Vertigo study: Queen of Swords

I find the Queen rather easy to apply in readings, so I shall delve into more abstract speculations...

The Queen of Swords has a heat surrounding her that makes her icy, emotionless wit sharper, seemingly increasing the contrast and sharpness of lines on her mask, or at least those across the forehead area. And I do believe she is wearing a mask. Even so, her forehead (frontal lobe, logic center of the brain) is in sharpest focus, and the details of facial structure fall away into blurriness as we look down her face. Her thoughts project forward, pushing the sword to the foreground of the image, but the regions of her face that express emotion (eyes, cheeks, lips) are out of focus.

She is the only queen in the Vertigo deck whose eyes are not at all visible. Each queen seems to be veiled in something. The Queen of Wands is bound by brush strokes and wire bindings, the the Queen of Cups wears a blue veil, and the Queen of Pentacles is surrounded by flames (although her cool distance from the fire can be saved for other discussions). But here we have the Queen of Swords, who does not gaze straight up at us. She seems to have her eyes closed, perhaps deep in thought, all energy focused on internal calculations, sense of self and outside world are pushed aside for the sake of clarity and focus.

Each of the queens seems to be looking through or past a layer of some sort. But the Queen of Swords is the only one who seems to be casting that layer ahead of her of her own free will. She is projecting a map towards us. Is this what she offers us? A mathematical net of coordinates and degrees? The words "circulus antarcticus" ring her face. Is her mind the coldest place on Earth? How much mental energy must she possess to maintain that icy clarity when the areas surrounding her are either dark or filled with firelight? Is she casting forth a net to ensnare us? Or is she projecting a map that we may use to calculate our coordinates and path in life?

What about the words "Terra Naturalis Incognita" that we can make out across the map grid? (This is mentioned in the book.) Terra - perhaps this suggests being very grounded. Could this be a variation on "Terra Australis Incognita" - from Ancient Greece into the 15th Century, there was talk of a Southernmost continent ("the unknown southern land") and there was lore and speculation about an advanced, refined civilization that resided there. Perhaps the Queen of Swords would be their queen? Refined, brilliant, icy, and very distant from the rest of the world.

What do others think? How does this card speak to you in readings? How does she interact with other cards?

bluediva said:

I find the Queen rather easy to apply in readings, so I shall delve into more abstract speculations....What do others think? How does this card speak to you in readings? How does she interact with other cards?

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Dear bluediva,

A big thank you (I'll save the hug for the Q of Cups!) for opening this thread. Since I began to delve into the tarot cards with more seriousness this past summer, I've developed a certain affection for the Queen of Swords (mingled, of course, with due respect) because it turns out that Swords is "my" suit, the one that speaks to me most often and sheds most light on my life in its present stage. And of all the Swords, the Queen strikes me as the most balanced and energizing—she has never failed to give me hope, so I'm always delighted when she chooses to make a royal appearance and let me in on a few of her secrets:

"My mind is like a book thrown open to receive, absorb, contemplate, refine, and then render back the knowledge of all worlds. Gathering together from all points of the universe, insight and learning travel along the fine lines of an eternal and infinite web—this elegant, rational web links all thinking souls in a cultural whole that finds its home in me.

"But along with all this knowledge and culture, I bear pain. It always feels as if the same point at which my learning gathers home is the focus of a piercing hurt—it hits me right between the eyes like the sharp point of a dagger. This pain is inseparable from the giftandcurse of consciousness that we inherited from our Adam and Eve. But the hurt bears its own healing: See where the sword is poised; use it now, use your knowledge and wisdom and culture to probe your hurt and bring it from the darkness into the purifying, healing light."

etal

bluediva said:

I find the Queen rather easy to apply in readings, so I shall delve into more abstract speculations...

The Queen of Swords has a heat surrounding her that makes her icy, emotionless wit sharper, seemingly increasing the contrast and sharpness of lines on her mask, or at least those across the forehead area. And I do believe she is wearing a mask. Even so, her forehead (frontal lobe, logic center of the brain) is in sharpest focus, and the details of facial structure fall away into blurriness as we look down her face. Her thoughts project forward, pushing the sword to the foreground of the image, but the regions of her face that express emotion (eyes, cheeks, lips) are out of focus. ?

