Queen of Swords

🎨 Weekly Creativity Prompt – Differing Perspectives

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Prompt: “Pull the Queen of Swords card from your deck(s). Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?“

Terra Volatile - Queen of SwordsTerra Volatile – She has a decapitated head dangling from one wrist and blood on her sword.  The Queen of Swords in this particular imagery is clearly going to not just be judicious, but deal with issues quickly and with precision.  There is no room for sentimentality here, and the situation the querent finds themselves in is going to need to be dealt with in much the same manner.  Don’t worry if you come  off seemingly cold-hearted, every harvest requires the chaff to be removed, and now’s the time to get that done.

Queen of Swords in the RTEXT Tarot, Stunning Tarot, and Zoomies Tarot

RTEXT Tarot – This deck has an interesting take on the Queen of Swords, blending her in with the Queen of Wands to draw in an element of fire and creative spark. It speaks of using your mind in creative ways, to think outside the box for solutions you can use to help and guide those around you. Experience resides in the blue cloak she wears, and it is through her experience that this Queen is strong in her leadership of others, guiding the way forward in what might possibly be considered unconventional and surprising ways.

Stunning Tarot – How often do our thoughts come without emotions attached to them?  Not often. In this card we see the queen as a mermaid, submerged within the water with her sword drawn, but held with a touch of restraint.  She wants to listen first, hear what you have to say, and hold off on judgement until she’s had time to sort through both her emotions and her thoughts and come to a solid conclusion. It is this energy that needs to be brought into the situation you find yourself in. Don’t react impulsively and take the time to sort out your emotions from your thoughts, weighing what you’ve learned and your internal reactions to it prior to speaking out or taking action.

Zoomies Tarot – “At the dogforsaken swingers club.” Dogs are playful and fun. If dogs are forsaken, it doesn’t sound like it’d be that much fun of a club, and the bored look of the frog on the swing seems to agree.  Take time to examine what is missing from the picture before you step forward to try and offer advice or perspective to others.  Something is missing in the situation, and until you figure out what that is? Your advice isn’t going to get through and land as you hope it would.

DECKS USED: TERRA VOLATILE TAROT, RTEXT TAROT, STUNNING TAROT, ZOOMIES TAROT

Preparation and Strategy

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was one of the harp string meditations. It was relaxing but it was cut a little short by the phone ringing.  You can probably guess who was on the other end, yeah?   Anyway, the phone call kind of fucked with my zen, but at the same time?  I think that my meditation right before the call also helped me in dealing with her a bit better than usual.

Next World TarotToday’s draw is the Queen of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy in the area of one’s thoughts, logic, communication, and intellect.

This is a woman prepared.  That was the first thought that came to mind when I saw the imagery on this card this morning.  Not only does she have her sword and clearly appears to know how to use it, but she’s wearing sturdy boots, has her lunch box along as well as a bit of extra food on the side.  Colorful trillium shaped flowers blooming behind her combined with the delicate pink accents of her skirt speak of a secret softness mostly hidden, but she is focused and braced, ready for anything that comes her way.

What I see here is a message about preparation and organization (I mean, look at how neatly those fruit are lined up with the lunch box, yeah?)   It’s about having your ducks in a row, and being prepared for what is to come.

Even though I am taking a few days off, my mind is still turning over strategy and preparing for what is to come as the holiday rush creeps closer and closer.   I might not be putting my hands to work, but my mind is not so easy to restrain.  And maybe that’s okay, as long as I’m not pushing or stressing myself out.

That peek of softness also holds a second message in today’s card.  A reminder that even when you need to be on your guard, you don’t have to lose yourself in the process.

DECK USED:  NEXT WORLD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthAugust Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m plagued by anxiety.
Question: What is my anxiety trying to tell me?

Tabula Mundi in Minima

Reading Summary:  Life is cyclical but can often also be overwhelming (The Universe). Your emotions are just a little too close to the surface (imagery in the Queen of Cups). Take a step back and make sure you’re still on track and in control of your trajectory (Two of Wands).

Take Away:  My anxiety has actually been quite a bit better lately, but when it starts to spike, the message is usually one of three. It’s telling me that 1) I’m approaching a state of overwhelm, 2) it’s trying to tell me that my emotions are a little too close to the surface and that is causing me to be reactionary, or 3) I need to check in with my direction upon my path and make sure I’m still on track.

DECK USED:  TABULA MUNDI TAROT  IN MINIMA

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Use Your Logic With This / Use Your Intuition With This

Gypsy Palace TarotUse Your Logic With This – Ten of Pentacles – When planning for the future and preserving the stability in my life that is so important to me, it is important to apply logic to the equation and methods.  Reacting with emotion or impulsivity will not get me where I want to go, instead I need to strategize and use my mind and logic to get there.

