Tarot Court Cards for Beginners

Review of 'Tarot Court Cards for Beginners' by Leeza Robertson.

While the title suggests that this book may cater to beginners, I feel that it is better suited to what I would class as an advanced beginner, or an intermediate reader, with an established knowledge of the Tarot. It’s common for readers to struggle with court cards, and it’s not hard to see why… 16 courts make for a very long list of personality traits to memorise, and to then remember which traits belong to whom.

An observation that struck me repeatedly as I was reading this book, was that Leeza has done a beautiful job of catering nicely to traditional or intuitive readers, and everything in between. Both sides of my reader-self had their own “Ah-ha!” moments while working my way through it. I have read for years, and I still found this book extremely helpful for my own practice.

On my personal journey I found the illustrations on the other minor arcana cards better captured the essence of each for me, the imagery jogged my memory and helped me to recall the energy of the card. The portraits featured on the courts didn’t do this for me. I couldn’t tell you how many times I sat with the cards and tried to liken them to people I knew in real life, or characters in stories. How many books and guidebooks I read attempting to reinforce what I’d previously put together. It would largely just fall out of my brain after I put the book down again.

Leeza’s introductions to the cards changed that for me. She had taken her time to really get to know each court’s persona well. Each description is like reading her describe a trusted friend, all their strengths, quirks, the areas in which they struggle, their history, and motivations.

After reading Leeza’s story of her friend the Knight of Pentacles, how he serves his kingdom by staying close to home, loyal and protective of his family and community, without the hunger for travel and adventure that is often attributed to knights. How he takes pride in performing what others may see as mundane tasks, but he savours the ritual involved in caring for the earth and being a provider. Happily tending to the farm, the budget, the home, all in his own time, with grounded and methodical energy, I was finally able to feel into the character of this man, and to sit with it.

I made space to spend half a day with each court before moving on to the next, which helped me to absorb each well, and once you really know the feel of a person, it becomes much easier to know how their energy might be present in a situation you’ve been asked to read about, or where his energy might be lacking.

Leeza helps with plenty of direct examples and practice activities, she looks at how each court presents as a persona, an archetypal influence, a spiritual influence, and a messenger. I read every word and they were all very interesting, but to be honest, the true treasure for me was in those introductions, because once you KNOW the energy, you’re better able to nut the rest out for yourself. The woman taught me how to fish! A+ I highly recommend.

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