsy toon 😀

  • AnnaK Tarot | Deck Review

    Oh this is loooooovely!

    Originally self-published in 2009, the
    AnnaK tarot has now been taken up by Llewellyn – thank goodness,
    because it’s a charming little deck that deserves to be widely
    seen.

    It arrives in a nice presentation box
    along with a chunky little accompanying book of 230 pages. Not every page of the 230 is filled with writing – some are blank (well, they are lined for you to write on)  and 78 of them are the card illustrations themselves. Each
    card is illustrated in B&W with the
    interpretations on the facing page, sometimes including a little tip from Anna. 
    The deck measures 7cm x 11.5cm (3″ x 4.5″ in
    old money!) and is of thin – but beautifully slippy – card stock
    which ensures the deck shuffles like a dream from the start. 
    With an her World tree motif on the
    back (see scan below), the cards can easily be used for reversals.
    Anna K touches on reversed meanings in her accompanying book, but they are not integral to her
    use of the deck.
    Having the cards bordered in black
    really makes the colours of the deck really pop – golds contrast
    magnificently and dark cards are, erm, darker. 

    As far as card names go, no great
    changes here – suits are Swords, Rods, Pentacles and Cups with the
    Majors as you would expect (note: Strength is XI and Justice is
    VIII)
    The book also contains hints on how to read, as well as some of Anna’s own insights into using Tarot – and some spreads for you to play with too, of course!

    *rubs hands together*  Let’s dive in!
    The deck is based on the Rider Waite
    Smith and if you can read with the RWS, then you can read with the
    Anna K. It’s not a simple clone though, there ARE cards that Anna
    has depicted in a different way to the RWS – the 2 of Swords for
    example (see above).

    Despite this rooting in The Golden Dawn, Anna has
    pared back the occult symbolism. For example, there is no mention
    made of any astrological associations for the cards. However, the suits ARE
    accorded elemental associations (eg Rods are related to Fire) and the
    ranks of the courts are Page, Knight, Queen and King.  

    Each Page is depicted as a very
    young person involved in recreational activity that one might
    associate with the suit.  For example, the Page of Swords is
    practising with his Sword (literally, striking at a straw man!)
    and the Page of Wands gazes longingly over the restraining wall of his compound.
    Anna says that the Pages are ‘invitations to cultivate certain
    attitudes’.
    The Knights are interesting because
    they are not on horses (or creatures of any kind!) Anna does
    provide sufficient symbolism that you can quite easily read what the
    Courts are about. Our Knight of Rods for example, is running (just
    as he would be on his horse) with a cloudy sky behind (perfectly
    fitting the Knight’s blustery ‘rush-in’ attitude) with a banner in
    hand – a banner that obscures the perilous path that he is running
    along!
    The Queens, like the Kings, are not
    depicted on thrones. Intriguingly, the Queens are all depicted
    outside, in nature – representing ‘values or habits’. Conversely,
    the Kings are all depicted indoors (with the active King of Wands
    striding towards the outdoors!) and show outer life or actions.
    ‘Well, this is all GREAT’ you might be thinking, ‘but whaddya REALLY think of
    the deck?’
    Truthfully, I really like it. It’s perfect for a
    beginner, freeing you from the confines of Golden Dawn inspired ‘bolt ons’ such as astrological associations and complex
    alchemical/hermetical symbolism which are often not needed in a Tarot
    reading.
    Anna works from her imagination, the
    figures are not taken from life and while most of the illustrations
    are attractive (especially Death – he’s totally smokin’ hot btw!)
    her emphasis is on the card’s character’s emotion and expression, so
    if you like all your figures to be pretty and serene, this lively
    little collection might not be for you.
    To find out more about the deck, visit Anna K’s site:  This is the English language version site (Anna K is Austrian) 

  • Tarot Blog Hop | Ostara 2013 | Snowdrop Spread

    Welcome to the Ostara Tarot Blog Hop! You may have arrived here by hopping forward from Joanne’s blog or hopping backwards from Joanna’s – or maybe you’ve just alighted on the page by chance! 

    Whichever mossy path you have taken to reach me here at Tarot Thrones, you are most welcome *pulls out a chair and proffers a plate of chocolate biscuits. Really nice ‘spensive biscuits – nothing but the best*

    If you’ve never been here before, let me explain a little about life here at Tarot Thrones – this blog exists primarily to help people with their Court Card work.  I know.  Tricky! And that maybe makes it sound a bit boooooooring here, but I hope that it’s not 🙂

    This spread was inspired by the snowdrop.  By looking at the plant’s structure, I arrived at this 8-card spread.   Take your cards and begin to shuffle, all the while thinking of the snowdrop……

    THE SNOWDROP SPREAD


    The Snowdrop

    Card 1:  The bulb that sits patiently in the darkness of the earth asks:  what nourishes me?  Because the bulb is in the ground, this may turn out to be something that you don’t initially recognise as being nourishing.  It might be a shadow energy.  Can it nourish you?

    Card 2:  The green fuse (as Dylan Thomas most memorably wrote!) that emerges from the earth, spiking its way inexorably skywards asks:  what motivates me?


    Cards 3, 4 and 5 – These three cards represent the three outer petals and together ask: what flowers within me.  The cards may be read individually or as a trio.

    Cards 6, 7 and 8 – These are the three tiny inner petals that are difficult to see (unless you look!)  and together ask:  what hidden gifts do I have?  Again, these cards may be read individually or as a trio.

    Record your reading in your journal and refer to it whenever your energies flag or you could just do with a boost to renew yourself.

    There may be cards that arise within this spread that you don’t feel fit the questions – cards that you actively dislike or feel ambivalent about.  This is the perfect time of year, the Spring Equinox, to deal with any ambivalence that you might feel regarding the cards – see whether you can bring those energies from the dark and into the light 🙂

    Should any card be unclear, pull another card to clarify the meaning.  The spread works equally well with an Oracle or Tarot deck, I find.  Because my blog is about Court Cards, you can try this variation – For Card 1, you may prefer to take 16 Court Cards from a different deck to your main deck and select a Court to see whose energies nourish you?

    I hope that you find a little time to try the spread, but now I appreciate that you must be off – forwards or backwards – to my lovely neighbours on this blog hop *waves white hankie fondly at the departing reader*  Come back and visit us again, won’t you?