BATONS (Scepters, Wands)

King of Batons

Upright: A man who is noble and courageous, and who exhibits qualities of great strength and fortitude. He is virile and passionate, and has a loyal and generous nature. He is a lover of traditional ways and family life. He tends to act swiftly when provoked, yet on occasion may find it hard to be decisive because his essentially just outlook enables him to see every side of a problem. He often acts as a mediator, and is splendid at giving moral support.
Reversed: He is autocratic, ascetic, lacking in feeling for others, deeply prejudiced, ruthless in attaining his own ends, virtuous according to his own code, ethical in a narrow, intolerant fashion.

Queen of Batons

Upright: She is fertile both physically and mentally. She is by nature kind and sympathetic, friendly, generous and loving. She is a lover of the countryside and the works of nature, and is devoted to her home. She has a sound grasp of practical affairs, and is capable of independent thought and authoritative action. she is protective towards those within her circle. Her charm and social ease ensure her popularity.
Reversed: She is overbearing, matriarchal, unable to allow her loved ones independence of thought or action. she is vain and self-righteous, tending to take offence over imagined wrongs, and striking out at those who mean her no harm. She has a sharp tongue and a cruel wit.

Knight of Batons

Upright: He is alert, active, swift-moving, unreasoning but highly intuitive. His movements are unpresictable and startling, but are generally seen to be wise in retrospect. He has an engaging temperament.
Reversed: He symbolises the wilful destruction of order, love of dispute and conflict for its own sake, premeditated arguments and deliberate sowing of the seeds of discontent.

Knave of Batons

Upright: He is ambitious and resourceful, enthusiaistic and adaptable. He is a messenger who brings good tidings, stinulatind news, witty gossip. He is by nature faithful and trustworthy, vigorous in the service of those in authority over him.
Reversed: He brings misleading information and slanderous gossip, and propagates scandal. He is unagble to keep a secret, and will readily betray his trust. He is superficial whilst believing himself to be profound.

Ten of Batons

Upright: The triumph of force. Great good fortune which has become the means of opression. Obstinacy and fixed ideas which serve to repress society into a static mould. Power which has no end beyond the expression of itself. The burden imposed by a surfeit of success.
Reversed: Deceit, guile, lies, all designed to disrupt the ordered affairs of others.

Nine of Batons

Upright: Great strength and stability which cannot be overthrown. Courage in defence and victory in attack. Assurance that opposition will be defeated. Reveals that one is in a safe and secure position which is unassailable.
Reversed: Obstinacy, inability to compromise, avoidable delays, suspicion, lack of adaptability.

Eight of Batons

Upright: Hopeful change, movement, activity. The ending of delays and the speeding-up of all matters. Suggests a suitable time for taking the initiative, acting with courage and self-confidence, and grasping opportunities as they occur. A favourable omen for news and communications of all kinds, the promotion of understanding and co-operation. Important journeys are shown - particularly travel overseas or to a new country. This is not a card that indicates success in itself, but it suggests conditions which can lead to success.
Reveresed: Brilliance, eloquence, or driving energy which are all dissipated and exhausted too quickly to have effect. Impetuous action by one who rushes ahead without first examining the terrain, and is therefore misapplied and wasted.

Seven of Batons

Upright: Indicates a time of great possibility which requires the exercise of courage and determination if it is to be realised. Points to powerful competitoun, but victory through sustained effort. Triumph over the vicissitudes of fate through personal valour. Opposition, obstacles, adversities, but the promise that success is within reach.
Reversed: Indecisiveness, timidity in the face of a challenge which leads to defeat. Hesitation will result in the loss of an opportunity. Exposure resulting in embarrassment, the calling of a bluff.

Six of Batons

Upright: Victory, triumph, the arrival of great news. the complete fulfilment of major hopes and wishes. Success earned by hard work and originality, satisfaction in what has been achieved. The skilful overcoming of all opposition through the use of diplomacy instead of force.
Reversed: News delayed, fears about the oucome of any matter, apprehension regarding the hidden activities of enemies.

Five of Batons

Upright: Opposition which requires mental agility to be defeated. Conflicts which cannot be avoided, tests that must be passed for further success to be attained or present achievement continued. Upheavals which call forth all resources of ingenuity and leave nothing secure. Indicates the the prize will have to be fought for relentlessly if it is to be gained.
Reversed: Avoidable litigation, fraud, defeat through trickery.

