Nettles

From the Nigel Jackson Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Viking Lenormand, the Tree:

When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun by nettles.

― Horace Walpole

The truth for this Queen is simply seeing the world as it is. We tend to get intoxicated by our emotions, opinions, assumptions and concepts, often secretly thinking we're experts. However, she advocates for clarity and self-honesty, encouraging us to have the patience to listen and ask questions. She reminds us that we'll need to prop open our mind and be aware of when new information tries to slam it shut. The Tree represents steady, strong growth. Such development allows us to see areas that need improvement as well as opportunities and resources. If we can't see clearly, we won't know how to appropriately respond to any situation, much less any challenge.  

Make It a Priority

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Chicory:

Despite its importance, listening is often neglected in everyday interactions. One of the primary reasons for this is the human tendency to prioritize response over comprehension. 

—Ramesh Meda

The Queen of Swords is illustrated with an Eurasian eagle-owl, one of the largest owls. Like other owls, it is equipped with a facial disk, a group of feathers around its head that helps direct sound to its ears (useful in hunting). The Queen of Swords may be known for her sharp intellect, but she also is an astute listener. She notices what isn't being said as well as the emotions and tone behind the words. The Queen finds the facts by paying attention, not by jumping to conclusions. Chicory's root has long been roasted and used as a coffee substitute when coffee was hard to come by. Even today, it is often added for its nutty, earthy flavor without increasing caffeine content. Likewise, listening deeply in conversations can change how we relate to others in a positive way, creating connection rather than division. 

Scorched

This week I'll be using the Margarete Petersen Tarot, created by Petersen and published by Königs Furt. The oracle I'll be using is Elemental Dice, an idea developed by my good friend Carole Beasley. Today's card and dice roll are Mother of Feathers (Queen of Swords) and Wildfire (Fire + Darkness):

The lies we tell other people are nothing to the lies we tell ourselves.

―Derek Landy

Petersen's rendition of this Mother/Queen looks like a giant iris and pupil. Indeed, she is adept at perception and insight, able to see beyond the masks people wear. Part of the reason she is so good at knowing others is because she isn't afraid to look within at how her own mind works. She knows all too well how wishful hopes, strong opinions, and intense emotions can affect our ability to discern reality clearly. Wildfire, an uncontrolled fire that spreads rapidly in a natural area, is often started by something without any pernicious intention. Likewise, unasked for advice or observations - however well intentioned - may land on an unreceptive audience. Sometimes not lighting that fire is the better choice.

Still Amazing

From the Tarot of the Crone, the Grandmother (Queen) of Swords; from the Wondering Traveler's Oracle, Still Amazing:

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. 

—Khalil Gibran

Ellen calls this Grandmother the Storyteller and writes: "She speaks of what is and what could be. She feeds the minds of those around her, lest those minds become starved and narrow." You can tell someone about ethics and possibilities, but if you want them to remember, weave a story that includes them. One of my favorite memories is sneaking into bed with my grandmother as a preschooler and listening to her talk; I didn't realize at the time she was teaching as well as entertaining me. The Wondering Traveler card reminds us that even if our world is small, it is still no less amazing. It simply requires us to drop our expectations and remain curious. While traveling is often encouraged as a way to expand our minds, money and circumstances may keep some of us from doing so. Yet reading, especially about lands, cultures and philosophies different from our own can have the same effect. 

Perceiving

From the Slow Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the ROAR Oracle, Georgia O'Keeffe:

Happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.

―Georgia O'Keeffe

People are often intimidated by this Queen, not only by her intellect, but because of her laser-like focus. When she listens, the person speaking has her full attention. She's not only hearing what they say, she's watching gestures, postures, and facial expressions as well as noticing their tone. Much of the Queen's insight comes from paying close attention; it allows her to separate the wheat from the chaff. Georgia O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Modern Art" and is known for her large, simplified portraits of nature. She painted her subjects the way they made her feel, making them over-sized because she wanted people to see their beauty: "We haven't time, and to see takes time." both of these women encourage us to slow down and be more perceptive and curious about what surrounds us each day.

