Queen of Swords Question

[Little Owl]

I just saw this meaning ( below) for the qos on another site which has left me unclear about the meaning of this card. I thought that many people viewed this Queen as someone that you could confide in, who was fair, always willing to listen to others and give good advise. I suppose I was thinking along the lines of swords/justice. Love to get others views on this.

Quote
''The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and the feminine are at conflict. She never shows her emotional side, but her judgement can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor a fair judge.''

Thanks

 

[jaj]

Little Owl, I feel I gained new understanding of the Queen of Swords recently when I did an I Ching reading and a Tarot reading close together about 2 related questions. In my view, my I Ching hexagram 61 reading, Wilhelm translation, seemed to comment on the Queen of Swords in my tarot spread:

"...the superior [wo]man, when obliged to judge the mistakes of men [or humans], tries to penetrate their minds with understanding, in order to gain a sympathetic appreciation of the circumstances. In ancient China, the entire administration of justice was guided by this principle. A deep understanding that knows how to pardon was considered the highest form of justice. This system was not without success, for its aim was to make so strong a moral impression that there was no reason to fear abuse of such mildness. For it sprang not from weakness but from a superior clarity."

Brackets, highlights, and italics are mine.

 

[Little Owl]

Hi Jaj
Thank you for this, I am not sure I completly understand what this means but I think what you are saying is that she uses a softer approach than the King ( men) and tries to look at a situation from all angles ( perhaps using her mind as well as her heart ) and gives a fair decision. Please feel free to correct me if I have mis understood.

If I have understood this correctly would you agree that she would make a good confidate and fair judge?

 

[Thirteen]

Bogus!

Quote
''The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and the feminine are at conflict. She never shows her emotional side, but her judgement can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor a fair judge.''

Talk about chauvinistic! So are we saying that if a woman has masculine qualities she can't do her job well? Or a man has feminine qualities that he's flawed? That's not only stupid but obnoxious. It assume that there is an absolute masculine and an absolute feminine and they can be codified.

Actually, what this makes the thing is badly written. The writer should have gone with elements and avoided getting into hot water over masculine and feminine. The Queens are, according to the Golden Dawn system, elementally "water." The emotional suit. Air is not free of emotions, but it doesn't go with the mushy, soft emotions. It relies on cool intellect to steer it in judgements. So the Queen/Swords is caught between two ways to flow--air flow and water flow. However, as her judgements can be swayed by the heart, I don't see why she wouldn't be a good confident or a fair judge. I think anyone who won't listen to their heart would be a terrible confident. They'd spill the beans to anyone they logically thought should know what you told them, never mind how you felt about it. A person who can empathize with how you'd feel if a secret was told is more likely to keep it, not someone who can't understand your feelings.

Judgement is a different issue. The question is: what is a fair judge. There is objective fairness, judging the issue totally on the evidence and laws. You did the crime, you do the time. But other elements do need to be fed into it. Do we really want to end up with Le Miserables and a man going to jail for stealing a loaf of bread--one he stole to feed his hungry family? The King/Swords is viewed as a good judge not just because he's cool and fair, but because--thanks to his element of fire--he also has a sense of invention, a passion for balance and harmony. He goes beneath the surface of the case and looks at it from all angles. Likewise, the King/Cups is considered a good judge because of his great understanding of human nature.

Thus, I would say the exact opposite of the Queen/Swords. While there is the element of "water" there, I doubt it's strong enough to overcome the air element which is her suit and make her go soft when she needs to be hard. On the other hand, that soft part could make sure she isn't unduly harsh and, thus, is truly just rather than merciless and cold.

Just to add, however, the whole issue may be moot as I don't think the Queen/Swords is often a judge. That's not what Queens do, that's what Kings do. Queens are the ones who direct worker bees to accomplish goals (said goals imagined by the Kings). Which means she's more likely the head of a science department trying to cure rare diseases. She's not hiring the scientists (and so must be a good judge of character) or hearing their grievances (and so must keep confidences)--that's for the King to do.

 

[PAMUYA]

I just saw this meaning ( below) for the qos on another site which has left me unclear about the meaning of this card. I thought that many people viewed this Queen as someone that you could confide in, who was fair, always willing to listen to others and give good advise. I suppose I was thinking along the lines of swords/justice. Love to get others views on this.

Quote
''The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and the feminine are at conflict. She never shows her emotional side, but her judgement can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor a fair judge.''

Thanks

If I personally wanted to confide in someone it would not be this queen, only if I wanted unshielded advice being told to me blintly. She is fair but exacting; she will cut straight to the truth of the matter, she is not warm and fuzzy, no comfort here. She has a sharp mind. She is often unsatisfied with herself because even she cannot live up to her own high standards. She is a loner, possibly divorced or widowed. She has lived a hard life and has grown wise through her experiences. She is fair, but she is not one to mince words, she will tell it how she sees it(through the eyes of her life and how it has effected her heart), regardless of how it might effect you emotionally.

 

[jaj]

Hi Jaj
Thank you for this, I am not sure I completly understand what this means but I think what you are saying is that she uses a softer approach than the King ( men) and tries to look at a situation from all angles ( perhaps using her mind as well as her heart ) and gives a fair decision. Please feel free to correct me if I have mis understood.

