Understanding the court cards in Tarot can be challenging, in this article we take a closer look at the Queens of Tarot. Each queen has a unique personality that offers insight into their nature and behaviour, this can even involve their physical appearance, hobbies, personality, and career choices. The queens like all of the court cards represent people, events, locations, and situations, and we want to understand their distinct characteristics to communicate effectively with them and through them.
Tip 1: Relate them to people in your life
Just like the people in our lives, it's crucial to differentiate between Tarot queens.
People come in all shapes and sizes, with endless possibilities. Similarly, the court cards span a wide range of potentials, and it's important to understand them so that you can interpret them accurately.
Think for a moment - Who the Queen of Swords reminds you of in your life? This can be a teacher, a mentor a friend or a sibling.
Don’t second-guess yourself.
Now you have a name, you want to see if this is the right fit – why does this person remind you of the queen of swords? Note down how and why this person for you is the queen of swords and make sure it is a good fit.
By getting to know the characters of your tarot queens, you'll be able to recognise when only one aspect of a queen is showing up and is relevant to the reading. For example, if your friend appears in a reading as the Queen of Pentacles, normally she is your Queen of Swords due to her quick-witted and fast speaking and understanding nature. Yet she is showing up as the Queen of Pentacles in this reading because she is doing home renovations, she is getting her hands dirty to save money. This is both a smart move (that is who you normally see her as – Queen of Swords) and very financially savvy (showing up as the Queen of Pentacles) plus actually being involved in the physical labour.
If you begin to associate tarot court cards with people in your life, interpreting them in readings becomes easier.
Tip 2: Ditch the memorising + sit with your cards
Have you been struggling to memorise the meanings of your tarot cards and their associated keywords? Why not take a different approach - rather than trying to memorise and stuff more facts and information in your head - take some time to get to know your cards on a deeper level?
Start by gathering all your tarot Queens and examining them together. Pay attention to what you think, feel, and notice as you look at them. You might find it helpful to keep a tarot journal and write down your observations.
This is a fantastic way to become more relaxed with your cards. Sitting with a book and trying to connect each card to what others have said about particular cards can be like studying for exams, not fun and tarot is supposed to be fun! So, lighten up with your tarot journey and make it more user-friendly.
Tip 3: Work with the energy of the element
Understanding the elements represented in each court card helps you to distinguish between the energy and elements they embody. Take note of the colours, symbols, and imagery associated with each element to develop a more intuitive and insightful understanding of your tarot cards (bonus – this will increase your understanding of the elements and how the cards are expressions of them).
For example - the Queen of Cups embodies the water, cups energy, and represents dreaminess, romance, emotion, creativity, psychic ability, and fertility. To understand her, it is crucial to examine how she embodies her element.
Looking at the traditional Rider Waite Queen of Cups, we see the archetype of a mother. She sits on the edge of the land, she is at home with the water as it laps at her feet. From the blues, the water, and the cup in her hand, we can see that she is a water sign. The cherubs (part mermaid), a shell on her throne, and the wave patterns on her cloak all add to the picture of what this Queen is about.
By expanding on the suggested themes and messages of the card we can imagine that she is …caring, soft, sweet, and inwardly focused.
How do we know she is inwardly focused?
She is looking at what is in her hands, something she holds (think of the cup or chalice as a part of her). From here we keep making leaps of faith in our imagination (this is an extra tip - use your imagination and take the leaps of faith) It doesn't matter if we are keyword right, what matters is your relationship to her.
Journal prompts:
Who is she to you?
How can you get to know the Queen of Cups? or What could you do to get to know her better? (role play, imagine a conversation with her...)
Use your imagination - what is in her cup?
Why is she staring at it so intently?
Tip 4: Take your Queen out on a date
While you may now be beginning to understand how to speak to the Queens of tarot by identifying someone similar in your life, let's take it a step further. Can you think of an event, a situation, a place, or a recurring theme in someone's life that could be associated with the tarot queens?
All court cards offer us an extra dimension in a reading by referencing not just people, but also the world they inhabit. The Queen of Wands is a social and outgoing character, exuding charm and self-confidence. She may signify a period of attending social gatherings and being the life of the party. She encourages boldness and taking charge of situations.
She also emphasises the importance of believing in oneself. You could know a person who has had to become the Queen of Wands in their work environment to present themselves (with confidence) and change their attitude, taking the lead to get a job done. This may not be who they are, but it may be how they acted to overcome a situation.
Tip 5: Connect through your senses to discover more about your Queens
The Queen of Pentacles symbolizes the earthly things. She is known for being down-to-earth, dependable, trustworthy, and hardworking.
Even though you might think of her qualities as a bit dull, they are often the things that are essential for a fulfilling life. She can speak to us of careers, finances, and homes - things that make up our assets and investments of time and money (our energy).
This Queen also represents things that are tangible and sensory, such as physical attraction, eating and drinking, and pleasures of the flesh. To understand her fully, we need to engage with our senses and think of everything we can touch, taste and feel in a very tangible way.
Tip # 5: Discover their strengths and weaknesses to know them better
The Queen of Swords is our Air energy, this queen embodies quick thinking and is always on the ball. She is a fast learner, thinker and communicator, but can also be quick to judge and deliver sarcastic biting words.
When we connect to this queen, she can often be divisive. Working with sword energy is like walking on a knife's edge, as it's easy to slip into the destructive and hurtful energy of the air element.
The Queen of Swords knows exactly who she is, which can leave people around her feeling as if they do not know themselves. Her certainty and decisiveness leave little room for the watery cups people and the slow-moving earth energy. However this is not her problem, and only reinforces her certainty in herself.
By viewing court cards as whole individuals, not 2 dimensional characters on tarot cards we begin to know them on a deeper level. We can open up a conversation with them. We begin to flesh out our picture of each of the tarot queens, and we learn to see them as the multifaceted characters that they are.
This not only adds an extra dimension to our readings by giving us a deeper understanding of these personalities, but it will also help you develop a more intuitive and insightful relationship with your tarot cards.