Right Use of Knowledge

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, the Sun:

Without knowledge action is useless, and knowledge without action is futile. 

—Abu Bakr

This woman is no ice queen. While she's capable of the most abstract thought, she understands her life is relational. She offers snippets of truth and advice that are grounded in real life. These are the pieces of information people can put to use, a way for them to create change for the better. The Sun woman travels across the sky carrying a torch, creating daylight. Motion keeps her from being caught by those who would like to control her for their own purposes. Sun represents patterns, awakening and movement. Having helpful information does little good if it's not used. As Charles Spurgeon said, "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge."

Keep It Personal

From the Out of Hand Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Seashells Playing Cards, the River Nerite:

Truth has no special time of its own.  Its hour is now - always.  ―Albert Schweitzer

The Queen of Swords encourages us to look at the evidence in front of us and see the truth of it. It can be tempting to spend our time watching the changing seasons outside the window; while a nice distraction, this will not help us get to the root of our issue. The River Nerite lives in freshwater and brackish water (where freshwater mixes with seawater); its shell has a fishnet-like pattern. This snail reminds us not to have an 'all or nothing' attitude and to avoid getting bogged down in unimportant details. We only need to find our truth, not answers for everyone else.

Under the Influence

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Masters (redrawn classic paintings) created and published by James Ricklef. I'll also be using  a transformation deck called the Key to the Kingdom created by Tony Meeuwissen and published by Running Press. Today's draws are the Queen of Swords and the Four of Hearts:

The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think.

― Marianne Williamson

This Queen of Swords is based on the painting Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent. As Ricklef explains, sometimes there can be a "fine line between ambition and obsession, brilliance and madness." People with great intelligence generally tend to have a way with words, using them as a tool to get what they want. Lady Macbeth knew that as a woman, she could only rise in power through her husband, so she used manipulation and emasculation to motivate him to murder. Shakespeare's play ends with the Lady killing herself and Macbeth (who became something of a tyrant) beheaded. Intelligence needs ethical boundaries. The Four of Hearts is paired with this verse:

A man in the wilderness asked of me,

How many strawberries grow in the sea.

I answered him, as I thought good,

As many red herrings swim in the wood.

Motives, when under the influence of greed or anger, have a way of dismantling common sense. 

The Poultice of Truth

From the Druidcraft Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Druid Plant Oracle, Yarrow:

You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too.

― Anne Lamott

The Queen of Swords has an analytic, intelligent mind and is a lover of truth. She knows from experience that no one is truly free if they are bound by false beliefs, fantasies or the lies they tell themselves and others. While she doesn't believe in wrapping her words in cotton candy fluff, she is at her core a nurturer and takes Lamott's words to heart. She knows that judgmental or angry words will fall on deaf ears, so she often uses direct questions to lead her listener to the truth, allowing them to understand and see it for themselves. Yarrow, since ancient times, has been used to heal wounds, stop bleeding and reduce fevers. Living in a cocoon spun of lies may make us feel safe, but our delusions will exsanguinate us; instead, we can apply the poultice of truth. As Cornel West stated, "There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie."

Our Salvation

From the Gaian Tarot, the Guardian of Air (Queen of Swords); from the Goddess Oracle, Changing Woman:

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

~George Bernard Shaw

This Queen uses a crystal singing bowl to focus her thoughts and calm her mind. She tries to explain to others how just a tiny shift - in our perspective, opinions, beliefs or wishes - can radically change our world. All those concepts, expectations and assumptions we rigidly cling to don't affect outer things, but they sure can make us miserable. But those small shifts are like the clouds that suddenly move and uncover the sun; we suddenly see with clarity and understanding. Estsanatlehi (Changing Woman), a figure in Native mythology, is associated with cycles and teaches that natural shifts make things different, but they can also make them healthy. As Barbara Kingsolver wrote, "The changes we dread most may contain our salvation." 