Four of Batons

Upright: Achievement in the realm of ideas. The card of the successful and renowned designer, innovator, or professional man. The exsablishment of beauty and elegance. Wit, mental alacrity, the most subtle arts of civilisation, refinement and culture.
Reversed: Decadence, extreme reliance on unnecessary etiquette and ceremonial. Lack of contact with the realities of life, leading to an existence bounded by artificial rules. Snobbishness and feelings of innate superiority based solely on tradition. Creative inspiration becoming hidebound and conventional.

Three of Batons

Upright: The successful launching of a great venture. Original ideas finding expression. Inspiration which is being rewarded. Strength arising from enterprise and effort supported by powerful convictions. this is the card of the artist and the inventor who turns a dream into reality.
Reversed: Failure of nerve, inability to express ideas in tabgible terms, pursuit of that which can never be. Indicates a lack of communication between the imagination and the physical world. Frustration with reality resulting in a retreat into fantasy. Grandiose schemes which can come to nothing. Failure to support ideas with practical means of expression.

Two of Batons

Upright: Strength of will bringing ideas to pass. Firm rulership resulting in peace and justice. Riches and authority attained by just means. The responsible wielding of executive powers. Courage and initiative resulting from high motives. Earned success. Wisdom attained through experience.
Reversed: Ambition which will brook no obstacle, the will to power. Wealth attained by improper means. Pride without humility. Great success which ends in feelings of futility and emptiness. The achieving of a goal which turns out to be worthless. Loss of faith in oneself and one's motives.

Ace of Batons

Upright: Creativity, fertility, originality, conception, virility; the masculine, positive power of origination. The primal energy and vigour of the Element of Fire. the faculty of intuition. The natural fertility of nature. Indicates the beginning of something new, the launching of fresh enterprises, the foundation of future success and abundance. Also artistic inspiration, inventiveness, innovation.
Reversed: Impotence, barrenness, sterility; also pride, greed, avariciousness, over-confidence that ends in destruction.

CUPS (Coupes)

King of Cups

Upright: He is skilled in the ways of the world. He is a born mainpulator, gifted at conducting negotiations and arriving at a position of power and authority be means of the agility of his mind rather than the strength of his body. He is a man of ideas, a patron of the arts and scinces, an expert in law and a leader in business. He seeks power and the fulfilment of his own high ambitions, and is adept at deverting the tides of fortune into channels that suit his own ends. He instinctively works in secret, behind the scenes, and avoids taking others into his confidence whenever possible. His motives remain hidden, and he is often distrusted or feared by those around him. He commands respect, but not love.
Reversed: He is treacherous, dishonest, caring only for himself, seeking always for the solution that is expedient. the only responsibility he feels is towards himself, and he has no moral sense. He involves those associated with him in evil, vice and scandal.

Queen of Cups

Upright: She is highly imaginative and artistically gifted, affectionate and romantic in outlook, and she creates an otherworldly atmosphere around herself. She is highly intuitive and her instincts can be trusted. she has an ethereal beauty which does not depend on external aids. She is easily influenced by events and the people she comes into contact with, and can become all things to all men. She evokes a happiness that is not dependent on earthly success.
Reversed: A dreamer who cannot be trusted. Her word is meaningless, as she changes her opinions and loyaties as the mood takes her. She is naturally perverse and can lead others to destruction in pursuit of some idle fantasy.

Knight of Cups

Upright: He is enthusiastic, amiable, open to new ideas. He is a bringer of ideas, offers and opportunities. He is artistic and refined, but easily bored and in need of constant stimulation. He has high principles, but is easily led.
Reversed: false promises begind a fair countenance, duplicity and fraud. He shows an inability to discern where truth ends and falsehood begins.

Knave of Cups

Upright: He is a poetic youth much given to quiet reflection and meditative study. He has a fund of useful knowledge and gives his advice freely when asked. He is painstaking and gifted with great foresight.
Reversed: He has much surface knowledge, but is essentially a jack-of-all-trades. He is selfish, seeking to keep what he knows to himself, and given to much quiet scheming. He has an appreciation of beauty, but not enough application to become an artist.

