Court Cards with Alison Cross

Court cards are just that little bit extra. The Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings lead a double life — simultaneously like and utterly different from the Majors, and looking askance, or is it with covetous eyes at the Minors? It's no wonder they give a lot of tarot readers pause. But fear not. Our guest for episode 27 of TABI's Tarot World, author, Tarot reader, and tutor Alison Cross talks to your hosts Victoria and Gwen about how we can make friends with these courtly fellows. First up, we look at why it is that court cards can be so alarming when they turn up in a Tarot reading. Alison gives us clues to how we can respond when they do, which leads us to a discussion of readings more generally, and the expectations of clients vs reader. We get into a hot button topic for TABI — the third-party readings. How does TABI's policy work in the context of court cards, which by nature relate to people? How can we navigate safely between removing the humanity of the cards on one side and spying on people who have no idea they're the subject of a reading on the other? Alison keeps us right. She gives us some starter tips on her innovative 4H approach — how to break down a court card into sections and associate those sections with elements. In fact, Elements are key: they allow us to step behind the surface layer of 'gender' to see the core of the card. We wrap up with a look at Alison's favourite decks for court cards, and a peek at what she's got coming up. This is an episode not to miss — it's no exaggeration to say that Alison's approach will completely revolutionise your readings.

You can find Alison's Court Card blog, Tarot Thrones, here: https://www.tarot-thrones.com/ Send her your questions and it might be the topic of her next post! Explore her books: Tarot Kaizen https://www.tarotkaizen.com/ A Year in the Wildwood https://www.thewildwoodtarotyear.co.uk/ and Tarot Court Card DNA https://tabi.org.uk/2023/12/book-review-tarot-court-card-dna/ You can also find Alison on Wordle as Alison Cross, and on Facebook she hosts the Wildwood Tarot Studies Group.

Want to find out more about TABI? Visit our website at www.tabi.org.uk Membership is international and only £20 per year. If you'd like to get in touch with Victoria and Gwen, you can email us: podcast@tabi.org