Long ago I discovered four cards that took the energy of their suit and maximized it to the extreme. I usually say it doubles the energy of the card, but it could possibly represent up to a hundred times the energy of the card, depending on your situation or the person it's referring to. What I mean by "energy" is that the energy of a card depends on its affiliation with the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
- Earth energy is represented the actual earth, money, physical health and fitness, leadership, nature, patience, stability, honesty, balance, resourcefulness, our homes, employment, growth, prosperity and wealth, grounding, sustenance, survival, the great outdoors, etc. In the four-grid elements of human existence, this is the physical realm.
- Air energy is represented by the actual air, all forms of communication, the intellect, travel, writing, contracts/agreements, mental strength, memory, purification, music, breathing, sound, speaking, fragrance, ideas, knowledge, inspiration, imagination, dreams, wishes, freedom, etc. In the four-grid elements of human existence, this is the mental realm.
- Fire energy is represented by actual fire, passion, anger, transformation, cleansing, destruction, protection, energy, rebirth, purification, truth, hope, enthusiasm, brightness, illumination, activity, heat, concepts, alchemy, conversion, etc. In the four-grid elements of human existence, this is the spiritual realm.
- Water energy is represented by actual water, emotions, love, creativity and creation, regeneration and rebirth, movement, cleansing, healing, friendship, life-giving, nurturing, fertility, happiness, marriage, dreams, sleep, peace, etc. In the four-grid elements of human existence, this is the emotional realm.
So, each suit is represented by an element:
- Pentacles: Earth
- Swords: Air
- Wands: Fire
- Cups: Water
And each court card is represented by an element as well:
- Pages: Air
- Knights: Fire
- Queens: Water
- Kings: Earth
Then I figured out that if you take a court card, there is one in each suit that maximizes that elemental energy:
- Pages: Air: Swords
- Knights: Fire: Wands
- Queens: Water: Cups
- Kings: Earth: Pentacles
So, then we have the Page of Swords, the Knight of Wands, the Queen of Cups, and the King of Pentacles as our Power Cards of the Tarot™. But what does that even mean?
For one, it means that if you draw one of these cards, it's just one more interpretation you can throw in your back pocket to use in your reading (along with the traditional meanings and ones you create yourself). And for two, it means that with the extra energy these cards portray, we can add some extra "oompf" to our lives if we choose to take their advice. And the keywords and phrases for each card are as follows (though not all apply at once, take the meanings that work for you, leave the rest, or make up your own):
- Page of Swords: very studious, loves learning above most things, a very important piece of communication, a childlike view on something, extreme naivety, talks a lot, big meeting, many forms of communication coming in at once, making a thousand phone calls, finally understanding something complicated that has confused you before, competing in a contest of knowledge, writing a book (or planning one out), researching, getting good grades, too much studying or wanting to please others without thinking of what you want and/or need,
- Knight of Wands: running around like a chicken with your head cut off, extremely energetic, a very busy period of time, chaos, festival energy, the last rush before going on vacation, wild and crazy, overwhelming, opening night, speed cleaning your house before company comes, procrastinating at something and getting it all done in one night, having too much on your plate to deal with right now, anger, hostility, rash decision making without thinking it through, etc.
- Queen of Cups: extreme creativity, massive amounts of empathy, a big creative project, doing a huge favor for someone that requires care or charity, opening your heart after it's been closed off for a long time, realizing what true love really means, completely understanding someone who is different from you, practicing radical acceptance, smothering love, depression, acting too much on feeling and not using your head, creative overload to the point of overwhelm, etc.
- King of Pentacles: organizing/purging your entire house or someone else's house, getting your finances in order, starting a hobby farm or something bigger, building your savings up, planning a big vacation, a job in management or HR, living an off-grid lifestyle, practicing zero waste habits, opening your own store or business, getting that checkup you've been putting off (mammogram, colonoscopy, etc.), cooking a meal for a large group of people (maybe catering?), being too unbending or too bossy and controlling, black and white thinking, being miserly and/or misanthropic, putting too much emphasis on right and wrong and not looking at how it affects others, etc.
The idea isn't to take these meanings and applying them directly to your situation, but rather to see the possibilities of what one of these cards could mean for you. Instead, ask yourself "How does this card fit into what I am going through right now? Where am I putting off a ton of excess energy in this area of my life (earth, air, fire, water) at this moment or in the past?" If you're not putting off a ton of excess energy, then where could you be? What area of your life needs a boost right now? If you get my printable book "The Rainy Day Tarot Journal", then in it is a life wheel you can fill out to see where you are in excess and where you are lacking in your life. You can then use that to plan better in the future so your life becomes more balanced (in a way that works for you).
The Power Cards of the Tarot™ are a great extra tool to help you promote this balance and to see where you may need a little more help in your life.