Ten of Cups

Upright: A peaceful and secure environment. the search for fulfilment is crowned with success. Perfect love and concord between people.
Reversed: Disruption of an ordered routine, anti-social actions, selfish exploitation of the goodwill of others. Manipulation of society for personal ends.

Nine of Cups

Upright: Emotional stability, contentment, a benign outlook, kindliness, liberality, generosity of spirit, feeligs of well-being. Inner security which radiates a general aura of goodwill. An affectionate nature. Circumstances which foster these qualities.
Reversed: Complacency, self-satisfaction, vanity, conceit, sentimentality, an overlooking of the faults in others which can lead to abuse of hospitality.

Eight of Cups

Upright: Changes in the sphere of the affections. The severing of links with the past which have outlived their relevance. A turning away from established relationships and objects of affection in order to progress to something new and deeper. Can indicate disillusion with the present which inaugurates the growth of greater contentment in the future. A change of viewpoint of perspective.
Reversed: Rejection of established love in favour of the pursuit of some impossible ideal. Restlessness and dissatisfaction which leads to the abandonment of that which has been well-founded.

Seven of Cups

Upright: A card of choice. The enquirer is faced with several alternatives, one of which is of exceptional promis. But great perception is needed for this to be seen. The suggestion here is to examine one's aims and goals carefully if a major error of judgement is to be avoided. The Seven of Cups also sometimes indicates mystical experience of an inspiring kind.
Reversed: Self-delusion, fantasy, reliance on false hopes. Opportunity lost through inaction. Deception in matters of love.

Six of Cups

Upright: Happiness built on past efforts. Harmony, well-being, pleasant memories and the realisation of a dream. Things of the past bringing pleasure in the present. The card also indicates new elements entering one's life which are linked in some strange way with the past, buyt which cause a renewal of activity in the present. The past, working through the present, will create the future.
Reversed: Nostalgia, and constant hankering after that which is gone and can never return. Failure through an inability to adapt to changing conditions.

Five of Cups

Upright: The cup of happiness is overturned, harmony is replaced by worry and a sense of loss. Melancholy and disappointment are indicated here, yet though something is taken, alternatives remain to be explored. Indicates a need for a reassessment of one's life, followed by a major restructuring. If this can be done, then all is not lost.
Reversed: Ill-luck which leaves one feeling bereft and impotent. Worries and anxieties which arrive unexpectedly.

Four of Cups

Upright: Emotional happiness and fulfilment which has reached its peak and can proceed no further. The establishment of a family. The passive enjoyment of that which has already been attained. But the card also indicates a new dissatisfaction which the things of this world cannot assuage. Fulfilment having been attained, what can follow? Love is perhaps turning into familiarity.
Revesed: Satiety, excesses of all kinds. Fatigue or ill-health resulting from over-indulgence.

Three of Cups

Upright: Great happiness resulting from a marriage or a birth. The coming to fruition of something which was conceived in love. The card of maternity, abundant fertility, comfort, solicitation, trust, harmony, felicity and the healing of ills.
Reversed: Unbridled passion, sex without love, self-indulgence, sensuality, famine, illness, the selfish exploitation of the affections of others.

Two of Cups

Upright: Love, emotional affinity, understanding, sympathy, joyous harmony, the reconciliation of opposites in mutual trust and fealty. Friendship, cooperation, the signing of a treaty, the end of a feud or rivalry, the resolving of arguments in happy agreement.
Reversed: Dissent, separation, divorce, deceit or unfaithfulness in a personal relationship. The throwing away of a valuable gift, the betrayal of trust. Also jealousy, vindictiveness, irresponsible revealing of the affairs of another.

Ace of Cups

Upright: The feminine, passive power of gestation. The primal quiescence of the Element of water. Nourishment, protection, the processes of creation, faithfulness, the faculty of feeling. Great fruitfulness is indicated, also fertility and the workings of love in the world. Can predict marriage, future motherhood, joy and plenty.
Reversed: Barrenness, the failure of love, stagnation, despair, loss of faith.