Use Your Intuition With This – The Hermit –  Sometimes when I need to retreat and be with myself, it’s in reaction to hurt or emotional upheaval.  These are not the times it is healthy to take that alone time.   I need to listen not with my emotions or my pain for these times of retreat, but instead listen to my intuition and allow that to guide me to when it is healthy and beneficial to retreat.

DECK USED:  GYPSY PALACE TAROT

Lionharts #TheAugustTarot#ElementalChallenge
Question: Fire, how can I attract exactly what I want to manifest?

Pride Tarot

Reading Summary: Be more open and free with my praise (The Messenger) for myself and others, while practicing acceptance (Three of Pentacles) of those things you don’t necessarily agree with concerning others (imagery in The Wheel of Fortune).

Take Away:  If I want to attract the things I want to manifest in life, I need to be kinder to myself and less judgemental of others.   Sometimes being close to others is a struggle for me, especially when certain qualities are displayed such as carelessness and immaturity.  The cards indicate that if I want to smooth out the bumps in the road before me, I need to understand that offering them praise for those things I agree with is okay, even while the things I disagree with keep me at a distance.

DECK USED:  PRIDE TAROT

Passion’s Emmenagogue

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was one of the harp string meditations.  It was nice and quiet, although I might have dozed off just a bit.   I need to find a way to stop dozing off during meditation that doesn’t include crashing me out of the relaxed peace I find.   I’d say set myself an alarm, but that would definitely defeat the whole meditation purpose because alarms give me an adrenaline spike.  I’ll figure something out.

Herbal Tarot - Seven of Wands - Wild GingerToday’s draw is the Seven of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of progress through determination,  perseverance, and the meeting of challenges head on.

What really stood out the strongest to me today in the imagery of this card is the confident and determined expression on the figure’s face, and the defensive hold on the wand in their hands.

Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger) is an emmenagogue, which means that it helps stimulate blood circulation in the area of the sacral chakra. As with many plants, it’s medical use is tied into its spiritual use, and on the spiritual side of things, wild ginger is a plant that is used to create a spark of warmth in the heart, inspiring bravery and tenacity when confronting obstacles in our path.

The message here in today’s card is a combination of the imagery that stood out so strongly to me, and the meaning behind the wild ginger. The message today is about knowing what your goals are and standing strong concerning them regardless of whatever criticism or hurdles stand in your way.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: What emotions am I being invited to feel more fully?

Bleu Cat Tarot

Reading Summary: Gratitude and contentment in a solitary manner (Nine of Balls). Patience for gradual change (Death), and the awareness that there are many paths before me and I will need to make my choice again and again (Seven of Fishes).

Take Away:  The emotion portrayed through these cards as one of comfort. Everything’s going to be okay, and you’re not being forced into anything. Just relax, enjoy the ride while staying focused on what you want to happen as things change along the way.

DECK USED:  BLEU CAT TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: As an adult, where do I take myself too seriously?

Brady TarotReading Summary: I spend too much time focusing on building up stability in my life (Ten of Roots) rather than having a good time (Six of Horns).  There’s room for both, you just need to work out how (Daughter of Arrows).

Take Away: I spend a great deal of my time focused on stability.  Home stability.  Financial stability.  Resource stability.  These things are a near obsession for me and they definitely are something that I take very seriously. So seriously that somewhere along the line I’ve ended up losing touch with much of the fun and enjoyment that life has to offer.

Part of the efforts I’m trying to make over this spring and summer have to do with finding a better balance between that obsession with stability that creates a constant concerning my responsibilities and obligations… and giving myself the room and freedom to experience a bit more joy and enjoyment. I know it is possible to fit them both into my life so that they can coexist.

DECK USED:  BRADY TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Draw a card while repeating “I am my own personal power” and share how the card reinforces this concept.

Dame Darcy's Mermaid Tarot - Queen of SwordsAs much as I don’t wan to be like my mother, there are certain times (and in certain ways) that I am.

I am analytical. I am intelligent. I am cunning. I know how to handle myself and others in strategic ways when needed. I know how to get where I want to go.

These are all things that I have in common with my mother.  The difference is that I choose to use these strengths in a positive manner.

DECK USED:  DAME DARCY’S MERMAID TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my unique purpose?

Lily Stone Marseille Tarot

Reading Summary: To seek out more depth in life (Judgement) beyond what lies on the surface (Four of Cups), and persevere through the struggles thrown in my path (Seven of Wands).

