TITLE OF CARD IN RW DECK: Queen of Swords
ALTERNATE NAMES: Air Queen, Intelligent Mother of Life
BASIC DESCRIPTION (RW): A
stern-faced woman in profile on a stone throne decorated
with a cherub and butterflies. Her crown is also
butterflies, and her cape is sky blue with clouds. She holds
a sword straight up in her right hand, and the hilt appears
to rest on the arm of the throne. Her left hand is open and
seemingly inviting. Something dangles from her left
wrist--perhaps the severed ends of a previous bondage.
Thunderheads build in the distance, but the sky above is
clear, with a single bird.
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: She seems like a
hard-ass; much too serious as a result of too much
responsibility. Or perhaps she simply takes her
responsibilities seriously. Also, the yellow of her crown
stands out among the more subtle blues and grays on the
card.
UPRIGHT MEANINGS AND TRAITS:
Liberator of the Mind. Intelligence,
perception, discernment, concentration, attentiveness,
clarity. Keen observer; a person of sharp insight,
astute and persuasive, powerful and thorough, rational and
objective. Can be subtle or cunning, but generally
honest, up front, forthright, open, fair-minded,
guileless, direct, candid. An intense individualist,
independent, experienced, resilient, strong,
courageous, capable, disciplined, witty,
gracious and just. Widowhood, mourning,
separation, privation, severity, sterility, acquaintance
with sadness. "A woman touched by sadness over the loss of a
loved one. She could be a widow or divorced, anyone who has
suffered a loss and is left to fend for herself and those
she loves." (Hansson)
ALSO: Power of careful
analysis. The sword of spirit penetrating matter and
informing it. (Gray) Cutting through old masks and roles.
(Ziegler) Her movements will be graceful, and her ability in
dancing and balancing exceptional. (Crowley) Joy in the
creative process; pride in one's creations; making something
from nothing; letting what you love grow in its own light;
vigilance against threats to new or hard-won
accomplishments. Delight in children or grandchildren;
parenting skills; family pride. (Hoover)
REVERSED MEANINGS AND TRAITS:
"Consuming fire: the flames of the martyrdom of Joan
of Arc, Phaedra's misguided passion, Medea's jealousy, Lady
MacBeth's ambition. Fire, if left to burn unchecked, can
consume the soul." (Williams) Distinguished woman not to be
trusted; double-dealing with her two-edged sword; snake in
the nest. When opposed, she can be cruel, malicious,
spiteful, vengeful, bitter, narrow-minded,
bigoted, intolerant, maligning, critical,
discouraging, demanding, deceitful, manipulative,
sly, artificial, prudish. "A strong mind turned nasty,
especially as a reaction to pain or pressure from unpleasant
situations or people." (Pollack)
ALSO: Overemphasis on sorrow.
Imagined slights. Nervous, neurotic behavior. "One who wraps
themselves up in an exhausting whirlwind of activity,
dancing, gymnastics, socializing, working, mindless
fun--anything to suppress deep sadness. Fear of being
overtaken by depression." (Hansson) A witch in league with
the fiends of hell.
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Gracious in defeat, modest in victory. Real and unpretencious. Grace, poise, elegance, beauty, class, artistry, balance, intelligence, perspective, integrity, self-confidence, technical prowess, perfection, power, passion, courage, determination, no fear. |
BIBLICAL: "For the affair of
the queen will go out to all the wives so that they will
despise their owners in their own eyes, when they say, 'King
Ahasuerus himself said to bring in Vashti the queen
before him, and she did not come in.'"--Esther 1:17
"As regards Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah, she saw
that her son had died. So she rose up and destroyed all the
royal offspring of the house of Judah."--2 Chronicles
22:10
See also Jezebel--1 Kings 21, 2 Kings 9:30-37
INSECT: praying mantis
LOCATION: Sweden?
MUSIC: "Woman of the World" by
Aerosmith
FILM: "First Wives Club"?
BOOK: Mists of
Avalon--Morgaine
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PUBLIC PEOPLE:
Ayn Rand |
OCCUPATIONS: seamstress, consultant, blackmailer, secretary. If extroverted, an administrator, an organizer. (Williams) Journalism, media, technology, science. (Matthews)
PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS IN MY
LIFE: fishing vacation
PERSONAL THOUGHTS: I've always thought of this card
as "woman without a man." On the positive side--independent;
but perhaps at times unrestrained in her "ambition,"
whatever that may be. (For example, I would say that
Victoria's "ambition" was to mourn.)
The Queen of Swords doesn't necessarily let the "right" or
"normal" thing stand in the way of her idea, obsession or
whatever. Mother Theresa would be a good example. She didn't
have what we would call a normal (i.e., worldy) life, but
she acted on her ideas/principles unconstrained.
On the downside would be the prominent business woman who
helped my brother's community center/tea house, only to
sabotage him "for the good of the neighborhood" and get the
property for herself (her ambition).
Or me, when my husband is on his fishing vacation, and I
work with/study Tarot the whole time, and don't get anything
*else* done. = P
PERSON IN MY LIFE: Lyn Romano--an intelligent, persuasive, direct, independent, strong, resilient widow, with an accent on sorrow and loss. "Rosebush" on the 'net but by her own admission a thorn in the side of airline authorities and manufacturers. Since her husband died in the crash of SR111, she has devoted much time, energy and resources to airline safety. International Aviation Safety Association
QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES: A woman is like a tea bag--only in hot water do you realize how strong she is.--Nancy Reagan