SWORDS (Epees)

King of Swords

Upright: He is mentally alert, inventive, of an original turn of mind, and is essentially rational in outlook. He is an advocate of law and order and an upholder of authority. He seeks executive office in order to see his ideas put into practice. Because of his versatility he often fails through lack of steady purpose; having formulated one plan he then proceeds to the next one with undue haste. He is an advocate of modernity at the expense of tradition.
Reversed: He is calculating, impersonal, deliberately cruel, even sadistic. He is capable of the utmost evil in pursuit of his intellectual goals. He may produce chaos in the name of order.

Queen of Swords

Upright: She is highly intelligent, has a complex personality, and is concerned with attention to detail and accuracy in all things. She is alert to the attitudes and opinions of those around her, and skilled at balancing opposing factions whilst she furthers her own schemes. She is self-reliant, swift-acting, versatile and inventive.
Reversed: She is devious, underhand, an expert in the use of the half-truth or quiet slander. Her subtlety and keenness of intellect make her a dangerous enemy.

Knight of Swords

Upright: He is courageous, strong, highly skilled and at his best in a difficult situation. He indicates the approach of battles that must be fought and enemies who must be defeated by strength of arms. He is the archetypal warrior.
Reversed: He is headstrong, careless, heedless of warnings, impatient with details. He is fierce in action but has little staying power. He tends to start things which he cannot finish.

Knave of Swords

Upright: He is vigilant and keen-sighted, and makes a good personal emissary. He is diplomatic and skilled in debate, and is able to discern the true nature of any affair, no matter how involved. He is an expert negotiator on behalf of his superiors.
Reversed: He is devious and given to prying into the affairs of others without good reason. He can be vidictive if crossed, and seeks out hidden weaknesses in his enemies whilst professing admiration and friendship for them.

Ten of Swords

Upright: Desolation, disruption and ruin - generally referring to a group or community rather than an individual. But cause for hope is suggested here. This card represents the nadir - the lowest point in this cycle of fortune. From now on things can only get better. The worst has already been experienced.
Reversed: The false dawn. An apparent lightening of burdens or release from affliction; but this will prove to be illusory or of temporary significance. The suffering will continue.

Nine of Swords

Upright: Deception, disappointment, failure, cruelty, unreasoning passions, violence, scandal; all of which can be combated by resignation, passive obedience, faith and calculated inaction. This is the card of the martyr; it brings strength and new life out of suffering.
Reversed: Malice, misery, slander, complete isolation from help and comfort.

Eight of Swords

Upright: Restriction, major difficulties, enforced isolation and adverse circumstances dictated by fate. These can, however, be gradually overcome by patient effort and attention to detail. this card appears on the surface to be very unfortunate in meaning, yet serves to indicate that a cycle of adversity is coming to an end, and that changes for the better are already operating in one's life. But this is not an automatic process; opportunities must be grasped.
Reversed: Despair, frustration, depression, hard work with little reward. Misapplication of effort.

Seven of Swords

Upright: This card advises prudence and foresight when facing powerful opposition. Although a direct confrontation would be disastrous, victory can yet be attained by seeking out the enemy's weak points and disarming him in advance. But courage and perseverance are required. Great danger is stressed, but also the possibility of triumph through cunning.
Reversed: Surrender when victory is almost attained, failure of nerve or effort, reluctance to carry through a daring course of action when it is needed.

Six of Swords

Upright: The solving of immediate problems, a moving away from imminent danger. Does not suggest complete success which absolves the need for further struggle, but indicates that some major obstacle had been overcome and progress can be resumed. May indicate travel away from trouble to more harmonious circumstances and surroundings.
Reversed: Success which is hardly won before further obstacles become apparent. Indicates a need for continuing effort and fortitude. Warns that attempts to escape from difficulties without solving them will not be successful.

Five of Swords

Upright: Defeat, loss, dishonour, which cannot be overcome. The card implies that this must be accepted before future success in other directions can be achieved. Indicates a need to curb futile belligerence, swallow pride and accept the inevitable.
Reversed: Disaster as a result of weakness or indecision, malice, spite, treachery. Beware of someone acting in this fashion in your affairs.

Four of Swords

Upright: Peace and order established in the midst of strife through strength and the exercise of arms. Law and firm administration in troubled times. Rest and the opportunity to recuperate from the ravages of battle. A welcome retreat from the stresses of life. Can indicate necessary hospitalisation.
Reversed: Cowardice, a reluctance to face opposition. Exile, banishment, enforced seclusion, imprisonment, failure of nerve, depression.

