Tarot - Queen of Swords (First Posted Dec. 15, 2010)

First of all let us begin with an examination of the nature of a queen.

A queen is a woman who is placed in a position of great privilege.  BUT, the degree to which she is privileged is the exact degree to which she must assume responsibility for both herself and for all who dwell in her queendom.

As well, a queen is a woman who is mandated to rule over others yet this can only be accomplished with honour if she is prepared to fully serve those whom she holds power over.

For a queen to be a truly great she must be prepared to serve those who are the most vulnerable and who inhabit the lowest position in her realm.  And, of course, she must at all times do this willingly and with dignity.  In extreme cases, a queen must be prepared to die to protect those in her care.

This queen, The Queen of Air, holds an exalted position in – and rules over - those who dwell in the realm of thought.  And, of course, she does this through the power of her mind which has been honed and seasoned for exactly this great task.

Hers is a mind that is concerned with order, with fairness, with justice and with advancement of ideas that serve the common good.   Her royal throne is engraved with an angelic countenance and with butterflies signifying she is supported in her rulership by that which is both beneficent and transformative.

With her perfectly poised and upright sword in her right hand and her left extended she invites supplicants to approach and air their concerns before her unprejudiced mind.

Her floor length garment is dove gray in colour signifying her absolute calmness of mind but it is trimmed round the neck and sleeves with red to match her scarlet clad feet – denoting passion in subservience to reasonable thought.  Her royal robe is festooned with clouds on a sky blue background.  Its border and its inner lining is coloured a warm, sunny hue.  By this she declares her relationship to, and her authority over, all which exists in her queendom of air - even to its uppermost reaches.

Her very crown which sits atop her head is also of a butterfly motif which again signifies how high her thoughts are able to soar and also how transformative the application of her logic can be in an unclear situation.  All who approach her throne to petition her favour can be assured of the validity of her response for it will always be straight, well-thought out and crystal clear.

The Queen of Air rules with steel tempered always by justice.

PLEASE NOTE:  This interpretation is based purely on the feelings I experience when I  focus on, and merge with, the images in the card combined with how I understand the Minor Arcana of the Rider-Waite deck dovetails with the Tree of Life in the Qabalah (as taught by Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone, co-founders of The Tarot School in New York City, NY).