13. Queen of Swords
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Rank: Queen
Card Title: Queen of Swords
Esoteric Title: Queen of the Thrones of Air
Astrological Attribution: Libra (cardinal air)
Decans: 20° Virgo to 20° Libra
Dates & Timing: September 12 to October 12
Corresponding Trump: Justice
Elemental Attributions: Water (cold, wet) of Air (hot,wet)
Elemental Combination: The Emotions transform the Intellect
Qabalistic World: Binah in Yetzirah
Translation of World: The Understanding of Formation
Suit Color: Swords- Yellow
Keywords: Bright, Sharp Tongued, Stern, Determined, Dominating, Cautious, Intelligent, Analytical, Fair, Independent, Perceptive, Compassionate, keen observer, Intense Individualist, Rational, Confidant, Just, Gracious, Quick, Graceful, Accurate, Goal Oriented.
Ill-Dignified:Bitter, Malicious, Jealous, Prudish, Demanding, Browbeating, Pushy, Defensive, Untrusting, Intolerant, Gossip, Deceptive, Sly, Cruel, Unreliable, Cold, Unforgiving.
Interpretation
Temperament: Bright, Sharp Tongue, Strong Will, Take Charge, No-Nonsense, Stern, Determined, Dominating, Rough Exterior, Cautious, Strong, Intelligent, Analytical, Cold, Independent.. Needs A Man That Appreciates Her Mental Accomplishments And Strong Will.
Professions: Scientist, Analyst, Researcher, Editor, Computer Programmer, and Astrologer.
Developing: Developing a speech, making real a story, working on a debate, or just spreading news.
Meanings: Cutting through old masks and roles. Good Councilor. Spiritual depth caused by prolonged struggle. Research & Development. Investigation, instruction, training. New way of thinking.
Reversed Interpretation
Temperament: Bitter, Malicious, Jealous Prudish, Harsh Judge Of Others. Demanding & Brow Beating, Pushy Defensive, Untrusting, Intolerant, Spiteful, Gossip, Deceptive, Unforgiving.
Meanings: Lack of love in the past has caused a scar. Malicious gossip. Unrealistic expectation. Has a narrow outlook on life. Doesn’t see others view point. Loneliness. Cynicism.
Rider-Waite Imagery
The Queen of Swords is Water in the Realm of Air. This is the emotional quality of the mind. The Queen sits on her throne facing to the right (mercy). She has a sword in her right hand (mind, intellect) and has her left hand extended. Her throne has a winged child (her crest), butterflies (air) and a pair of moons (moon, Libra) There are windswept trees and a river (waters of emotion) in the background. The sky is blue (emotions) and has a single bird. The bottom third of the background is covered in clouds (divine origin). She is wearing a cloud cloak trimmed in orange and a butterfly crown (ruling the mind) and broach. Her white (purity) gown has red (desire) tassels on the sleeves. This queen is the physical manifestation of the Justice card. She is the one who enforces the law. She rules with fairness and justice.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite (1911)
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.
4 Some Additional Meanings of the Lesser Arcana
Queen.–A widow. Reversed: A bad woman, with ill-will towards the Querent.
The Recurrence of Cards in Dealing
In the Natural Position: 4 Queens = great debate; 3 Queens = deception by women; 2 Queens = sincere friends.
Reversed: 4 Queens = bad company; 3 Queens = gluttony; 2 Queens = work.
The Tarot of the Bohemians by Papus; tr. A. P Morton, [1896]
Signification of the Four Series of Minor Arcana in the Divining Tarot
SWORDS. Transformation. Hatred. War.
QUEEN OF SWORDS. A dark wicked woman. The card also indicates her actions, gossip and calumnies.
The Tarot by S.L. MacGregor Mathers [1888]
Meanings of the Cards
51. Queen of Swords.–Widowhood, Loss, Privation, Absence, Separation; R. A Bad Woman, ill-tempered and bigoted, Riches and Discord, Abundance together with Worry, Joy with Grief.
Additional Remarks
The following additional remarks may be serviceable to the to the inexperienced Cartomancer. They are chiefly taken from Etteilla.
51. Queen of Swords.–This is not necessarily to be taken by itself; it may signify that the person symbolised by the cards near it has just lost, or is likely soon to lose, wife or husband. In some instances it may merely signify that if two people are married, the one will die some time before the other, but not necessarily that the event will occur immediately.
The Court-Cards, and especially the Kings and Queens, may be taken to represent persons; in this case their additional meaning should not be read. The Swords represent very dark people; Pentacles, those not so dark; Cups, rather fair people; Wands or Sceptres, those much fairer, and so on. Many Wands together might signify feasting, many Cups lovemaking, Swords quarrelling and trouble, Coins or Pentacles money.
Where the mode of reading the cards requires that the person consulting should be represented, he should take one of the Kings to represent himself, according to his complexion. If a lady consults the cards, let her take one of the Queens; if she be rather fair, the Queen of Cups; if she be very fair, the Queen of Wands or Sceptres. If the inquirer be quite a youth or a boy, let him take one of the Knights; if a very young girl, let her take the Knave, etc. Etteilla’s plan was to take two of the Keys for Significators, that answering to the Pope for a man, that answering to the High Priestess for a woman; but I do not think this is so well. The worst of Etteilla’s system is that he so completely destroys the meanings of the Keys in his attempted rearrangement of them, as to make them practically useless for higher occult purposes.
Book "T" The Tarot
The Four Queens
are seated upon Thrones; representing the Forces of the He of the Name in each suit; the Mother and bringer-forth of Material Forces: a force which develops and realizes that of the King: a force steady and unshaken, but not rapid, though enduring. It is therefore symbolized by a Figure seated upon a Throne: but also clothed in Armour.
Princes and Queens shew almost always actual men and women connected with the matter.
XIV. The Queen of the Thrones of Air:
Queen of Swords
A GRACEFUL woman with wavy, curling hair, like a Queen seated upon a Throne and crowned. Beneath the Throne are grey cumulus clouds. Her general attire is as that of the Queen of Wands, but she wears as a crest a winged child’s head. A drawn sword in one hand, and in the other a large, bearded, newly severed head of a man.
Intensely perceptive, keen observation, subtle, quick and confident: often persevering, accurate in superficial things, graceful, fond of dancing and balancing.
If ill dignified, cruel, sly, deceitful, unreliable, though with a good exterior.
- Rules from 20 Degree Virgo to 20 Degree Libra.
- Water of Air
- Queen of the Sylphs and Sylphides.
Often the General signification of the Majority of a particular suit and of the particular signification of the either 3 of 4 cards of a sort in a reading:
- A Majority of Swords Trouble, sadness, sickness, death.
- A Majority of Court Cards Society, meetings of many persons.
- 4 Queens Authority, influence.
- 3 Queens Powerful friends.
