Court Cards as a Royal Function

Paul B. Williams has fashioned the Royal Function Method of interpreting the Court cards, as an additional method of discovering Court Cards’ meanings.

Within this method, each rank within the Royal Court of the Tarot is assigned its own role or function within the court. This role or function then serves to enhance divinatory-interpretation possibilities.

The Court roles are admittedly romanticized, simplified, and even sexist; yet, the Marseilles Tarot was made in a time period of such cultural overlays, when man and woman's place in the universe was idealized.

These Royal Roles offer the Tarot reader a charming way of reading Les Honneurs that is also historically congruent with the Tarot's period of inception. The Royal Function Method assigns roles or functions to each Court rank that fit our contemporary world—our modern “castles,” or Camelot, so to speak. These interpretations are in addition to the “Court Cards as People” method, in readings wherein a court-card-as-a- person does not resonate with the reader or querent.

The Court Ranks provide us with the nature of the person or the realm within which the person enters our purview. The nature of the Suit then further focuses the meaning. 

The Pages or Les Valets:

The Pages served the function of moving information within the Court. They delivered messages. Additionally, they attended to the small details of Court-functioning regarding any matter of interest to the King and Queen.

In our modern Camelots, Pages may represent information, messages, details, and errands in the context of the particular suit.
In contrast to the Knights (who represent focused activity), or the Queens (who represent periods of creativity, ideas, contemplation and gestation of projects, or the Kings (who represent decisions, contracts, and finalization of projects), the Pages will signify the smaller, but integral details behind the scenes.

The Knights or Les Cavaliers:

The Knights served the function of enacting the wishes of the King and Queen via quests, missions, and assignments. Their activity was highly circumscribed, and then supported by the Pages (which we might also view as “Squires” in this context – The Prediction Tarot™ by Aquarian Press uses Squires for the Pages).

In our modern Quests, the Knights may represent focused and concentrated activity in the context of the particular Tarot Suit.
In contrast to the Pages (who represent small details, information, and errands in support of the Knight), or the Queens (who represent periods of creativity, ideas, contemplation and gestation of projects), or the Kings (who represent decisions, contracts, and finalization of projects), the Knights will signify increased and focused activity in the matter at hand; they will signify a modern Quest.

The Queens or Les Reynes:

The Queens served the function of supporting the decisions of the King. But, behind every great man is a greater woman! Within our romanticized Tarot Court, the Queens initiate, contemplate, and gestate ideas for the more impetuous King who wants to act. Indeed, many of the Tarot de Marseille Queens appear pregnant.

Within our modern castles, the Queens may stand for periods of creativity, initiation, but still contemplation and gestation.
If the Queen was in a position in the spread to signify advice or the solution, she would be advising the querent to slow down, consider the matter carefully, be creative, etc. In contrast to the Pages (who represent small details, information, and errands in support of the Knight), or the Kings (who represent decisions, contracts, and finalization of projects), or the Knights (who signify increased and focused activity in the matter at hand), the Queens represent periods of creativity, ideas, contemplation and gestation of projects.

The Kings or Les Rois:

The Kings are action-oriented, but not in the ongoing, Quest-like manner of the Knights, who are engaged in focused, concentrated activity. Instead, the Kings make decisions, which can be contractual, or they otherwise take action that solidifies a matter. The Knights take action that stimulates a matter.

In our modern Courts of life and family, the Kings will signify decisions, contracts, commitments, and finalization of projects.
In contrast to the Pages (who represent small details, information, and errands in support of the Knight), or the Queens (who represent periods of creativity, ideas, contemplation and gestation of projects), or the Knights (who signify increased and focused activity in the matter at hand), the Kings represent decisions, contracts, commitments, and finalization of projects. This is why the King of Cups may represent a wedding, because it is a finalization of a relational matter (whereas, the Queen of Cups may represent a pregnancy!)

