Five 
Astrology, The Zodiac,
and The court cards
Astrology is a deep, magical, and complex area of study, and in the tarot landscape today, there is a significant connection between the tarot and astrology. This was not always the case, but the game changed when famous occultist Eliphas Levi connected the tarot with astrology, the Kabbalah, and the occult in the 1800’s. Metaphysical inclusions in the tarot have resonated deeply with many tarot readers and creators, and now the two are rarely separate when it comes to peoples’ understanding and depictions of the cards.
It is common in this new age–inspired society to ask about a person’s star sign, especially when you meet someone new and want to get the low-down on your cosmic compatibility, and most people will at least know what their sun signs are. The sun, like all of our solar system’s heavenly bodies (moon, sun, and planets), move through the cycle of our twelve signs of the zodiac. A person’s sun sign is what sign the sun was stationed in at the time and geographical location of their birth.
Why are sun signs so often spoken about and popular? It is because our sun sign is often the part of ourselves that we show to the outside world. Our sun signs are the conscious part of our being, the aspects of what makes us us, the parts that we are aware of consciously. It is the foundation of our complex personalities. We embody our sun sign when we meet other people for the first time and when we are at work. Our sun signs offer up some of the most dominant characteristics we have. It is often the illusion or parts of ourselves that we want people to see.
As the tarot court consists of the people and the personalities of the tarot, and therefore our lives, it is a great way to connect the reading to the people that are playing a part in our situations, lives, and often times, drama.
Your complete astrological chart will undoubtedly give you a more complete picture of the different aspects of your personality and preferences, but for the tarot court, we are going to focus on the sun sign so that you can use the information to decipher who they may be when they show up in a tarot reading, if the court card in question is someone impacting the reading or if the court card is reflecting an aspect of yourself or your querent.
The zodiac star sign is also an easy way to determine a person’s significator card in the court. You can use a significator card to help zone in on your querent when conducting a reading, or just for yourself during self-reflection. If you want to use significators in a reading for another person, allow the querent to decide which court card they want to use. You can inform your querent what sign each of them are to help their choice. It is the best way to avoid assumption and embarrassment.
The astrological characteristics, keywords tied to the zodiac, correspondences and sun sign personality traits offered to you for each court card are broad so they are unlikely to tell you everything you want or need to know about a person, but it does help you narrow things down, and it is a layer of information you can gather about a person. It is another layer of identification for aiding your readings.
The pages in the tarot court do not have a fixed astrological assignment and therefore can be any of the zodiac signs in their elemental family.
The Fire Sign Family
The Page of Wands
Can be linked to any of the three fire astrological signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Use the lists of sun sign behaviours and keywords to help you identify which one your page may be.
The Knight of Wands
Sun Sign—Sagittarius
Born Between—23 November and 21 December
Sun Sign Keywords—Progressive, unconventional, resourceful, hot headed
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A versatile person who can solve almost any problem in a lateral way
• A restless spirit who is always chasing something or someone out of their reach
The Queen of Wands
Sun Sign—Aries
Born Between—21 March and 20 April
Sun Sign Keywords—Impulsive, confident, rash, courageous
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A person who likes to be in control
• Someone who owns their strong and vibrant personality
The King of Wands
Sun Sign—Leo
Born Between—23 July and 22 August
Sun Sign Keywords—Creative, commanding, generous, dramatic
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A fun person that people are drawn to, the life of the party
• Someone who likes to keep up appearances
The Earth Sign Family
The Page of Pentacles
Can be linked to any of the three earth astrological signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Use the lists of sun sign behaviours and keywords to help you identify which one your page may be.
The Knight of Pentacles
Sun Sign—Virgo
Born Between—23 August and 23 September
Sun Sign Keywords—Analytical, rational, restless, purposeful
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• Easily sets and attains goals in their career and personal lives
• A self-critical person who may be also outwardly judgemental of others
The Queen of Pentacles
Sun Sign—Capricorn
Born Between—22 December and 20 January
Sun Sun Keywords—Disciplined, organised, independent, loyal
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A person who is more than happy to play the long game
• Will plan every minute of their vacations and has endless checklists
The King of Pentacles
Sun Sign—Taurus
Born Between—21 April and 21 May
Sun Sign Keywords—Practical, resilient, stubborn, patient
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• Resists change and often moves through times of change belligerently
• A person of few words but a lot of actions
The Water Sign Family
The Page of Cups
Can be linked to any of the three water astrological signs: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio. Use the lists of sun sign behaviours and keywords to help you identify which one your page may be.
The Knight of Cups
Sun Sign—Pisces
Born Between—20 February and 20 March
Sun Sign Keywords—Spiritual, imaginative, sensitive, ever changing
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• Someone whose emotions turn on a dime
• A compassionate soul who will stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves
The Queen of Cups
Sun Sign—Cancer
Born Between—22 June and 22 July
Sun Sign Keywords—Emotional, protective, nurturing, kind
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• Internalises and guards their feelings
• Willing to give most things a try
The King of Cups
Sun Sign—Scorpio
Born Between—24 October and 22 November
Sun Sign Keywords—Passionate, extreme, driven, possessive
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A brooding or mysterious person who oozes temptation
• Someone who holds onto a grudge or perceived wrongdoing for a long time (potentially forever)
The Air Sign Family
The Page of Swords
Can be linked to any of the three air astrological signs: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra. Use the lists of sun sign behaviours and keywords to help you identify which one your page may be.
The Knight of Swords
Sun Sign—Gemini
Born Between—22 May and 21 June
Sun Sign Keywords—Intelligent, adaptable, curious, vicious
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A person who is very quick to voice their opinion
• A jack of all trades with many arenas of knowledge and interests
The Queen of Swords
Sun Sign—Libra
Born Between—24 September and 23 October
Sun Sign Keywords—Fair, social, charming, self-concerned
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• A natural peacekeeper and negotiator
• Someone who favours being in a relationship more than being on their own
The King of Swords
Sun Sign—Aquarius
Born Between—21 January and 19 February
Sun Sign Keywords—Visionary, inspiring, aloof, detached
Sun Sign Personality Traits
• Will do whatever it takes to be original
• Cares deeply about the future of humanity
If you read the tarot cards with a different set of astrological assignments for the tarot court members, you can transfer the information over to your own set. There is more than one school of thought when it comes to what zodiac sign each of the tarot court members are, and it is better to work with the formula and correspondences that work and make sense for you. It is also best in practice to stick with the astrological assignments that work for you even if you come across external resources that have different information. Take what works for you and apply it to your astrological foundation. Don’t throw out something that works just because someone else says something different.