Minor Arcana

Queen of Swords

The Queen, portrayed by Ted in a feminine, regal pose, sits serenely in the castle chamber, surrounded by books and writing materials, the symbols of intellectual thought. She holds a small sword, at rest for the moment, as if not immediately needed. In the other paw, there is a small flower. On the wall is a plaque bearing the alchemical symbol for air, the element of thought, in a form that may be used for meditation. The predominant colours of the whole picture are yellow, the colour of the air element, together with its complementary colour, blue.

The Queen may be a ruler in her own right, or the consort of a King. In either case, she has considerable power over events of the world, and how they affect herself and others, although that power may not always be obvious to an outsider. We see here someone who tries to control their life through the medium of rational thought, rather than impulse or emotion. Not necessarily someone who is academically clever, although they may very well be so.

The court cards are often interpreted as representing a person, either the querent or somebody important in the querent’s life. Here, it would be someone who operates primarily on the level of rational thought. They will be of mature age. Roughly speaking, this could be anything from, say, the mid twenties onwards, although this does vary a great deal from person to person. The card may represent a woman, but could also represent the feminine nature that is present in every human being, regardless of how they may express themselves to the world.

Divination

Although the person depicted here appears relaxed and confident, there may be an undefinable, although slight, sense of wistfulness or disconnection. Perhaps there is some regret that not enough attention has been made to the emotional and intuitive side of being, which can happen as a result of too much emphasis on making decisions based on rational thought alone.

For experts

• Temperament Intelligence, Maturity
• Astrology Libra ♎

You can see these cards at their best in the finished deck of Ted’s Tarot. Buy it here.