Just who are those kings, queens, knights, and pages in the Tarot deck? Generally considered the most difficult part of the Tarot to interpret, they actually represent different characters or personalities that are aspects of ourselves. They also serve as teachers or projections of our own unacknowledged qualities. Two esteemed Tarot scholars unmask the court cards with details not found in any other book. Discover your significator and your nemesis. Compare the differences among the cards in well-known decks. Match the court cards with the zodiac signs, the Myers-Briggs personality types, and the Jungian archetypes. Learn a variety of spreads that reveal childhood issues, career destiny, and a storytelling spread to spark the creative writing process. "By reading this text...former confusion will become confident knowledge that is guaranteed to add depth and clarity to your readings."―Valerie Sim-Behi "[I] was almost too infatuated with it...with its plethora of exercises and range of perspectives (historical, creative, Golden Dawn, psychological, and neopagan...and that's just for starters!).―Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages "I am thankful that another book has come into being to help both beginning and advanced students of the Tarot see the real mystery behind the 16 court cards of the Tarot."―David Allen Hulse "An interesting book overall with something for everyone, especially those of us who have trouble with the court cards. It's easy to read and the authors have worked well together."―taintedtarot.co.uk "It is one [book] that you can reference to, learn from and just enlighten your Tarot library. It is a book that since I have gotten it, I have not put it down. See for yourself. Wonderful book. Thank you for such powerful information."―World Tarot Network "At last a definitive book on the tarot court cards! Comprehensive, original and creative in its approach to the subject of the court cards, it is a treasure trove of valuable resources for both beginners and experienced readers. A rich learning experience is provided by the combination of well researched information and innovative exercises."―Tarot Society of South Africa "I highly recommend Understanding the Tarot Court for all levels of Tarot student, as a working book as well as a tremendous resource for any Tarot library."―Bonnie Cehovet, The Crystal Gate "If you have EVER had any question about the often complex and confusing court cards, it will be answered in this book...as a valuable reference and 'next step' for the experienced Tarot reader, it is a joy."―The Diva Digest Mary K. Greer is a scholar, writer, teacher, and professional tarot consultant. With more than forty years experience in tarot as an author and teacher, she advocates a revolutionary approach to learning and using the cards that emphasizes personal insight and creativity. Mary is the founder of Tools and Rites of Transformation (T.A.R.O.T.) and is a member of many international tarot organizations. She is a featured speaker at tarot conferences and symposia around the world. With an MA in English literature, Mary was a faculty member and administrator of a college in San Francisco for eleven years. She is an Arch-Priestess/Hierophant in the Fellowship of Isis. As a world traveler, she has lived in Japan, Germany, England, Mexico, six states in the US, and she currently resides in Northern California. Tom Tadfor Little is a health physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He holds a PhD in astronomy from New Mexico State University and has previously worked as a university professor and a technical writer. He is a Wiccan priest and teacher, and dean of the School of Magickal Arts at Ardantane ( http://www.ardantane.org ). He has used the tarot as his primary spiritual tool for a number of years, and has a strong interest in tarot history and antique decks. He has contributed to the internet tarot community, and has created extensive online resources for tarot enthusiasts, including The Hermitage (a tarot history site, ( http:/www.crosswinds.net/~hermit/ ) and Tarot at Telperion Productions ( http://www.telp.com/tarot/ ). He co-authored and edited the TarotL Tarot History Information sheet. Tom lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his 8-year-old daughter Anne-Marie. T he Many Faces of the Tarot Court The Tarot court cards represent four sets of royal couples with their retinues, each in their own domain, which, in playing cards, was marked by a heraldic device (which eventually became the suit emblem). In playing-card terminology, the court cards are also called royalty or face cards and, in seventeenth-century England, they were known as "coat cards" because of the elaborate coats or robes in which the figures were depicted. Some modern Tarot authors call them people cards in an effort to democratize them. In France and Italy, they are called figura or "figure" cards. Thus, the Tarot court are figures representing four different ranks of power and influen