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The "heat" that surrounds Vertigo Queen of Swords is the intensity of her mind, from which her creative force expresses. Her forehead or the site of the third eye is the seat of her power & authority.

Of all the Vertigo Queens, the Queen of Swords is the most direct of all, ruled as she is by an unmitigated intellect that bestows an uncompromising clarity of view. Hence, she tends to get right to the point, even to the point of eschewing the social niceties. Her mind like that of a steel trap; a computer with its encyclopedic storehouse of knowledge & references. Her strength is in her mental acuity & discernment which she exercises with intensity; an intensity that may also speak of the controlled emotions.

The feelings do not get in the way of her thought process, view, nor her forward stride. No shrinking violet, she says what she means & means what she says. Takes action as she sees fit. Despite the lack of emotion customarily associated with one as she, one is left with no doubts that she gives no quarter.

bluediva said:

She is the only queen in the Vertigo deck whose eyes are not at all visible... does not gaze straight up at us. She seems to have her eyes closed, perhaps deep in thought, all energy focused on internal calculations, sense of self and outside world are pushed aside for the sake of clarity and focus.

Click to expand...

In her own way, she does not need to actually "see" a manifest form to draw conclusions. Emotionally detached, she is able to focus her entire being on the inner process of thought & reflection without hindrance to clarity. Her powers of reason & understanding commiserate with that of The High Priestess & especially in matters of the conceptual & of the abstract.

bluediva said:

Each of the queens seems to be looking through or past a layer of some sort. But the Queen of Swords is the only one who seems to be casting that layer ahead of her of her own free will. She is projecting a map towards us. Is this what she offers us? A mathematical net of coordinates and degrees? The words "circulus antarcticus" ring her face. Is her mind the coldest place on Earth? How much mental energy must she possess to maintain that icy clarity when the areas surrounding her are either dark or filled with firelight? Is she casting forth a net to ensnare us? Or is she projecting a map that we may use to calculate our coordinates and path in life?

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The lines that criss-cross her countenance like those of map offer her mental acumen. As a pattern of the deductive & the logical to learn from. As sharp as she is--that steel-trap mind--she easily sees through the deceptive or the misrepresented--she is interested in the Truth & nothing less. In the impartial justice; the letter of the law. The unsuspecting can be caught not only with the net she casts forth, but within their own net of lies or half-truths. As Walter Scott wrote:

Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!

"Circulus antarcticus" may refer to the purity of her wholistic view, untainted by "heat" or the emotions which cause the brain to short-circuit or undergo a melt-down.

bluediva said:

What about the words "Terra Naturalis Incognita" that we can make out across the map grid? (This is mentioned in the book.) Terra - perhaps this suggests being very grounded. Could this be a variation on "Terra Australis Incognita" - from Ancient Greece into the 15th Century, there was talk of a Southernmost continent ("the unknown southern land") and there was lore and speculation about an advanced, refined civilization that resided there. Perhaps the Queen of Swords would be their queen? Refined, brilliant, icy, and very distant from the rest of the world.

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Unlike other Queens whose countenance may reveal their thoughts, the Queen of Swords' does not reveal anything; or anything she may not want to impart. Her distance & detachment promotes a natural, even an instinctive understanding unfettered by other considerations that grounds her with surety of purpose unknown to others.

The downside is that she may exact the letter of the law without adjusting for mercy or compassion. May be overly impatient; react too swiftly or too sharp a tongue. In the quest for objectivity & Truth, be subjected to a tunnel vision.

bluediva said:

...How does this card speak to you in readings? How does she interact with other cards?

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If Queen of Swords appears, she may be advising to take a page from her book. To see through her eyes.

Her counsel or influence may be modified by other cards near her which may support her position or question the validity of a matter.

She can also represent an individual who can be helpful or a hindrance, depending on the situation.