LS Secret Tarot - Queen of Swords

From the LWB for the deck:

"Beside [the King of Swords], the pale face of the [Q]ueen [of Swords] reflects in a bloody blade a foreboding of death."

Looking at the Queen of Swords card, I don't see a bloody blade nor the reflection of the Queen's face. Am I missing something?

Thanks.

I'm not really sure of how to incorporate the LWB with specific reference to this card.

All I can think is that perhaps we are meant to think of the card itself as the blade... and the image upon it the reflection of the Queen of Swords upon that blade? But then, I haven't got any blood on my card. So much for the 'bloody blade'!

Swords reflect the Kingdom of Sorrow in the Secret Tarot so this Queen is something of a sorrowful character. Competely unrelated, but the quotation from the LWB reminds me of the Queen of Swords in the Victoria Regina deck, a depiction of a mourning Queen Victoria.

Personally, I think that the Queen of Swords as depicted in the Secret Tarot is very beautiful. I like to think that she is a dangerous sort. I bet that she would not think twice about placing poison in the wine glass of her enemy. However, I have no doubt that she has her positive qualities also. I bet she has a sarcastic sense of humour! Ha!

I just pulled this card yesterday for my card-of-the day! The first thing that strikes me, after the whiteness of her face and the sadness is the size of her sword! WOW! It's nearly as tall as she is, yet she stands there calmly, holding it with great ease! To me, this says she has great intellect, and, that she can and has withstood great sorrow!

I too see a parallel to the Queen of Swords in the Victoria Regina deck- an emphasis on the element of mourning, sorrow inflicted by the blade of a sword. Just me rambling here....
When I first look at the card, the overwhelming blueness of it stands out. This is not a cheery blue, it is washed out in grey and appears quite gloomy.
The figures carved in the stone of the queen's throne hang their heads, one clutches her head.
To me, it is significant that the Queen stands. Despite oppression, she is able to stand on her own two feet. She is robed all in black, from the neck to below her feet, where her skirt pools out in front of her. Her eyes are closed but she does not frown. She appears lost in thought. What is she thinking about? The injustice done to her in the past? The pain of the present? Or is she reasoning her way out of this melancholy air? She leans almost toward the sword at her side, as if using it to hold her up. The strength of intellect will prevail over hardship. She seems at peace within as a breeze lightly runs itself itself through her jet black hair.

mj07 said:

I just pulled this card yesterday for my card-of-the day! The first thing that strikes me, after the whiteness of her face and the sadness is the size of her sword! WOW! It's nearly as tall as she is, yet she stands there calmly, holding it with great ease! To me, this says she has great intellect, and, that she can and has withstood great sorrow!

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I really like that take.

Jypsie, it is strange isn't it? She just has that same aura of the Victoria Regina card. Oooo.

To me she looks mysterious and also kind of dangerous. You don't know what she is thinking. When I look at the four court cards in the swords suit and think of them as a family, she seems to be the one who has got the real power, who pulls the strings. I don't see her as sorrowful, I could imagine that in the land of sorrow she is the one who causes sorrow for other people. She is dominant (the poor king! ) , enjoys power and I think under certain circumstances she can be a dangerous enemy.

Jypsie said:

To me, it is significant that the Queen stands. Despite oppression, she is able to stand on her own two feet. She is robed all in black, from the neck to below her feet, where her skirt pools out in front of her. Her eyes are closed but she does not frown. She appears lost in thought. What is she thinking about? The injustice done to her in the past? The pain of the present? Or is she reasoning her way out of this melancholy air? She leans almost toward the sword at her side, as if using it to hold her up. The strength of intellect will prevail over hardship. She seems at peace within as a breeze lightly runs itself itself through her jet black hair.

Click to expand...

Oh Jypsie, what a beautiful description - it spoke right to my heart! I had never noticed the importance of the fact that this Queen is standing. In fact, I now noticed that she is the only one of the Queens not to sit on her throne. Doesn't this perfectly show the strength of this woman - to stand up straight in the midst of pain and sadness!

It also looks to me as if she finds support in the Sword - she doesn't look sad, she has such a serene expression... It looks to me as if she's feeling the Sword, as if she needs to feel it, so that she can feel secure - it's... it's as if it is her strength and safety. The sword is huge when you think about it, but that never struck me before - I know she can master it.

It's as if the card speaks of softness and of hardness at the same time, of acceptance... and at the same time of independence and strength.

correction

I want to correct my former post. Now I have got the Secret Tarot and now that I can see this card in person it gives me a different impression of the Queen. I couldn't quite recognize her expression and misinterpreted it.

She looks interverted and you are right, she looks sad but I also believe she has a lot of inner strength to draw energy from.

She reminds me a bit of the high priestess as she stands between two pillars one light and one dark. I also like the way the crown seems to float above her as she stands. I think that Jypsie is onto something about her standing. Her thrown is behind her yet she stands.

She has a bit of a Morticia Addams thing going on. I think she is contemplating the folly of humankind. She understands the pain and sorrow people cause one another and stands ready to combat the ignorance of that folly armed with a powerful intellect and clarity of purpose.