Queen of Swords and the Tarot
The Queen of Swords, Le Reine des Epées, La Reina de Espadas
What does the Queen of Swords mean? Check out some of the following definitions.
Queen of Swords and the Tarot
The Queen of Swords, Le Reine des Epées, La Reina de Espadas
What does the Queen of Swords mean? Check out some of the following definitions.
Description: The Queen of Epees is respendent in beautiful robes. She stands with upraised sword. Her left hand is raised as if to signify recognition or generousity. She is one who has suffered a great loss.
Divinatory Meaning: This card means a sharp, quick-witted, keen person. Possibly the bearer of evil or slanderous words. May signify a widow or woman of sadness. Mourning. Privation. Loneliness. Separation.
Reverse Meaning: The reverse meaning of this card is narrowmindedness. Malicousness. Bigotry. Deceitfulness. Vengefulness. Prudishness. A treacherous enemy.
The Queen of Swords indicates a woman who is blessed (or cursed) with sharp perception, and highly honed intuition. She is acutely analytical, with a razor-sharp ability to get to the heart of a situation, seeing exactly what is, rather than what others would wish her to see.
She is a private woman, unwilling to let people too close to her until she is satisfied she thoroughly understands their motivations. But once won as a friend, she is unfailingly loyal, honest and supportive.
She's usually very intelligent, with a dry sense of humour. Her penetrating insight will often reveal aspects of themselves to others that they had previously been unable to grasp - thus she is a capable therapist, teacher or leader.
The woman represented by this card will be experienced in the flow of life, understanding a great deal about both the great triumphs, and the deepest failings of the race. Her clarity and measured expression will be of great value at times of confusion and sadness.
Sometimes in a reading, this card will turn up to indicate a woman in a particular phase of her life, where she temporarily becomes a Sword as a result of what is happening to her. In that case the card is not quite so positively defined, for it can indicates a woman left alone, and perhaps embittered. She may be a widow, or a woman passing through the aftermath of divorce.
In this case we often see the more negative aspects of the Queen - coldness, judgementalism, criticism. At these times there is a certain sourness about her, cynicism and sharpness making themselves felt.
It should be said that these qualities are inherent to the woman who is a Queen of Swords by nature too - if the woman concerned has not evolved sufficiently you will often find that the card represents a person who is hard and cold toward others.
Here we see the Queen of perception and insight. It's a hard thing to pull the wool over the eyes of somebody like this - they will look beyond the face we present and see to the very core of the being. That's one reason why this Queen often represents a woman who stirs deep and complex reactions in the people who come into contact with her. They can feel uneasy, discomforted and awkward when being observed by her. But they may also feel open, relieved and glad to have found somebody with such long sight.
On a day ruled by her, we need to practise our own powers of perception. But rather than dealing with the imaginal psychic quality that is rightly the realm of the Queen of Cups, we must now turn our attention to the everyday world. For though the Queen of Swords is often highly spiritually developed, she is also absorbed by the intricacies of the process of life. Therefore she looks closely at what happens in life around her.
On this day, try to remind yourself to study the interactions you have with others. Don't just deal with the face value. Struggle to seek behind that mask for the whole being beyond.
Everybody takes up roles, plays out games, displays masks. We have 'professional' faces, which fit each of our roles. And we can become forgetful of the fact that every person we meet does the same thing. Only when we come to know a person well do we recognise the complexity that lies behind the mask.
Recognise yourself when you take up a mask. Know that at this moment you are acting like (for instance) a working person doing their job, or a family member loving the family, or a person alone and taking a bath. Look hard at yourself. You take up roles. Use this day to begin to identify them clearly. Examine the way that you feel differently in each situation. And recognise that though each of those roles is an expression of you, not one single one of them IS you.
Then take that realisation beyond you into the world.......
Affirmation: My life is a constant and glorious exploration.
