Cat*
This was my card for today, so I thought I might as well post something about it.
Whenever I pulled it so far, I always think "Queen of Cups" (my working copy of the Greenwood doesn't have any titles, so I'm thrown back on my perceptions of the images alone). It happened again today. Only after I had already jotted down some notes about gentleness, being loved by the Universe, and strawberries for sweetness (of the heart) did I see the arrow and realized that this is meant to be what is in other decks the Queen of Swords. What a change!
So, what do I make of this? (I'm actually thinking as I write, so I hope this goes anywhere.)
The white Deer who feels very feminine and therefore "shouldn't" have antlers because she's not a Reindeer (and Reindeers are the only female Deers that HAVE antlers). So why does she have them? I'm almost tempted to throw in the idea of Two-Spirited-ness and read her as a mentor type of mature drag queen/transwoman who has been around the block a few times, has seen and felt more than her share of violence in many forms (which is where the point of the arrow or the edge of the traditional Sword Queen comes in), but who still manages to be very, very loving, kind, and generous towards her fellow beings. I can even see one of my favorite real-life authors/activists in that image. (Mind you, this is a language/metaphor that makes sense to ME - it might be entirely useless or even indecipherable to you. But this is my train of thoughts so I won't reword it. )
The image itself just radiates love and peace. There's so much of it that no one needs to be afraid there isn't enough for them, too. It says you're safe here, you can rest for a while, let your guard down a bit, relax, and enjoy the beauty of a sunny day and the taste of a small wild strawberry on your tongue.
I also see this white Deer as a guide of sorts (I think there is some Celtic myth about a white deer? Or is that just something I read in the DruidCraft book? See also the white Deer on the Fool card!). She's like a Spirit who isn't entirely of this side of reality (it's the spirals that make her seem otherworldly...). She doesn't look like an actual real-life animal to me (and that's emphasized again by the antlers).
And all of this make sense to me when I tie them back to my earlier idea of a Two-Spirited woman who has transformed her pain into love and kindness.
Now I'm pretty sure this is NOTHING like what Chesca Potter wrote! But I'm curious, so I'll just pop over to her website and quote the bit about this card here...
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Chesca Potter says:
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Well, the gentleness is there, but none of the (hidden) pain/hurt. Is this just my RWS-educated brain thinking Arrows = Air = Swords = pain/conflict and projecting pain into a card where there isn't any? But the arrow IS a weapon, too...
So what do the four elements actually mean in the Greenwood Tarot? (Yes, that would be a good question for a new thread, but I still want to write these first few thoughts down here so I don't forget them.)
Chesca Potter says "Air = Summer". I can see this in the colors. I can also associate the abundance of love, peace, and kindness in this card with summer.
Mark Ryan says "Arrows > Swords > conceptual / communicative / ambitions / cunning / intellect / being of the mind". Well, I don't see any of these in the Queen of Arrows here... Then again, I tend to distrust his writing about this deck anyway, so I suspect he might just have gone by RWS meanings here...
Other questions in relation to this card might be: How is Deer (Queen of Arrows) different from Reindeer (King of Cups)? How do these cards relate to the Ancestor (another Reindeer), Justice (a brown Deer/Stag), and the Ace of Cups (another white hart)? How do these cards relate to the humanoid antler-headed figures in cards like the 7 of Stones, 9 of Cups, or 9 of Stones?
I also remember from an earlier thread about animals in the Greenwood that Deer was the animal that appeared most in the deck (including antlers). It seems that Deer was Chesca Potter's Spirit Guide (Mi-Shell has explored this in much more depth here), so that would explain a lot...
And after all these random thoughts, I'm now very curious what others make of this card!
Whenever I pulled it so far, I always think "Queen of Cups" (my working copy of the Greenwood doesn't have any titles, so I'm thrown back on my perceptions of the images alone). It happened again today. Only after I had already jotted down some notes about gentleness, being loved by the Universe, and strawberries for sweetness (of the heart) did I see the arrow and realized that this is meant to be what is in other decks the Queen of Swords. What a change!
So, what do I make of this? (I'm actually thinking as I write, so I hope this goes anywhere.)
