Last month I covered the Kings, the intellectual elements of self, this month I am going to be exploring the Queens, the emotional elements of self.

The Queens represent the element of Water in the court. Water, as used here, represents the emotional parts of the self, including the hormonal flow through the body, which is where the physical side of our emotions reside. Pushed and pulled by the lunar and solar cycles our emotional world is drawn through shifting moods that are then shaped and molded by the other elements and events around and within us. The Queens illustrate the interplay of Water as it passes through each of the elements.

Queen of Wands, Fire of Water, the passionate element of emotion, the flame in the center of the whirlpool. She ranges from the warm inner push towards emotional engagement through to the fiery bite of anger engaged in battle. While the King is inspired by his passions, the Queen is motivated by hers- illustrating the difference between the head, (which is inspired, drawn from ideals and logic) and the heart, (which is motivated, drawn from feelings and intuition), here, in the Wands, they are fueled by their passions- love, hate, anger and joy, the fires of creativity and the will to be, the spark that pushes us towards a deeper intensity of living.

Queen of Cups, Water of Water, flowing ripples of emotional currents swirling through the depths, an amoeba like state with your environment. Feeling every bump and movement in ripples reverberating in reflecting waves throughout your being. Here we find the poet, the lover, the romantic. While the King tries to sit on top of his emotions, feeling the constant pull downwards as a burden, the Queen is comfortable in her element, allowing herself to be drawn down into, and swim back up through, the shifting currents.

Queen of Swords, Air of Water, emotional judgment, elegance and grace, but sometimes harsh in her precision. Coming from an organically centered grace, she has the discriminating eye of aesthetic taste that is, on one hand, quite exacting but on the other hand, transitory and subject to change. Here we find a hard tongue of humor, an “off with their heads” sarcasm that can cut to the bone. While the King thinks he has all the answers, the Queen just knows she’s always right.

Queen of Pentacles, Earth of Water, where the water meets the shore, the hormones flood through the cells, where the flowing water meets the finiteness of the material world, its container. This is the part of you that calls for you to look after the physical needs that need fulfilling in order to create your sense of emotional well being. In relation to the King, who is more focused on the pride of possession, the Queen is primarily focused on those material things that will bring a sense of security and emotional comfort.

You may notice a slight difference in the tone in these descriptions, as compared to those given in the previous article on the Kings. This comes from having the Queens sitting right here in front of me as I type (as I had the Kings sitting in front of me last time). The effect of having the images of the cards in front of me is to actually “shift my consciousness” in a way, (as any image will, it’s mainly a matter of extent), but with the Tarot, I consciously draw this effect deeper into a reflection of my inner self. I allow memories, thoughts and feelings to emerge and mirror the dynamics I see unfolding in the cards, I allow the connections to “bubble up” from my subconscious and flash across the images in front of me.

I would like to point out that, even though I’m male, I don’t see the Kings being “me” and the Queens being “not-me”, I see elements of both blended in a mixture that is unique to me. To compartmentalize and segregate parts of ourselves, causes us to be lonely inside, and feel isolated from those around us. To acknowledge and embrace all the elements of ourselves allows us to then fully acknowledge and embrace those close to us. There are many ways and many tools that can be used to accomplish this, the Tarot is one such tool, one that I have found particularly useful, and want to share with others.

The other side of the Tarot is it’s “divinitory” aspects, and I would be remiss in not mentioning the synchronisitic element of my present situation. As I’ve been preparing this article on the element of Water, the city I am living in, Peterborough, has been hit by a flash flood. At the moment, the world around me has a very liquid feel as everyone grapples with this sudden change in environment, and the outpouring of compassion and concern is heartwarming to see as we swim around and try to help each other navigate these turbulent waters, figuratively speaking. This is a vague synchronicity compared to some of the ones you will discover in developing a personal relationship with the Tarot, it can get pretty uncanny at times, and in so being, open ones awareness to some pretty astounding dimensions of life.