Three of Swords

Upright: Necessary strife and conflict. Destruction of that which is obsolete in order to clear the ground for what will come after. Disruption, upheaval, separation and discord, but all with a positive end in view - the establishment of something better.
Reversed: War, discord, strife, conflict, quarrels, enmity. Great disorder, either physical or mental. The breaking of a truce.

Two of Swords

Upright: Equilibrium, the interplay of the opposing forces of the universe which results in life. Truth and beauty arising from strife and dissent. Truce, peace and justice through the perfect balance of opposing arms or elements. Friendship in adversity.
Reversed: Love of tension and discord for its own sake. The deliberate stirring up of trouble. Trickery, deceit, betrayal, selfishness, the abuse of confidence, lack of self-control.

Ace of Swords

Upright: Victory, success, triumph, the operation of irresistible force. The symbol of divine justice and authoriyt, the forging of strength in adversity. The faculty of thought. This card indicates that all enterprises will succeed, despite apparently overwhelming odds. the start of progress which cannot be halted or diverted. Necessary change; a breaking down in order that something better might be built. Freedom resulting from the removal of restraints.
Reversed: Wanton destruction, negative force, uncontrolled violence, power misused. Restriction imposed by foce or fear. Injustice, the usurping of divine authority by human will.

COINS (Pentacles, Deniers)

King of Coins

Upright: He is of a practical, down-to-earth nature; cautious, methodical, skilled in practical techniques and traditional crafts. He is loyal, trustworthy and patient. He has an inborn wisdom that enables him to achive material success and even amass great wealth, despit his lack of imagination or intellectual deviousness. He is somewhat inarticulate, but is capable of deep thought along lines that engage his interest. He is slow to give affection, but devoted to those he loves; he is slow to anger, but implacable towards those he hates.
Reversed: He is dull, materialistic, impervious to beauty or refinement. He is unable to adapt to change, and remains committed to outmoded ways of acting and thinking long after they are generally dead. He is weak, servile, insular, easily bought.

Queen of Coins

Upright: she is sensible, down-to-earth, wise and compassionate. She is a lover of comfort, splendour, ostentation, the grand occasion and the grand manner. She is lavish in her affection and her gifts, magnanimous and forgiving. she has a responsible attitude to her wealth, and uses it to support and advance those in her domain. She is not unduly intelligent or intuitive, but has a highly developed sense of feeling. She appreciates the good things of life.
Reversed: She is grasping, miserly, or else a spendthrift. She pours her wealth into new forms of display, extravagant luxury, overwhelming opulence. She is narrow in her outlook and suspicious of what she does not understand. She uses her power to surround herself with sycophants and shut out criticism or reproach. Her life is circumscribed by her material possessions and she is unable to rise above them.

Knight of Coins

Upright: He is the defender of what is generally thought right and true. He follows a high code of honour based on conventional stndards. He is the upholder of tradition an age-old values. Patient in opposition, he relies for inspiration on established authority rather than his own judgement. He is a lover of practical virtues rather than abstract principles.
Reversed: He is the champion of an outmoded system against the forces of progress. He is complacent, smug, dulll-witted and lacking in foresight.

Knave of Coins

Upright: He is thrifty, conscientious, proud of the responsibility he carries. He is diligent in the performance of his duties and is essentially honourable. He has a sound business sense and makes a good administrator.
Reversed: He is idle, dull-witted, too meticulous, lacking in humour, full of a sense of his own importance. He enjoys wielding the degree of power that is his over those beneath him.

Ten of Coins

Upright: Inheritance, family wealth, blood ties. Prosperity built up through successive generations. Material security founded on the labours of one's ancestors. Can indicate good fortune regarding a will or dowry. The establishment of a family tradition.
Reversed: The restricting effects of long tradition. Problems regarding legitimacy and lines of succession. Burglary, or the breaking up of an estate after a death.

Nine of Coins

Upright: Material success, comfort, appreciation, popularity. Good sense and sound adminstrative ability which produces order out of chaos.
Reversed: Prosperity gained by devious means, success which rests on the misfortunes of others. A warning that present stability will not endure for long.

