OshoZen Queen of Clouds (Swords)

squeakmo9

Here is the Queen of Clouds ~Morality~...

I once looked at this card and thought that this lady was severely misunderstood, something about that moon hanging in the distance like a pin on her outfit. This Queen seems very capable of feeling to a great depth (IMO), but has gotten lost somewhere along the way. She seems the epitome of the ultimate prude, but I just think her "seeking" skills have rusted. Perhaps she is way too satisfied and thinks she knows everything about living an appropriate life. Between her and the King of Clouds there is pure fear, as I see it, that stops them dead in their tracks.
A customer once said to me (she was 86 y.o.) that young people think that when you get old, you get grouchy. This is not so, chances are...the person was a grouchy young person as well. So, I don't look upon this Queen as just someone that stands for conventional morality, I see her as someone who allowed all her personal drawbacks get the best of her, just my opinion, what's yours?
 

Judith D

I don't like this card AT ALL. I have to admit it is because in most decks I own (based on traditional RWS) I come up as the Queen of Swords, and I particularly like my Robin Wood deck Queen and can identify with her and try to measure up to her. But this one - I do NOT want to be like her, dried up and disapproving and narrow minded. She has a clouded mind, flattened and constricted by severity; her nose is bulbous and red from sticking it into other people business, her mouth is thin and disapproving and lined with distaste. Her throat (communication) is closed off by a rigid collar, and her heart is hidden in a cage, although there is light there - hope at last! (and see the moon and stars, and possibly a sunrise, deep within). Her hands are clawlike, rigid, not able to touch lovingly. She is really a poor thing! It looks like an anvil encasing her head - perhaps she has dreadful headaches from all the moral judgments she needs to make.
She reminds me in some ways of my mother, who cannot see the good in anything before she sees the bad, who is judgmental, and who I feel never appreciates me or what I do. It is never good enough. That however is probably as good an indication of my relationship with her, as of her relationship with me. I find it so difficult to get past it.
Our queen seems to embody all the harsh, negative aspects of a queen of swords, without showing the wonderful inspiring side of her. But there is indeed light in there somewhere, if we dig deep for it. If we are shown like her, we need to find that inner glow and let it shine forth.
 

Alan Ross

This ossified queen is a testament to what happens when we allow ourselves to become locked into rigid, polarized concepts of "right" and "wrong." (I love Judith D.'s detailed description of this queen.) Life is not black and white. Every situation is unique and should be responded to with sensitivity, awareness, and an open heart. A truly enlightened being has no need for morality. Such a being would know exactly how to act in any given situation by seeing with deep awareness and wisdom what consequences are likely to arise, and then acting with perfect compassion and kindness.

The rest of us, unfortunately, need general moral guidelines to keep us from straying too far. But the object of moral guidelines (as I see it) is to lessen or avoid inflicting harm or suffering on others or yourself. We need to be aware when the inflexible application of moral judgments can lead to the very harm that we should be avoiding. Even though none of us is perfectly wise and capable of seeing all potential for harm in a situation, we should still do our best to respond flexibly and compassionately. There is a Zen story that I think illustrates this well:

There was once an old lady who built a grass hut and supported a monk's efforts at self-cultivation for twenty years. This old lady had a beautiful daughter who brought the monk his meals everyday. One day, the old lady decided to test the monks spiritual progress. She instructed her daughter to give the monk a passionate hug next time she brought him his meal.

The daughter did as she was asked. When she saw the monk, she embraced him and asked, "How does this feel?" The monk, unmoved, responded coldly, "It feels like a withered tree leaning against a wintry cliff. Like a frigid winter day without a trace of warmth."

When the old lady heard how the monk responded to her daughter's embrace, she drove the monk away and set fire to his hut. Although the monk had done well to resist temptation, the old lady was outraged that twenty years of spiritual work hadn't taught him to respond with more kindness and compassion.
 

firecatpickles

Alan, what I take away from the story you told is that we all have preconceived notions about how others should behave. And we should be careful being judgmental over those who themselves are judgmental.

Is our reaction to the negative-ness of the MORALITY queen any better than the judgments she passes on others (us)? Are we not guilty of the same as she? Is this a paradox? A type of Catch-22?

This card serves as an admonition not to worry too much about what other people think. As one of the characters from the TV show "Waiting for God," said: "She's already what she is, there's no sense making it any worse for her..."
 

purple_scorp

Judith D, you have such a great way with words....I got a real sense of this card without even needing to look at the card itsElf. I'm wondering whether you've published any books?

I was most interested in your dislike for this card and I can't help but wonder if she is mirroring something that you dislike in yoursElf. I say this with the utmost respect (for I don't even know you) but I have found in my own experience, if I am totally abhorred by something it usually has a special message for me.

*****************

This queen reminds me of that farmer's wife in that famous painting where they are standing outside with the pitchfork in hand.

I'm sure the card focusses on the nose/mouth/chin because it is always in this position - scowling!

She sits in judgement, crossing the t's and dotting the i's just like the gridlike pattern on her chest.

And what's with the oversized sleeves? Has she something hiding up there?

This is a woman of routine and little compassion. Very manlike, isn't she?

with love
purple_scorp
 

Master_Margarita

kilts_knave said:
Is our reaction to the negative-ness of the MORALITY queen any better than the judgments she passes on others (us)? Are we not guilty of the same as she? Is this a paradox? A type of Catch-22?

This is an excellent question, and yet, and yet. I believe that we are intended to dislike this Queen of Clouds. The LWB says, "Morality has restricted all the juice and energy of life to the narrow confines of her mind. It can't flow there, so she really has become 'a dried-up old prune.'"

This card is clearly meant to represent a rigid judgmentalism that we are invited to reject, along with conventional morality.

I think the bias of the deck's creator may be showing here. "[O]nce your morality has come out of your awareness * * * whatever you do will be good. Awareness cannot do anything that is bad." Ah, the self-deceptions of the tantric path.
 

La Force

I just wanted to add

I have found when seeing this card, the she looks sick, and that she reminds of the wicked witch of west, wizard of oz.

this card has come up for several times now to represent a migraine headache, wouldn't you know it, how fitting. with her flat head, and green skin, bars, and clouds.
 

MB9

Is it just about judgement or being blocked too?

Hi All!
I have just begun my journey with Tarot Cards. There is a lot that I need to learn.
Out of all the readings I have done till date, Queen of Clouds has appeared twice. Though my general interpretation for the card is that the person is too bound by judgement and opinions, I also noticed that it was especially difficult for me to be able to put across the message given out by the cards to these two clients. So it wasn't just about them being clouded by judgement, they were also blocked otherwise and doubting, if I may say so (not open or receptive in general life too). So even though they wanted me to talk on, they wanted to refute/disagree with every thing I was saying.
Is this just a "judgement" that I have made or has someone else also experienced the same? I would appreciate your views.