The Medieval Scapini Tarot - Queen of Swords

Lady Iron Side

I am going to start with this card first; for it is my personality card.

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I will post the discription of this card from both the (LWB and from the Art of Arcana - by Ronald Decker)

To help you understand the Way this Deck likes to be read. Simple and easy.

An elegant woman sits on a high Gothic colum, her throne houses a raven, at her left leg. Below her are sinister images: two nude witches flying on broom sticks in the smoky sky. A bier (black hearse) drawn by black horses and a procession march of penitents some say (Ku Klux Klan members). Her right arm crosses her body to support a large sword, and on her sword arm is a snake bracelet. On the hilt of the sword is a swan, three coats of arms, and a crown with the symbols of the world. She is crowned with two crescent moons. She sits beneath the Moon. She wears a bodice embroidered with heraldry, it includes lozenges (diamond shapes), signs of widowhood.

Element - Air -

which is depicted by the bird forms, plumes, smoke, and flying witches.

The Queen looks to be lost in thought, which is assigned to the suit of swords.

The Raven - symbolizes death, but also it is known for it's alertness and it's ability to learn.

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Now we can added more to this; Symbolism - meanings - definitions

This Card not only is titled Queen of Swords, but also these;

"The Witch" "Widowhood" "Worldly Woman"

SYMBOLS: with definitions

The Queen, 3 Moons, Nude witches, Swan = Initiation in moon magic.

Witches = subjective, judgement, loss of discernment.

Broom-Sticks = sacred power, prosperity, luck, good fortune.
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Queen looking - past - down

Down = mundane, material world of practicality, showing tasks, limits, obstructions, things falling, comming to rest.

Looking - left - past = (passive, receptive) sinister, holding, binding, points to ominous, or inauspicious oracles. ( scene below her)

Queen's White Robe = purity, innocence, simplicity, virtue, truth, truce, ghosts, weakness.

Queen's Blue Dress = Truth, spirituality, calmness, peace, serenity, fidelity, cold, melancholy.
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Hands - Holds Sword - Look at the symbol sword and Hilt (swan) 3 crests, and the 3 worlds at top of hilt.
- Rests hand on Raven head - Look at the symbol of the Raven
Hands = indicate characteristics and abilities of the person.
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Sword = more than one meaning, because of it's hilt.

Hilt of sword = a system of belief, spiritual strenght, cutting away the unnecessary.

( on the hilt of the sword are these symbols - swan, 3 coats of arms, and crown with the symbols of the world).

Swan = initiation - Marriage, birth, gracefulness, nobility, valour, prudence, cautious advice, soul.
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Sandstone - Pedestal-

Sandstone = cleansing, since it flows like water and burns like fire.
a quest for rest, safety and regeneration.

Pedestal = separation of the celestial, manifestation, balance, harmony.
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3 Moons = Moon Magic - Sexuality, intuition, dreams, emotional, feminine, psyshic, love, romance, mysterious, unapproachable.

Crescent Moon = mysterious powers, non-rational.
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Torches - Fire - Fire Element - suit could be Fire as well
Torch = Compare with the Raven = enlightment, cleansing, initiation
Fire = awareness, light, enlightenment, worth, desire, transformaing, destructive, passion, enthusiasm, spontaneity

Raven = Death - Messenger - Intelligent, misfortune, clear-sightness, creative, warns of danger, alert, family, affection, hope, absence, free, sin, prophecy.

Black Horses ( funeral procession ) = Teaches, intuition, reason, guides, death and life, mourning, sorrow, sadness, widowhood, unfilled, passionate, concentration (too hard), movement, progress, travel, change.

Hearse = Death, time limited, nolonger alive ( feeling, let it go), ending of some sort.
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Now here is the Reversed meaning of the card without having the card in reversed position: Surprise! like I said no need to have the cards reversed they are already.

3 moons = distortion, illusions, fanaticism.

Raven = Solitude, Self-isolation, separation, trickery, deceit.

Penitents ( KKK) = Malicious, vengeful, cruel, enemy.

There is more......be back to finish.
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Snake - bracelet = life, inspiration, healer, seer, psyche, mysterious, soul, libido or sexuality, rebirth, renewal,

Snake bracelet - wrapped around her arm. = bondage, enslaved ( to passion).

