juliecucciawatts
Queen of Cups
Full moon in Aquarius
Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt looks up from the steps leading to the Temple of Isis and she is the subject of the Queen of Cups. As Queen and God’s wife it is her job to keep the balance of the universe, or Ma’at, and she is the embodiment of the goddess for her people. A measuring device known as the “Nilometer” measures the height of the Nile’s floodwaters and by calculating the high mark, Pharaoh can estimate the bounty of crops based on the anticipated extent of the water. As ruler of Egypt she alone is responsible for the needs of her country. If floodwaters are low the likelihood of a poor harvest is almost certain and if not counteracted reflects badly on her ability to rule.
The scant history that remains about Cleopatra indicates that she is the mother Julius Caesar’s only son, whom she bore in her early twenties. Following the Alexandrian War Caesar spent the winter after with her touring Egypt and along the way acquired a calendar. Caesar returned to Rome before their son was born leaving her to give birth alone, attended to by her priestesses and the baby’s uncle Ptolemy XIV (who became her co-regent of Egypt). Three years later, when the little boy was old enough to travel, a special visit was planned. Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV took Ptolemy Caesar to Rome to meet his father. During their visit Caesar honored Cleopatra with a statue of her as Venus, placing this statue in the Roman Forum. The Roman saw himself as Mars to her Venus. As a warrior, and a Roman, this would have been his interpretation of the divine masculine and divine feminine unique to her religion. In his language Ptolemy Caesar is their little Cupid the god of love. The mythic relationship was publicly immortalized with the unveiling of the statue. Likely the Roman Senators were threatened by this foreign power. It is also likely that relatives of Julius Caesar were even more offended by this rival for his affection, wealth and power.
An often overlooked fact is that Cleopatra, Caesarion, and Ptolemy XIV were in Rome on the fateful day Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate. What was going on in the senate that day that would cause the murder of Julius Caesar? Was he announcing an alliance with Egypt, a co-ruling relationship that would provide a share of Egypt’s abundance to Rome’s hungry masses while keeping his mistress and his son on the Egyptian throne? Was this enough to ignite a physical assault on the Senate floor? Julius was a man of the people, they loved him, and that left the senators vulnerable. Or perhaps Julius Caesar stepped in front of a knife in defense of his son. Maybe Antony was not actually detained outside the senate, but was actually busy helping the Ptolemy family escape. History tells us that Octavian was surprised to learn that he had inherited the whole of Julius Caesar’s estate and to find himself named as his son and heir in his will. The list of people who would have benefited from Octavian being named as heir are too numerous to even speculate about. As strange as all that may sound, it seems more absurd that Caesar did not include his true son in his will.
Two days after the death of Julius Caesar a comet appeared in the night’s sky. This was taken as a sign of Julius Caesar’s divinity and allegedly, from the moment of Caesar’s death, Cleopatra was never seen in public without her regalia as Isis for she became Isis and Caesar became embodiment of Osiris. So began Cleopatra’s mythic life as the goddess Isis and her son, as Horus, destined to avenge his father’s murder. With the passing of the comet Julius Caesar became a god and little Caesarion became the “Son of God”. There is a curious similarity between the name Caesar and Ausar, the Kemet name for Osiris, causing one to wonder if the name “Caesar” was added posthumously. Octavian’s name also was changed to Gaius Julius Caesar Divi Filius (Son of the Divine).
Following the tragedy, the Ptolemy family safely sails back to Egypt and by September 44 BCE Ptolemy XIV is “dead”, and Cleopatra with her son as co-regent are sole rulers of Egypt. Realizing eminent danger, Ptolemy XIV goes through his Heb/Sed festival and then underground to preempt the showdown between the two sons of Caesar. An alliance is formed with Mark Antony, perhaps forged the day Caesar was murdered in the senate. Over the next eleven years Cleopatra and Mark Antony (as an "imperator" from Rome) hold space in Egypt. Antony and Cleopatra have three children of their own and Mark Antony helps Cleopatra win back all of the land her father lost to the Romans.
Antony and Octavian forge a tenuous, uneasy alliance and Antony even marries Octavian’s sister Octavia in an attempt to keep the peace. Egypt does not need Rome, but Rome needs Egypt’s resources and eventually it ends in an epic battle.
After the battle at Actium, Octavian storms the shores of Alexandria which is in the thralls of celebration believing Cleopatra had been victorious. Just 39 years old and the richest woman on the Mediterranean Sea, Cleopatra is a multi-lingual master of disguise with many friends who trade in Alexandria. She has her own army and fleet of ships, and she also has thousands of years’ worth of knowledge at her disposal including the scrolls of Eraosthenes. Cleopatra also has access to years of medicinal knowledge including the powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin*. Perhaps she used it to save her son, now a teenager and technically a man, to end Octavian’s relentless chase so they could at least get away and live in peace. Antony died nine days before Cleopatra’s alleged suicide and their three children returned to Rome to be raised by Octavia in the house of Octavian. This is where the Roman history of Cleopatra ends.
Cleopatra remains a mysterious, intriguing woman who haunts even our modern psyches. Her body has never been found and likely never will. Smarter than her enemies, she outsmarted them right to the very end. None of her personal writings remain and most of her history is written by her enemies who depict her as a shallow enchantress who ensnared men with sexuality and used them for her own ambition. *A drug that simulates true death; found in several animals including puffer fish.
Card meaning: The Queen of Cups is usually known for her intuitive power. Most Queen of Cups are depicted scrying into their cup. This card comes up especially during times of strong emotion. This queen is a true visionary; the queen of hearts; she will win you with her charms but be careful she may fool you. She follows her emotional compass she is seldom wrong. She is not an easy card to get in a spread, so expect a lot of drama when this woman appears in a reading.