Take Away: The cards here speak of what I’ve often felt was the meaning of my life.  That is to say, that my life is meant to be one of struggles and strife and hardship… and the reason for this is because I need to learn how to take one’s blows and move forward through them, coming out better on the other side.   I need to see each struggle or event as a learning experience, and find not just the lesson that is within them, but something positive about them that helps me move forward and be a better person in some way.

DECK USED:  STONE MARSEILLE TAROT

 

Sidestepping the Trap

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Today’s meditation was skipped in favor of going out into the world to shop for a small stand-alone freezer. With three people living in this condo, and one of them (me) requiring a minimum of 5000 or more calories a day… there is just not enough room in my tiny “top of the fridge” freezer.   So, I finally caved and went out and bought myself a small stand alone that doesn’t really fit in my tiny kitchen all that well, but is sure to make life a hell of a lot easier regardless.

I will do a brief meditation when I lie down to go to bed in a bit, though.  So I won’t have skipped entirely.

Forager's Daughter Tarot - Queen of SwordsToday’s draw is the Queen of Swords, which is traditionally interpreted as a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of intellect, the mind, and communication. This often demonstrates in themes that have to do with independence and setting clear boundaries, a lack of bias, and being direct in one’s communication with others.

Okay so.. .admittedly, the first thing that stood out to me in this card’s imagery today is the spider.  Not for any other reason than the fact that it looks exactly like the spider that bit Peter Parker in the 2002 Spiderman movie. I mean… seriously.  It does.

Anyway.  Yeah.   That aside… what stands out to me most strongly in this imagery today is not the spider, but the moth.   One strand… and it’s stuck.  Just one strand of web, and it’s stuck in the spider’s clutches.

This feels like a build off of a reading I did yesterday that involved my mother and her machinations.   It is about remembering not to be drawn into her drama and staying focused instead upon what it is I truly need to pay attention to.  The message here is to pay attention and to take care not fall into old predictable patterns that I have already repeated again and again.

Although this message is brought to me through the memory of the reading about my mother, and relates well to my relationship with her… it also reaches beyond that relationship into other factors and relationships in my life…. relationships with others and relationships with myself.

I know this doesn’t seem like a particularly positive message to carry with me throughout my day, but I feel as if the effects of having heard this message will, in turn, be very positive as I will be aware of the traps I set for myself and those set for me by others, and in being warned to their arrival, have an easier time identifying them and side-stepping them.

DECK USED:  FORAGER’S DAUGHTER TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMay Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I add more joy into my life?

TaRat Rat Tarot

Reading Summary: Choose a direction (Two of Wands) that allows you to celebrate more (Four of Wands) and have more carefree moments (The Fool).

Take Away:  This is something I am very much trying to do with this time that I’m away from the full weight of my responsibilities and obligations.   I am truly hoping to rearrange things and find a better way… a less stressful way… to fulfill my responsibilities and obligations while keeping a bit more space within my to breathe and enjoy life.

DECK USED:  TARAT RAT TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What value do I add to the lives of those around me?

Dixit Cards v.2 Quest Expansion PackReading Summary: I show/teach people how to turn their mistakes into positives (left card)… and how do use what they have to their advantage (center card)… and how to more effectively confront (blue right card) their inner demons (orange right card).

Take Away:  This is about self acceptance.  It’s about finding a path that works for the individual.   These cards indicate that the value that I add to others lives comes in the way that I help them find that path that is individually right for them.  Whether that is through teaching them in our interactions or by leading by example.  

Anyone that regularly follows my personal readings knows that I definitely do not have “it all together” and that I am a work in progress. I work to make myself a better person, and I forge the path that feels right for me, plowing the way before me one step at a time.  I am flawed and, in some cases?  I’m seriously fucked up.   But I have to admit that it feels good to know even with all of that? I am still able to help others in finding their way.

DECK USED:  DIXIT CARDS V2 QUEST EXPANSION PACK

#MysticStarChallenge
Question: What can I do to maintain the abundance I’ve found in this time away when I return back to a ‘normal’ state?

I Tarocchi Visconti Sforza Piccolo

Reading Summary: Don’t look at it as an ending (Ten of Swords), but rather a new beginning and an opportunity to do things better (Page of Wands) while taking better care of yourself (Four of Swords).

Take Away:  The bare bones interpretation pretty much says it all.  If I want to enjoy the abundance I’ve found in this time at home, which includes the tighter connection with loved ones and the untying of knots deep within myself that have knotted up through stress and flagellation of my inner self… then I need to look at this time as an opportunity to change things, rather than a temporary change that will “go away” when more restrictions begin to be lifted and opportunities return to delve back into my responsibilities and obligations.