The Royal Function Method may be applied to the particular stages or aspects of any project. For example, if we consider the project of starting a catering business, the following aspects of the Royal Functions can be used as metaphors to analyze the project.

EXAMPLE: CATERING BUSINESS

Before we are slain for our sexist interpretations, we defend the Royal Function Method by explaining that we are reading the Court Cards in the cultural context of their inception. The conventions of Royalty and their corresponding roles and functions were circumscribed by social expectations.  

In the examples provided below, we will only use a single Court Card for each example, for the sake of illustration. Not only the Royal Rank provides information, but also the Tarot Suit Attributes help focus the meaning of the Court Card within the Context of the Question.

Moreover, we purposely do NOT prescribe a personage to the card (man, woman, young person, etc.) to illustrate how the Courts may signify Royal Functioning in any given matter.

EXAMPLE: CATERING BUSINESS, Queen + Coins

The Queen of Coins: This Queen is particularly contemplative of how the catering business will be funded (Denier). Inasmuch as a Queen’s Royal Function is to examine, contemplate, and gestate, in the Context of the Question, she might signify that more consideration is to be given by the bank.

EXAMPLE: CATERING BUSINESS, King + Wands

The King of Wands: This King may signify the definite contract to start the catering business, as the Bâtons signify projects and work. If the card appeared in the position as advice or a solution, then it would be advising the finalization of the contract. (If the King were reversed, it would signify problems with the contract.)

From an Optical Analogy perspective, the King of Wands “wand” certainly resembles a writing instrument.

EXAMPLE: CATERING BUSINESS, Knight + Cups

The Knight of Cups: This Knight stands for the emotional or relational aspect (Coupes) of the catering business. He might signify that the there will be focused activity building relationships with partners, and that this business will be built by word of mouth, rather than by more sterile marketing.

From an Optical Analogy perspective, the Cups are a natural fit with the concept of “catering,” this may signify giving focused attention to the actual Menu.

EXAMPLE: CATERING BUSINESS, Page + Swords

The Page of Swords: Swords as a Tarot suit signify intellect, psychology, problem-solving, politics, legal matters, and paperwork. Our modern-day duels, negotiations, and enforcements are typically done verbally and on paper (although Swords could always signify an actual weapon).

Thus, this Page may signify information, messages, details, and errands that are needed to support the legal, business, and management details of the catering business. If the card appeared in the position as advice or a solution, then the Page would be advising the querent to be very scrupulous, investigate all of the details, and attend to the fine print regarding the catering business.

Although it may seem complex to apply the Royal Function Method to the interpretation of the Courts, it’s really as simple as 1-2-3.

Final Card Meaning combines:

EXAMPLE, REAL ESTATE DEAL “Will the contract be signed?”

Answer: As a Royal Function, this card indicates that the deal will not actually be finalized…not yet, because a Queen indicates gestation and contemplation. A King would indicate finalization of the deal.

But, because the card is upright (and therefore fundamentally positive) we interpret the card as a beneficial, or at least a necessary gestation period. Perhaps the party signing the deal needs more time to contemplate.

If the card were reversed , then this period of gestation and contemplation will be given a negative spin—the potential signer is too hesitant. Perhaps the reader should ask for a Solution to this matter, essentially for a way to Upright this reversed card.

How can you tell the difference between whether a Court Card signifies a Person or a Royal Function?

This question of differentiating possible meanings of Court Cards, or any Tarot Card for that matter, is a longtime consideration of Tarot Divination scholarship. We propose that a 1-card-per-position reading system does not offer a Tarot reader the fullest vision of the Spread. The answer to how to interpret a Court Card is like any card in the Tarot spread: Context. Rather than the Tarot reader trying to amaze the querent with parlor tricks of knowing all, the reading becomes a collaboration. That being said, intuition is like a muscle that develops with exercise; experienced Tarot readers may note that they do simply "know" intuitively how to approach the interpretation.