Snake's color (grey) = devotion, ministration.
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Crown = perfection, what is above is below, power, enlightenment, the four cardinal points, protective, heaven, sacrifice, spiritual status, mysteries, greatness, happiness, victory, success, knowledge, awareness, dedication, attainment, opportunities, and so on.

Smoke = relationship between heaven and earth, sacrifice, sick, disease, paranormal powers, individual's breath, soul to be reunited (leaving the body), feeling of danger, anxiety, unflared passion, cleansing, contamination, prayers rising, or soul escaping from something.

Sky = heaven, power, sacrality, everlastingness, egg, guardian of secrets, fate, spiritual, planetary ( 9 heavens - the moon is the 6th heaven), awareness, achievement, mind, potential, ambivalent, gloominess, unattainable, infinity, order, intuitive.

The 3 symbols ( 3 moons, 3 coat of arms = 3 worlds - which is the TREE of LIFE - KABBALA) means = Heaven, wholeness, fulfillment, (time is threefold - past-present-future) the universe is threefold, 3 things that can destroy an individual's faith are lies, impudence and sarcasm. 3 things that can drag an individual down are slander, hard-heartedness and hatred. 3 things that can lead an indiviual to the faith are modesty, courtesy and fear.

there is more not done yet.
 

Lady Iron Side

more info on Scapini's Queen of Swords

Method of discovering our/others, personality type.


To get more clarity of a persons personality, I turn to the symbols depicted in the card. To see what my minds eye see's first (intuition), that quick glimpses of the raven or the moon, or the witches. Will be my glues as to whom the spread is referring to. Its is those symbols that have the keys/clues, that will lead you to the right individual, without questions.

I have found over the years that I have worked with the tarot, that it seemed to be the sheep’s method, (books – LWB), that the queen of swords means or is interpreted as this (……). Which was to vague, boring, and left me with too many questions. Like; oh, I know 5 queen of sword types, hmmm which one of the lady’s is it. Which lead to more questions and pulling more cards for clarity. Well I soon threw that method out the door, studied hard on tarot, astrology, numerology, Carl Jung, etc. I created my own method, and the questions stopped, I knew whether the reading was talking about me or someone else, whether I knew them or not.

With my own experiences of interacting with other people, whether they are friends, family, or strangers. I found more and more that these people didn’t all fit into the 16 stereotype tarot personalities, We may have some aspect that are the same characteristics, more or less than another person, but most often enough it could take 3 traits to make it not so.

I link those symbols to other cards in the deck.

I would just like to let everyone who reads my posts to know that I am no expert, I will not claim to be one, we all know that the tarot cards and your intuition speaks differently to you, than the person next door. It all basically comes down to observation and perception of the individual. Ie: 10 people in a room will witness something, but yet what each of them saw it differently and perceived it in a different aspect, so they will share what they saw by different interpretation of what happened. Tarot works same way.

Queen of Swords is Link to these other cards
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Symbols of the Correspondences –

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Elemental:

Raven, smoke, flying witches – Air

Major Arcana Cards – The Lovers, Justice, the Star.
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Moons – Water of Air

Major Arcana Cards:

The Moon, the Popess/High Priestess
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Torches - Fire - Fire Element - Queen could be Fire as well or just have fire qualities.

Mars, sun, venus

Mars = Aries -Scapini – depicts Mars to the Swords

Mars = aggression, heat, action, weapons, sharp tools (Swords), decisive, loving, pioneer, direct, leader, defender, irate, brutal, foolhardy, lacking forethought, selfish, quarrelsome, over-hasty, rude, boisterous.

Mars/Aries - combination = great energy, intellectual nature, mental activity, leads to strain, independence, frankness, prone to accidents, impulsiveness, aggressiveness, strongly sexed.

Magor Arcana Cards:

The Emperess, Tower, the Sun

Mars - the Tower - is the predominant

Minor Arcan Cards - Aries
2 Of Wands = Mars = links to the Tower
3 Of Wands = Sun = links to the Sun
4 Of Wands = Venus - links to the Empress

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Planetary:

Venus, Mars, Moon

Mars – Scapini – depicts Mars to the Swords – Mars is the greater and lesser, “Malefics”. That, the deity’s attribute for this is the Sword, for the suit.