DECK USED:  I TAROCCHI VISCONTI SFORZA PICCOLO

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When are my feelings discombobulated?

Embroidered Forest Tarot

Reading Summary: When I am at a place where I need to begin taking steps to start anew (Page of Pentacles), and yet I feel as if I’m still in the middle of bleeding out from my previous experiences (Ten of Swords) and not getting the support and encouragement I need (Six of Wands Rx).

Take Away:  When life has kicked you in the nuts and you’re on the floor recovering from the blow, it’s hard to get your ass up and learn to walk and talk again and do things better the second time around.  It helps to have someone there saying “come on, get up”.  Someone to cheer you on and let you know that you’re not alone.

When that someone isn’t there?  Getting up is much harder and the emotions can have a tendency at those times to tie themselves up in knots of self pity and loneliness.

DECK USED:  EMBROIDERED FOREST TAROT

 

Empathic Ability… or Something Else

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Today’s meditation was… well, I’m not entirely how long it was, because I fell asleep.  It was relaxing, though. I think that just a lack of sleep combined with the taxing part of having both the helper and the housekeeper coming by today just took it out of me.  I laid down and became still, and off to sleep I went.

Today’s draw is Queen of Bats (Swords), which is a representation of a receptive alpha energy in the area of intellect, thought, logic, communication, and instinct.  This involves themes that include independent thought, reflection on new ideas without the need for conformity (ie: clear boundaries), a lack of bias, and direct communication.

When I look at today’s card, what I see is strength reflected through the posture of the queen and her sword, and an openness to hear out others while staying firm in one’s own foundations that is demonstrated in her welcoming of the flying bat combined with the death moth that is both at the base of her throne as well as within her crown. The moon smiling down feels like a blessing and approval, displaying an indication that this path is the right one for this moment in time.

I think this is a really interesting card to draw today, because I find myself reflecting on the definition of what an empath is, and if it really applies to me as I thought it did.  The thing is, I do not feel other people’s emotions in the way that I understand empathic abilities to work.  Instead, I sense and react to energy.  From that energy, my body can then interpret and even empathize with emotions from others… but it is not the direct connection and mimicry of emotion that others seem to define the ability as having.

Clearly, this feels like a separation between what I’m experiencing, and what is generally defined as empathic ability.  I wonder, then, if in fact this isn’t empathic ability at all, but something else that I haven’t yet found a name and/or definition for yet.

This, to me, fits in with the Queen of Bats because it runs along the line of intellectual examination, independent thought, and non-conformity.

Deck Used: Halloween Tarot

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt today from Instagram.

Question: How can I recognize my own power to manifest growth?  I specifically focused on growth concerning my business in this inquiry.

IMG_5806

Reading Summary:  If you would just give yourself a chance to be nicer to yourself and embrace the emotional gifts others are offering,  the world would be at your feet.  Stop and examine where you feel scarcity.

Take Away:  I need to sit with my emotions, look at and delve into a better understanding of them, and allow others to contribute to my life with their own emotions as well.   This is the aspect of my life where I am at my weakest, as I often have a hard time connecting with others in this manner, or experiencing the world through that lens. I need to take a breath and ease my strangle hold of stress concerning finances and the business or it will smother under my grip.

Deck Used: Skele-Tarot

Hello Again, My Queen

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on “holding space” for others as a way to support them during times of struggle.  It was about how sometimes, people don’t need you to fix things in their life, they just need you to be there with them.  To share space with them in a quiet way that shows support either by listening, or just by the reassurance of your presence, without “butting in” on their problems.

Today’s draw is the Queen of Swords, which is a representation of a “feminine” alpha energy in the area of thoughts, reason, instinct, and communication.  The card embodies the tenants of truth seeking, independence, unbiased consideration, and clear communication.

I haven’t seen the Queen of Swords in a couple weeks, and was starting to think perhaps I had managed to somehow unwittingly absorb the message she has been trying so hard to teach me for the past year and a half, but… here she is once more, regal and beautiful and daring me to seek and speak the truth in all things.

During the depression, and during the time a few years ago when we “switched places” for a while, I stumble a bit in being honest with myself.  Not just with the expectations that I put on myself, but even with looking at -how- I’m doing.

I bundle myself up into this little ball of awareness, that is so focused on the day to day that I miss the bigger picture.

This activity on the blog here, my daily meditation (that I am still doing religiously every day), and my recent return to a more active path in my spirituality has, in a lot of ways, opened my eyes and my mind to how much of myself has been closed off, one little bit at a time.

Thank you for taking this journey with me, man.  I love you.