Queen of Swords
Her right hand raises the weapon vertically and the hilt rests on an arm of her royal chair the left hand is extended, the arm raised her countenance is severe but chastened; it suggests familiarity with sorrow. It does not represent mercy, and, her sword notwithstanding, she is scarcely a symbol of power. Divinatory Meanings: Widowhood, female sadness and embarrassment, absence, sterility, mourning, privation, separation. Reversed: Malice, bigotry, artifice, prudery, bale, deceit.
A. E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)
She is a strong, idealistic and aloof woman, unmarried, widowed or divorced, a successful career woman with competitive qualities, with shrewdness and intelligence. But she is disappointed in love through having too high ideals. Her father wished for a male child and refused to accept her value as a woman. This fight alongside the man is the effort to prove herself and her pride to a father-god who is ultimately always beyond one's reach, for one is never quite good enough simply because one is made of flesh. This identification with the masculine world of the mind brings her emotional frustration and isolation, because she makes herself untouchable.
Queen of Clouds: Morality
Morality has restricted all the juice and energy of life to the narrow confines of her mind. It can't flow there, so she really has become 'a dried up old prune'. Her whole manner is very proper and stiff and severe, and she is always ready to see every situation as black and white, like the jewel she wears around her neck.
The Queen of Clouds lurks in the minds of all of us who have been brought up with rigid ideas of good and bad, sinful and virtuous, acceptable and unacceptable, moral and immoral. It's important to remember that all these judgments of the mind are just products of our conditioning. And whether our judgments are applied to ourselves or to others, they keep us from experiencing the beauty and godliness that lies within. Only when we break through the cage of our conditioning and reach the truth of our own hearts can we begin to see life as it really is.
Tarot of the Ages - Mario Garizio ©1988 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and the feminine are at conflict. She never shows her emotional side, but her judgement can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor a fair judge. The Greek myth of Atalanta comes to mind when viewing this card (and not just because Atalanta is the Queen of Swords in the Mythic Tarot!). Atalanta was a woman who lived to the standards of men, and who would not accept the love of any man except one would could defeat her in battle. When someone did beat her, their love was squandered and destroyed.
Most of the time, the Queen of Swords shows a person in your life. Such a person is always renowned for their perception and insight. The intuitive quality of the Water element and the mental clarity of the Swords are behind this potent combination, and in this case the two elements are not opposite to one another. This keen vision allows the Queen of Swords to see straight to the heart of any situation, past the illusions that may entice others into seeing what isn't really there. She always sees both sides of every argument and those who try to deceive her are in for a big surprise - thieves and con artists will quickly taste her cold steel.
The negative side of the Queen of Swords stems in part from her honesty and desire for the truth. Once she has a view of the situation she lets everyone involved know her opinion, and heaven help them if they disagree! Her mind is as sharp as a razor and when it is not occupied slicing away lies, it will start to cut the perceived liars. This type of person often has very few friends, and they are often depressed and unsatisfied with themselves because they cannot live up to their own high standards. The Queen of Swords often uses her dry and vicious humor to keep others from seeing her bitterness and her dissatisfaction.
Each of us is a bit like the Queen of Swords, some more than others. Often, her ability to perceive the truth despite a web of lies will prove useful if there are hints of deception. Tapping the power of the Queen of Swords will help you see what is being hidden, if anything. Her stoicism and her "stiff upper lip" are a sign that she considers painful experiences to be learning experiences, and that you should start thinking this way too. She learns a little from everything she does and from everyone she meets, and everyone who talks with her goes away a little wiser - whether they realize it or not!
Tarot of the Dream Enchantress ©2009 Lo Scarabeo