Major Arcana Cards:

The Empress, the Tower, the Popess/High Priestess

Venus – Rules Libra

Symbol – ( Swan ) on the hilt of the sword

Venus = Power to love, feelings, partnership, possessions, money, the arts, social live, beauty, adornments, clothes, fashion, harmony, gentle, kind, friendly manner, tactful, adaptable, refined, Lazy, gushing, indecisive, excessively romantic, week-willed, careless, impractical, dependent on others.

Combining Venus with Libra = emotional partnerships are powerfully stressed, bonds must not be to hastily formed, it takes little to throw a relationship off – balance, there may be some resentment, but only under serious affliction.

As you can see the major arcana (Justice) fell right into that.

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Astrologically:

Libra - as the predominant - Justice

Virgo – as a lesser – The Hermit

20 degrees Virgo – 20 degrees Libra



Symbols: Which link to these minor arcana cards.


- 2 of Swords (for the 2 of Swords requires the Swan on the hilt of the Sword) =

Witches, Raven, the Sword, Swan – Justice of the major arcana. Moons and black horses.


Witches - subjective, judgment, loss of discernment.

Raven – Affection, warns of danger (dangerous times), family/friends,

Swan – Valor and courage, cautious advice, union,

Moons – turns her back to the Moon (watery element) – feelings and Instability, - distortion, illusions, fanaticism, Sexuality, intuition, dreams, emotional, feminine, psychic, love, romance, mysterious, unapproachable.

Black Horses – guidance and direction.
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- 3 of Swords =

Black horses, hearse, and the Penitents (KKK), and the Raven

Raven – separation, loss,
Black horses – pain, sorrow,
Hearse – Death, time limited, no longer alive (feeling, let it go), ending of some sort.
Penitents (KKK) – Hatred, quarrel, tears,


I am not finished....I really just started. I will be back to finish.
 

Lady Iron Side

Putting it together - the many Queen of Sword - Personalitys

Just a note, these will take me a few days. In my personal journal the queens personalities are 50 pages. so please bare with me, I will also be kind to not post all 50 pages, for I do not want to confuse or complicate it more than need be. I will assume that everyone here as the basic understanding of each card in the tarot deck. This way I will just guide you from that point to a new direction. from there you can go with it, add more of your own personal insights. expand it which ever way you wish. or on the other had you could just not at all for you are happy and content with your own method that you have intuitively bonded with.


quick first example: this will start of short just to get the ball roling. I will keep it short and sweet.

Let's say you pull a queen of Swords - (doesn't matter what position at this point. this is just the example). but also you have the Empress as well, then you take note that the Pope is in the spread too.

you first look at your Queen of Sword, the first thing you saw was the swan and the hilt of her sword. (which has 3 coat of arms and the 3 worlds on top)

Wow - that is Venus - which now just link it to your empress card in the spread

now the hilt also has the 3 coat of arms (Family crests) so the Queen has a family of her own.

so far our Queen of Swords personality is - Venus = Power to love, feelings, partnership, possessions, money, the arts, social live, beauty, adornments, clothes, fashion, harmony, gentle, kind, friendly manner, tactful, adaptable, refined.

ADDED with The Empress = Mother, sister, Wife. so now we have her as Married, loyal, faithful, possiably pregnant. Well educated, artistic, talented, skilled. possiably very carreer oriented - need to look to the pope.

Empress link to the pope - Crown = 9 stars = music, poetry and science.

base of throne - liberal arts: grammar, logic, rhethoric, geometry, arithmetic, philosophy, astrology, theology.

At her foot - Crecent Moon - links back to the Queen and her 3 moons.
Now lets take it a little further so we want to know type/career just as an example.

The Pope.

On the Queen hild of her sword at the top is the symbol of the 3 world which is linked to the Tree of Life, spiritual pathways. and this also links to the Pope. For the Queen is also very spiritual....a religious belief system of her own choice.

So the Queen of Swords could be a teacher, love kids, Councellor, Minister, sunday school teacher, very religious and goes to church every sunday. this card also confirms Marriage. Therefore this queen of sword is not divorced. and is very happy.

as a reminder this is just the start of all my many notes.....lol.....there is more....be back to finish...