Pop culture icons and the cards

As a good little tarot apprentice I've been journalling. However, this forum is some of the first written out thought that I've been able to muster for quite some time. My journal therefore is largely my readings and their notes, and to go a little further, images that suit (!) the cards.

For many years I have been an inveterate image snipper. And finally something to do with all of this bits and scraps that lurk in drawers and pop out of folders: I'm trying to assign them to the cards.

I have one, specifically, that I'm having a hard time with and I'd love to hear some others' takes.

Some of you may know Bert Stern's photoshoot of Marilyn Monroe. It was done shortly before her death- her last if I'm not mistaken- largely nude with some veils and what-not props. The shots are intensely moving, but not only for the moment they were taken and what followed. What I love about them beyond that is here was this modern Venus, idolized as such, that had just had gall bladder surgery and the scar is very much in evidence. At first she was hesitant to pose nude because of this and then Stern put her at ease and you are just blown away by the Beauty with a Wound in her side.

So I'm trying to file away this one shot (a torso cut, she has her hip out, you definitely see the scar, two paper roses over her breasts and that heart stopping wink) and I'm stuck. At first I thought a major, and then I thought a reversal (yes, honey, I do reversals!), but then on second thought, no, she's a reversed queen.

But Wands or Cups?

In earlier photos, such as the famous ventilator/white dress, I'd say Queen of wands, no hesitation.

And here, there is this woman who is looked at but not seen, whom we seem to see but is disappearing before our eyes : Queen of Wands reversed?

Or with the drugs (and death) so close, and this opening of the body, the Wound, the closeness to the beyond, the neediness: Queen of Cups?
Reversed or not?

Any takers?

I titled this in such a way as it might be enlarged to other figures, from Johnny Depp (I have him in his boat in Dead Man for the six of swords) to Mick Jagger to whomever, so you folk could take this and run with it.

Hint though: the minors are much more of a challenge to do this with.


hope you'll come play with me!

Saba

Hey reine de saba,

although I haven't seen the photo I would think she makes a very good Queen of Cups. Your description screams "vulnerability" at me. She may have been a Queen of Wands in her former years but so close to her death and from your description she seems to have lost these fight qualities and the always on the sunny side of live attitude.

I don't know if she would suit as a reversed Queen, as I don't use reversed cards.

Just my 2cents.

Astraea Aurora

To my personal study, the queen of cups reversed is a woman whose emotions rule her head. She can at times be manipulative & selfish, sometimes she can be obsessive. She has less concern for the good of others if she has needs for herself.
This could mean she is prone to depression & is emotionally vulnerable. I think the queen of cups reversed could do.

Interestingly Bert Stern who as now recently passed away was so amazed how beautiful she looked close up when doing the photo shoot, he thought that no one ever captured her true beauty how she had looked on film.

I would say she was the Queen of wands with that sexual energy she gave in all her photo's i think many men just feel in love with her when they saw her for me that's the Devil card, its understandable that she had that power over many married men just like Stern had said he would of left his wife for Marilyn given the chance.

Though in her personal life she liked being private and some of her close friends had said she was a quiet person spending alot a time at home reading books, so maybe she could be two different people one for the camera and the other at home.

Can you post the Photo?

I have the last sitting has it was called many hundreds of photos of her in the book, i have a smaller image of her scar shown here it was a 3 inch scar.

She needed to have a some champagne before showing the scar on camera, Bert certainly caught her beauty on this photo shoot its got to be one of the best of her on camera.

Here is another one of my favourites, many people just didn't understand why she had to die so young.

For me i think she had alot of personnel problems and her two doctor's didn't bother to check on her sleeping drug usage?

But there are many people who feel there were more sinister going on's with the men she saw in private.

^ This image seems to be a collage of three different pictures from the photoshoot, the middle one is the one reine de saba is talking about, I think: http://oi42.tinypic.com/2a6kx1w.jpg. That's the best I could find from doing an Image search, I found standalone versions but they were tiny.

Anyway, to answer this question. I think that the Queen of Cups would fit better than the Queen of Wands. The way I see these cards is this: the Queen of Wands is someone who is charismatic enough to always be on the spotlight (which would fit Marilyn) but also WANTS to stay in the spotlight. The Queen of Cups is someone who is likely more reserved and more focused on affection than admiration. Marilyn, especially at a later stage in her life, seems to have struggled a lot with the fact that there was no way to switch off the spotlight at the end of the day and that the attention she got made it impossible to keep her professional and personal lives apart. She seems to have been a rather private person who really valued having a circle of friends who truly understood her and knew her as she really was and not as the persona Hollywood attributed to her.

As to the difference between the two cards when it comes to negative characteristics, I think they can be similar at times but their motives are largely different. I see the Queen of Wands as someone who doesn't feel secure if people stop noticing her, and is likely to be more openly demanding or to play power games with people in which she asserts that she's here to be noticed. The Queen of Cups would be someone who, at worse, might direct all negativity to herself and become self-destructive, or to show her vulnerable side as a call for help.

The difference between the two cards for me is like the difference between the stereotypes about Leo and Cancer. Both are very oriented towards those around them and can be very giving and generous, and both can be hard to dislike. However, Leos are more about being charismatic and socially powerful, while Cancers are more about affection. Both are likely to struggle with going unnoticed, but a Leo is more likely to feel concerned about the fact that people aren't admiring them enough while a Cancer is more likely to be worried that those around them don't seem to love them in equal measure. It's a very "Look at how cool I am! Seriously, LOOK. I'm so cool. ADMIRE ME NOW." versus "But I love you! Why won't you love me? I'm so nice to you, why can't you be nice to meeee?" kind of thing. Also, please note I'm talking about the stereotypes about those signs and I know astrology isn't that simplistic -- I just used the stereotypes as an example about those personalities.

Hi Chimera Dust

Yes your images show the scar more prominent, she had done many photos as you had said with the scar showing.

STAR* said:

Hi Chimera Dust

Yes your images show the scar more prominent, she had done many photos as you had said with the scar showing.

Click to expand...

Oops, sorry, the "^" in my post was because I was replying to magpie9. Her post was the last one in the thread when I started writing mine but you beat me to it.