Eight of Coins

Upright: Advantageous change in material circumstances. The turning of skills to ends which are satisfying and profitable. Labour bringing its reward. Indicates a time when efforts should be extended to bring about lasting success in the future. An auspicious card for anyone with talent or energy.
Reversed: A concentration on immediate returns at the expense of long term success. The misuse of skill, dishonesty in business affairs. Diversion of opportunities into improper ends.

Seven of Coins

Upright: Possible material success, but inertia must be combated if it is to be grasped. Indicates that efforts made in the past may be wasted through inaction in the present. A warning that loss and disappointment are imminent; swift action must be taken to retain the fruit of one's labours. But all is not yet lost - good fortune is still possible.
Reversed: Loss, abandonment, monetary worries that are self-induced, promising circumstances that end in failure.

Six of Coins

Upright: Balance and solvency in material affairs. Income equals expenditure and the wheels of commerce turn smoothly. this is the card of the philanthropist, who uses his wealth not to build himself up, but to help others rise in the world also. It indicates charity, sympathy, kindness of heart, and the gratitude of one who has been well-favoured by fortune. Gifts, awards, help from above, patronage.
Reversed: Prodigality, carelessness with money, loss through theft or deceit, wealth used for self-aggrandisement and the acquisition of personal possessions.

Five of Coins

Upright: Poverty, destitution, material worries, unemployment, loss of security. This card warns of severe material adversities ahead, but suggests that enforced restriction in one area of life may open up possibilities in others. Important bonds may be formed with those in similar circumstances, and avenues still remain to be explored. the message here is "do not despair".
Reversed: Adversity which could be escaped from were it not for obstinacy and lack of imagination. Indicates that determinationn to proceed along a current path can only bring ruin, never success.

Four of Coins

Upright: Complete material stability. The establishment of a financial or commercial empire. Triumph and the assumption of authority in business. Power achieved through acquisition of goods and possesions. The card indicates that monetary problems will be overcome and obstacles to business success removed. It shows law and order achieved through commercial transactions and peaceful negotiations rather than the imposition of force.
Reversed: Covetousness, an inability to delegate authority, over-centralisation of power and resources, bureaucratic methods which destroy individual initiative. Opposition to change for fear of loss of what has been established.

Three of Coins

Upright: Successful progress in commercial and business ventures. The building up of future prosperity through originality and consistent effort. this is the card of the businessman, the merchant, and the craftsman. Rewards given to skill exercised at the right time. Indicates the success of any project commenced at this time, also the praise and appreciation of those whose opinion matters. Help and cooperation in commercial enterprises is indicated, and the establishment of a dynasty on firm foundations.
Reversed: Effort which results in disappointment and failure. Just criticism from those one respects. Obstinacy in the face of a need to desist. Conceit or prejudice which makes one unable to benefit from the advice or experience of others.

Two of Coins

Upright: The cycles of change at work in ther world, the natural fluctuations of fortune which must be allowed for when planning ahead. Indicates movement and changes that are imminent - news, communications, journeys, all connected with business, money, material preoccupations. Stimulating developments which give birth to an atmosphere of light-heartedness, laughter, joy in the pleasures of society. Skillful navigation of the waters of existence, knowledgeable manipulation of the rules of life to attain continuing success.
Reversed: Reckless elation, foolhardy discounting of warnings of impending trouble. Loss of opportunities for future sucess through concnetration on the pleasures of the moment. Unstable effort, inability to carry ideas or projects through to a successful conclussion. Inconsistency of action which negates possibilitties of success. Can indicate drunkenness or over-indulgence in physical pleasures.

Ace of Coins

Upright: Security, firm foundations, wealth, possessions, appreciation of physical beauty, sensuousness. The faculty of sensation. Material comfort, appreciation of the good things of life, the approach to the spirit through the ghings of earth. the stability and luxury of the Element of Earth. Stoicism, the ability to endure adversity with steadfastness.
Reversed: Greed, avarice, miserliness, dependence on physical pleasures for happiness, materialism, lack of faith in anything beyond this world, fear of death, the pursuit of power and influence as ends in themselves. Lack of imagination or inability to alter fixed patterns of thinking or behaviour.