Full moon in Aquarius
Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt looks up from the steps leading to the Temple of Isis and she is the subject of the Queen of Cups. As Queen and God’s wife it is her job to keep the balance of the universe, or Ma’at, and she is the embodiment of the goddess for her people. A measuring device known as the “Nilometer” measures the height of the Nile’s floodwaters and by calculating the high mark, Pharaoh can estimate the bounty of crops based on the anticipated extent of the water. As ruler of Egypt she alone is responsible for the needs of her country. If floodwaters are low the likelihood of a poor harvest is almost certain and if not counteracted reflects badly on her ability to rule.
The scant history that remains about Cleopatra indicates that she is the mother Julius Caesar’s only son, whom she bore in her early twenties. Following the Alexandrian War Caesar spent the winter after with her touring Egypt and along the way acquired a calendar. Caesar returned to Rome before their son was born leaving her to give birth alone, attended to by her priestesses and the baby’s uncle Ptolemy XIV (who became her co-regent of Egypt). Three years later, when the little boy was old enough to travel, a special visit was planned. Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV took Ptolemy Caesar to Rome to meet his father. During their visit Caesar honored Cleopatra with a statue of her as Venus, placing this statue in the Roman Forum. The Roman saw himself as Mars to her Venus. As a warrior, and a Roman, this would have been his interpretation of the divine masculine and divine feminine unique to her religion. In his language Ptolemy Caesar is their little Cupid the god of love. The mythic relationship was publicly immortalized with the unveiling of the statue. Likely the Roman Senators were threatened by this foreign power. It is also likely that relatives of Julius Caesar were even more offended by this rival for his affection, wealth and power.
An often overlooked fact is that Cleopatra, Caesarion, and Ptolemy XIV were in Rome on the fateful day Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate. What was going on in the senate that day that would cause the murder of Julius Caesar? Was he announcing an alliance with Egypt, a co-ruling relationship that would provide a share of Egypt’s abundance to Rome’s hungry masses while keeping his mistress and his son on the Egyptian throne? Was this enough to ignite a physical assault on the Senate floor? Julius was a man of the people, they loved him, and that left the senators vulnerable. Or perhaps Julius Caesar stepped in front of a knife in defense of his son. Maybe Antony was not actually detained outside the senate, but was actually busy helping the Ptolemy family escape. History tells us that Octavian was surprised to learn that he had inherited the whole of Julius Caesar’s estate and to find himself named as his son and heir in his will. The list of people who would have benefited from Octavian being named as heir are too numerous to even speculate about. As strange as all that may sound, it seems more absurd that Caesar did not include his true son in his will.
Two days after the death of Julius Caesar a comet appeared in the night’s sky. This was taken as a sign of Julius Caesar’s divinity and allegedly, from the moment of Caesar’s death, Cleopatra was never seen in public without her regalia as Isis for she became Isis and Caesar became embodiment of Osiris. So began Cleopatra’s mythic life as the goddess Isis and her son, as Horus, destined to avenge his father’s murder. With the passing of the comet Julius Caesar became a god and little Caesarion became the “Son of God”. There is a curious similarity between the name Caesar and Ausar, the Kemet name for Osiris, causing one to wonder if the name “Caesar” was added posthumously. Octavian’s name also was changed to Gaius Julius Caesar Divi Filius (Son of the Divine).
Following the tragedy, the Ptolemy family safely sails back to Egypt and by September 44 BCE Ptolemy XIV is “dead”, and Cleopatra with her son as co-regent are sole rulers of Egypt. Realizing eminent danger, Ptolemy XIV goes through his Heb/Sed festival and then underground to preempt the showdown between the two sons of Caesar. An alliance is formed with Mark Antony, perhaps forged the day Caesar was murdered in the senate. Over the next eleven years Cleopatra and Mark Antony (as an "imperator" from Rome) hold space in Egypt. Antony and Cleopatra have three children of their own and Mark Antony helps Cleopatra win back all of the land her father lost to the Romans.
Antony and Octavian forge a tenuous, uneasy alliance and Antony even marries Octavian’s sister Octavia in an attempt to keep the peace. Egypt does not need Rome, but Rome needs Egypt’s resources and eventually it ends in an epic battle.
After the battle at Actium, Octavian storms the shores of Alexandria which is in the thralls of celebration believing Cleopatra had been victorious. Just 39 years old and the richest woman on the Mediterranean Sea, Cleopatra is a multi-lingual master of disguise with many friends who trade in Alexandria. She has her own army and fleet of ships, and she also has thousands of years’ worth of knowledge at her disposal including the scrolls of Eraosthenes. Cleopatra also has access to years of medicinal knowledge including the powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin*. Perhaps she used it to save her son, now a teenager and technically a man, to end Octavian’s relentless chase so they could at least get away and live in peace. Antony died nine days before Cleopatra’s alleged suicide and their three children returned to Rome to be raised by Octavia in the house of Octavian. This is where the Roman history of Cleopatra ends.
Cleopatra remains a mysterious, intriguing woman who haunts even our modern psyches. Her body has never been found and likely never will. Smarter than her enemies, she outsmarted them right to the very end. None of her personal writings remain and most of her history is written by her enemies who depict her as a shallow enchantress who ensnared men with sexuality and used them for her own ambition. *A drug that simulates true death; found in several animals including puffer fish.
Card meaning: The Queen of Cups is usually known for her intuitive power. Most Queen of Cups are depicted scrying into their cup. This card comes up especially during times of strong emotion. This queen is a true visionary; the queen of hearts; she will win you with her charms but be careful she may fool you. She follows her emotional compass she is seldom wrong. She is not an easy card to get in a spread, so expect a lot of drama when this woman appears in a reading.