Honestfaces the truth, even if unpleasant
is up front with everyone
likes everything on the table
plays by the rules
avoids lies and deception
Astute
sizes up a situation quickly
understands hidden motives and desires
is difficult to fool, trick or con
figures out the unspoken rules and agendas
is quick on the uptake
Forthright
is direct and open in all dealings
gets to the heart of the matter
acts without pretense or guile
is straightforward and no-nonsense
can be candid when necessary
Witty
has a delightful sense of humor
diffuses awkward situations with a funny remark
never takes anything too seriously
laughs at everything, including him or herself
Experienced
has seen and done it all
has strength due to life's hard knocks
is free of self-righteous judgments
has realistic expectations
The personality of the Queen of Swords combines the positive air energy of the Swords suit with the inward focus of a Queen. You can always count on her to tell you exactly how it is. Above all else she admires honesty, and she lives by her commitment to being truthful. Lies, tricks and games are of no interest to her, but she's not easy to fool. She is experienced in the ways of the world, good and bad. The Queen of Swords can size up a situation quickly. She understands human folly, but doesn't condemn it. She knows when cow manure is being thrown around and simply finds clever ways around it. She prefers being straightforward and direct. Her observations are candid, but never hurtful.
In fact, this Queen has a delightful sense of humor. She likes a good laugh and always has a witty comeback ready-to-hand. She knows that life isn't meant to be taken too seriously. The Queen of Swords is refreshing in her candor and lack of pretense.
In readings, the Queen of Swords asks you to think and feel as she does. For example: Are you being completely honest? (Check this one first!) Do you see the humor in the situation? Are you getting right to the point? Have you figured out what's really going on? Are you letting yourself be fooled?
This Queen can also represent a man or woman who is like her, or an atmosphere of honest, direct communication. In a reading, she tells you that her special energy has meaning for you at this time. Let yourself be inspired by this Queen in whatever form she appears in your life.
BTW the tarot corresonds to cards in a regular deck. Swords would be the Spades, hence Queen of Swords would be Queen of Spades in a regular deck. Perhaps they should have gone this route, as a regular deck of cards would be much easier to come by than a tarot deck. Especially if she's going to be leaving cards after every encounter with Col. Montoya et al. And in Spanish Queen of Swords would be La Reina de Espadas.
How hard is it to find historically accurate Tarot cards? Maybe 30 min. on the internet. The following cards would be historically appropriate for 1817 California.
First you go to U.S. Games. then you click on Tarot cards. Then you click on Historical Pre-1800.
You'll find:
Ancient Minchiate Etruria Deck ($20 U.S. Games)
Reproduction of a Florentine deck originally printed in 1725. Booklet of instructions in English.
Visconti-Sforza Pierpont Morgan Tarocchi Deck ($40 U.S. Games.)
Facsimile reproduction of 74 extant cards from the15th century plus four cards recreated to replace cards missing from the original deck. The allegorical images depict in miniature the life and character in Milan during the Renaissance. The original cards are divided between the Pierpont MorganLibrary in New York, the Accademia Carrara, and the Colleoni family of Bergamo,Italy.
Here is another review of this deck.
Spanish/English Tarot Deck ($15 at U.S. Games)
Based upon a Liguria-Piedmontese tarot deck printed from crude woodblocks in 1736, this tarot deck features card titles and booklet of instructions in Spanish and English.
Tarot of Marseilles Deck ($16 U.S. Games)
An authentic reproduction of Tarot of Marseilles decks, which were popular for several hundred years. Card titles and booklet in English and French.
Cary-Yale Visconti Tarocchi Deck ($40 U.S. Games.)
Complete tarot deck of 86 cards comprises 22 Major Arcana and 64 Minor Arcana. Includes facsimile reproduction of 67 tarocchi cards from the Cary Collection of Playing Cards, housed in The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University. Nineteen cards have been recreated to replace missing originals. Each suit in the Minor Arcana contains both male and female Knights and Pages in addition to the King and Queen for a total of 16 cards per suit.
Ancient Tarots of Lombardy Deck ($20 U.S. Games.)
Painted by Milanese artist Ferdinando Gumppenberg in 1810. Card titles in Italian. Instructions in English, French, German, and Italian.
1JJ Swiss Tarot which is reproduced by Muller & Cie. ($15 U.S. Games)
Here's another great site for a long list of available tarot cards.
Alright. You have your cards. Now what do you do? You take an online course in Learning the Tarot! 
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