If I have understood this correctly would you agree that she would make a good confidate and fair judge?

Before I comment on the Queen, let me first say that, in my view, the court cards are personality cards, and they each can represent both the best and the worst of our personalities. That said, my comments on the Queen will reflect my beliefs about the Queen of Swords at her best.

My beliefs about the Queen of Swords at her best:

• Yes, she is a good confidante and, more than a fair judge, she is a judge with superior understanding and clarity.

• Perhaps you have heard sayings like, “If you know enough about someone, you can forgive anything they have done”. Or “Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me”. I believe that the Queen of Swords at her best, does take the time to investigate every facet of a situation, believes that at our cores we each have the spark of goodness, and judges with a view towards rehabilitation, not punishment.

 

[Zechariah13]

the Queen of Swords (or Knives, in my deck) is not a shoulder to cry on. If you are being stupid, she will flat out tell you so so you will stop wasting her time when she could be dealing with the troubles of people who aren't in trouble primarily because of their own stupidity or unwillingness to get over themselves. She is a nurturer, but not a babysitter.

Or at least that is the vibe i keep getting from the queen.

 

[Little Owl]

A lot of really great info here and I am relieved to hear that the ''quote'' I mentioned , like myself, is not neccessarily how others view this queen.
It just goes to show that a novice taroist could easily pick up the wrong impression of a card by reading from various sources. I suppose this is why it is important to question one's findings and see if it makes sense to you and has a ring of truth to it.

I suppose what I also have a tendency to forget about the QOS is what Thirteen pointed out; that is the aspects of the flow of water and the flow of air that is connected her. This suggests to me that she isn't totally cold, with no emotions and she prefers to deal with things in a logical way. I would say there is no fluffy bunny side to her.

Any more thoughts welcome

Thanks

 

[Thirteen]

If I personally wanted to confide in someone it would not be this queen, only if I wanted unshielded advice being told to me bluntly.

But your reasoning for not confiding in her is the opposite of the reason given by the webpage quoted. They say that thought she seems cold and logical, she often relies on her heart, which means she shouldn't be confided in because you'd expect her to be rational, but she's be emotional.

You don't want to confide in her because you'd expect her to be rational rather than emotional. And I happen to agree, by the way. I think the webpage is totally wrong about her. I think she would give it to you bluntly, clearly, and with no pulling punches.

the Queen of Swords (or Knives, in my deck) is not a shoulder to cry on...She is a nurturer, but not a babysitter

Well said! I think you're absolutely right. If one is after a shoulder to cry on or someone who will sympathetically listen to your rant but not judge it, then she wouldn't be a good confident. But she might be the best person to confide in if you're ready to hear the truth and get real advice and solutions to your situation, as she wouldn't let you get away with lying to yourself.

 

[caridwen]

I just saw this meaning ( below) for the qos on another site which has left me unclear about the meaning of this card. I thought that many people viewed this Queen as someone that you could confide in, who was fair, always willing to listen to others and give good advise. I suppose I was thinking along the lines of swords/justice. Love to get others views on this.

Quote
''The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and the feminine are at conflict. She never shows her emotional side, but her judgement can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor a fair judge.''

Thanks

The Queen of Swords as someone you can confide in? Ok...

I see the Queen of Cups as the counsellor because she is sympathetic, possibly an empath. She is loving, reflective, compassionate and an excellent listener.

Queen of Swords I would go to for advice. The Queen of Swords (Remember Justice is always a woman) is able to balance objectivity with compassion. That is why she makes an excellent judge. I see her rather as a Magistrate than a Judge but she is also an excellent Lawyer, Barrister or Solicitor. I think she would also make a good Member of Parliament or MP.

For me she is excellent at attaining the right balance between Justice and Mercy. She knows in her heart what the right thing to do is and can rationalise her decision without prejudice. She is perceptive and sees with unnerving clarity, she is one of those people who seems to see right through you. She can spot BS from a mile away.

Having said that though I think the Queen of Swords would make a brilliant psychiatrist. (not psychologist that would be Queen of Cups). In the UK to be a psychiatrist you have to undertake full medical training which takes approximately seven years then you specialise in psychiatry.

She would also be good in HR or Personnel where regulations as well as personal relations were concerned. A great researcher, lecturer, writer, regulator or trainer.

She speaks with clarity and her words are balanced and well thought out. She has experienced loss and has wisdom, sometimes beyond her years. She is able to speak with experience and gravitas. She loves but love does not cloud her judgement. She knows when to cut her losses and walk away. I think though, unlike the King whose decision is final, the Queen may sometimes be persuaded to change her mind. However, it's unlikely because she makes a decision after a lot of reflection. She thinks things through before deciding. She is capable of great responsibility and her word is honourable.

I agree with the quote above that she may be conflicted between heart and mind. I think rationality will always win though but she thinks with compassion not purely with her intellect. She is capable of deep emotion and no she doesn't show it. You would never know she was conflicted because she doesn't confide readily in others.

Like Yin and Yang, the Queen and King constantly work off each other. The Queen reflects. All the Queens reflect the nature of their suit. Each one holds their suit symbol and meditates upon it. The King takes the suit symbol and acts upon it. Without the deep meditation of the Queen, the King cannot act. The King is the maturity of the idea which has gestated within the Queen.