Vertigo Study: Queen of Cups

[etal]

The Vertigo Queen of Cups, magically beautiful, is bathed in the glow of a deep purple light that reveals her natural gifts—emotional force, instinctive power, intuitive perception. From this light’s dark inwardness the Queen’s pale face emerges, very still, poised, hushed, either completely self-confident and grounded in her own truth or aware that her composure may be shattered by the rough assaults of an uncaring world—or perhaps in her stillness the Queen shows us that she is balancing confidence and vulnerability both in the very same moment of time.

Take a look and decide for yourself:

http://www.area23.org/perdition/reve..._frameset.html

Dave McKean has painted his portrait of the Queen’s utmost Self behind a kind of fine-mesh scrim. This is the Queen’s Outer Self, and it’s like the finest chain-mail body armor spun by a fantastic spider. It’s here for the Queen’s own protection against injury by those who are less compassionate and less understanding than she. But this same armor can also be restrictive, as you’ll note if you look closely at the Queen’s neck, where this armor, even though it is so finely wrought, prohibits fluid movement—just like the chain mail you’d see on a knight in a film—and is in fact partly responsible for the Queen’s stillness.

In discussing the Vertigo Death card, MeeWah mentioned the Throat chakra and its connection with communication—and I can see a certain constriction of communication here, in the throat, and this constricted feeling pushes its way up on through the throat all the way to the mouth, which is blacked over, covered, stopped up.

The fine mesh continues on up and over the Queen’s head like a hijab, which—like chain mail—can be both protective and restrictive.

I note that the chain mail even, somewhat spectacularly, covers the Queen’s eyes. so that although she’s staring out at us, there are some things that the Queen is not seeing or is not permitting herself to see or is protecting herself from seeing.

Sunglasses are vital in a hot and sunny climate to protect one’s eyes against harmful UV rays, but the tradeoff is that when you wear them, you sacrifice part of the clarity of your vision—perhaps you trade the grim for the dim.

But even with her protective covering, the Queen has seen things that have troubled her Inner Self: her deep-set eyes are circled with the shadows of concern, stress, and worry; she has spent, I think, many sleepless nights.

Note how the theme of “armor” is picked up and expanded in the string of pearls that hangs before the Queen. Pearls of Wisdom, they are also symbols of an inner, feminine, natural beauty; yet interestingly, on a more prosaic level, a pearl is basically composed of layer upon layer of hard shell laid over an annoying irritant in the oyster’s heart. If you take a pearl in your hand, you’ll be fascinated by how it plays with your sense of what is translucent and what is opaque.

The pearls are caught up again in brilliant white flashes near the Queen’s eyes, where they are suggestive of tears—for some reason I can’t shake the line from Ariel’s song in The Tempest:”Those are Pearls that were [her] Eyes.”That isn’t the case here, but I’m just wondering if this Queen doesn’t in fact weep in pearls.

etal

[bluediva]

Thank you etal for such a wonderful introduction to this queen! I think she is magnificent, and to me, she watches over one in times when great emotional strength is needed. IMHO, she reminds us of the deep well of strength each of us has within, that which is earned through life experience.

I am reminded of a passage from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran:

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater." But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy."

I think this card speaks of finding an equilibrium between joy and sorrow, and finding calm and wisdom within this. More later. Etal, I totally agree w/ your thoughts about her pearls. Thank you for expressing it so eloquently.

[MeeWah]

Originally posted by etal
...self-confident and grounded in her own truth or aware that her composure may be shattered by the rough assaults of an uncaring world...balancing confidence and vulnerability both in the very same moment of time... etal

Echo BlueDiva's kudos for etal's masterful evocation of Vertigo Queen of Cups. A stunning portrait of the whole energetic persona as revealed by an astute observation & a penetrating insight.

Originally posted by etal
... the Queen’s utmost Self behind a kind of fine-mesh scrim...the Queen’s Outer Self...like the finest chain-mail body armor spun by a fantastic spider. It’s here for the Queen’s own protection against injury by those who are less compassionate and less understanding than she. But this same armor can also be restrictive...at the Queen’s neck, where this armor, even though it is so finely wrought, prohibits fluid movement—just like the chain mail you’d see on a knight...and is in fact partly responsible for the Queen’s stillness... a certain constriction of communication here, in the throat, and this constricted feeling pushes its way up on through the throat all the way to the mouth, which is blacked over, covered, stopped up... etal

There is a bittersweet aura to this Queen. In essence, speaks of in this world yet not of it; walking a fine line between. It is the otherworldliness that speaks more of her functioning power, similar to that of the traditional High Priestess whose person & knowledge not always accessible. She tends to hold her own counsel. May hold back due to a natural reserve & reluctance to intrude. Matters of the heart & the mind usually of no mystery; however, that pertaining to those realms viewed as sacred knowledge, not for the casual dissemination.

Originally posted by etal
...I note that the chain mail even, somewhat spectacularly, covers the Queen’s eyes...although she’s staring out at us, there are some things that the Queen is not seeing or is not permitting herself to see or is protecting herself from seeing.

Sunglasses are vital in a hot and sunny climate to protect one’s eyes against harmful UV rays, but...sacrifice part of the clarity of your vision—perhaps you trade the grim for the dim.

But even with her protective covering, the Queen has seen things that have troubled her Inner Self: her deep-set eyes are circled with the shadows of concern, stress, and worry; she has spent, I think, many sleepless nights...etal

Though this Queen of Cups may maintain a shield, it does not prevent the impressions or their essence from transmitting through to her awareness, not impeded by such devices. To deny such communications or experiences would be akin to denying the very nature of her being.