The white Deer who feels very feminine and therefore "shouldn't" have antlers because she's not a Reindeer (and Reindeers are the only female Deers that HAVE antlers). So why does she have them? I'm almost tempted to throw in the idea of Two-Spirited-ness and read her as a mentor type of mature drag queen/transwoman who has been around the block a few times, has seen and felt more than her share of violence in many forms (which is where the point of the arrow or the edge of the traditional Sword Queen comes in), but who still manages to be very, very loving, kind, and generous towards her fellow beings. I can even see one of my favorite real-life authors/activists in that image. (Mind you, this is a language/metaphor that makes sense to ME - it might be entirely useless or even indecipherable to you. But this is my train of thoughts so I won't reword it. )
The image itself just radiates love and peace. There's so much of it that no one needs to be afraid there isn't enough for them, too. It says you're safe here, you can rest for a while, let your guard down a bit, relax, and enjoy the beauty of a sunny day and the taste of a small wild strawberry on your tongue.
I also see this white Deer as a guide of sorts (I think there is some Celtic myth about a white deer? Or is that just something I read in the DruidCraft book? See also the white Deer on the Fool card!). She's like a Spirit who isn't entirely of this side of reality (it's the spirals that make her seem otherworldly...). She doesn't look like an actual real-life animal to me (and that's emphasized again by the antlers).
And all of this make sense to me when I tie them back to my earlier idea of a Two-Spirited woman who has transformed her pain into love and kindness.
Now I'm pretty sure this is NOTHING like what Chesca Potter wrote! But I'm curious, so I'll just pop over to her website and quote the bit about this card here...
------
Chesca Potter says:
"Queen of Arrows: Deer
Time of year; midsummer solstice; Element; Air
I am very fortunate to live in Oxford near Magdalen College deer park where there are actual white hart and hinds (albino fallow deer) . Each time I visit them is a sacred occasion. The white deer, rare in reality, has a strong mythology; it is the inner heart guiding one into an inner place of stillness and mystery. (see also The ancestor). In this tarot card the deer sits still on a grassy mound, whilst the vibrant, healing, vitalised air of summer swirls in currents behind it. The arrows stand still in the ground.
Divination: A person with a gentle, tender and loving heart, whose quiet wisdom brings healing. They could have qualities of shyness and oversensitivity; difficult to get close to initially, they are loyal and deep. A person happy and healthy."
Time of year; midsummer solstice; Element; Air
I am very fortunate to live in Oxford near Magdalen College deer park where there are actual white hart and hinds (albino fallow deer) . Each time I visit them is a sacred occasion. The white deer, rare in reality, has a strong mythology; it is the inner heart guiding one into an inner place of stillness and mystery. (see also The ancestor). In this tarot card the deer sits still on a grassy mound, whilst the vibrant, healing, vitalised air of summer swirls in currents behind it. The arrows stand still in the ground.
Divination: A person with a gentle, tender and loving heart, whose quiet wisdom brings healing. They could have qualities of shyness and oversensitivity; difficult to get close to initially, they are loyal and deep. A person happy and healthy."
------
Well, the gentleness is there, but none of the (hidden) pain/hurt. Is this just my RWS-educated brain thinking Arrows = Air = Swords = pain/conflict and projecting pain into a card where there isn't any? But the arrow IS a weapon, too...
So what do the four elements actually mean in the Greenwood Tarot? (Yes, that would be a good question for a new thread, but I still want to write these first few thoughts down here so I don't forget them.)
Chesca Potter says "Air = Summer". I can see this in the colors. I can also associate the abundance of love, peace, and kindness in this card with summer.
Mark Ryan says "Arrows > Swords > conceptual / communicative / ambitions / cunning / intellect / being of the mind". Well, I don't see any of these in the Queen of Arrows here... Then again, I tend to distrust his writing about this deck anyway, so I suspect he might just have gone by RWS meanings here...
Other questions in relation to this card might be: How is Deer (Queen of Arrows) different from Reindeer (King of Cups)? How do these cards relate to the Ancestor (another Reindeer), Justice (a brown Deer/Stag), and the Ace of Cups (another white hart)? How do these cards relate to the humanoid antler-headed figures in cards like the 7 of Stones, 9 of Cups, or 9 of Stones?
I also remember from an earlier thread about animals in the Greenwood that Deer was the animal that appeared most in the deck (including antlers). It seems that Deer was Chesca Potter's Spirit Guide (Mi-Shell has explored this in much more depth here), so that would explain a lot...
And after all these random thoughts, I'm now very curious what others make of this card!