Seeing the Blockage

From the Tarot of the Enchanted Forest the Weaver of Challenges (Queen of Swords); from the Mushroom Spirit Oracle, Bleeding Tooth:

This Weaver/Queen is like a fine sieve that can sift out half-truths, exaggerations, excuses and accusations until nothing is left but the gritty truth. Her aim, however, is not to punish but to help. She knows our ego wants nothing to do with discomfort, thus it hides behind these deflections. It relies on what it's learned in the past to try and stay safe and comfortable, which means the ego has no space for creativity. Bleeding Tooth is a fungus that 'bleeds' sappy droplets that contain a pigment known to have properties similar to heparin, a chemical that reduces the blood's ability to clot. It suggests that the stagnation we have constructed as protection needs to be unblocked so that we can find solutions and ways to adapt to the daily challenges we face. And we'll probably breathe a little easier without all that excess baggage.

 Awakening isn’t an exit strategy. It’s a radical invitation to inhabit fully this permeable, impermanent, and particular, embodied form in its incontrovertible relationality with all others.

~Lopön Charlotte Z. Rotterdam

Two Edges

From the Light Seer's Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Tapestry Oracle, Edge:

Let truth be thy aim, not victory, or an unjust interest.

~William Penn

This Queen knows that to maintain an unbiased, clear perspective, one must maintain a distance from the situation. It's why some people find her cold, though she really is just trying to stay objective and be logical. People go to her cousin, the Queen of Cups, when they want to talk about their feelings. They come to the Queen of Swords for an unvarnished, honest view of reality. Like her sword, the truth can be sharp and painful. The Edge points to the two edges of this queen's sword - one razor-like and cutting and one dull and rounded. There are those she counsels who do not require the sharp edge, but for those who deny, blame and excuse, she has no choice but to cut away what hides the truth.

Raise Your Voice

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the I Ching Pack, Thunder Over Wind (hexagram 32):

An unbelieved truth can hurt a man much more than a lie. It takes great courage to back truth unacceptable to our times. ―John Steinbeck

The Queen of Swords has a knack for seeing through any distraction or deflection. This ability allows her to be a truth teller. But doing so doesn't put her on many favorites lists, and in fact might be dangerous. As the tail-end of Steinbeck's quote states: "There's a punishment for it, and it's usually crucifixion." Maybe not literally, but definitely metaphorically. Which makes sense for the 32nd Hexagram to appear since it relates to constancy, perseverance and holding firm. As William Faulkner wrote, "Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed."

Fidelity

From the Wayfarer's Tarot, the Queen of Air (Swords); from the Curious Oracle, the Orange Grove:

When I was a kid, I longed for my own set of World Book Encyclopedias. In my young mind, I imagined those books contained all the knowledge in the world. I had no idea that each set had to be reprinted each year to include new and updated information. This Queen of Air/Swords feeds her crows, a symbol of the way she feeds her own intellect and understanding in order to stay abreast of changes and discoveries. The Orange Grove represents fidelity, meaning (in this case) accuracy and exactness. An orange tree will not produce apples or cherries. In the same way, a rigid, obsolete understanding of the world is like an outdated, dusty set of encyclopedias. We may be comfortably attached to our ideas, but to live a useful life requires being fully aware of reality, not just the parts we prefer.

Seeing and Seeing Through

From the Roots of Asia, the Queen of Swords; from the Mahjongg Cards, the Sword:

I not only want to be seen, I want to be seen through.

—Rachel McKibbens

The Queen of Swords is not a woman who will pat you on the head and send you home with a platitude. Neither will a wise Queen razor off your skin with a sharpened tongue and leave you bleeding. She recognizes that there is generally some good in the worst of us and some bad in the the best. Yet she will not hesitate to hold us accountable for what we say and do, counseling us to either make restitution or forgive ourselves. The Sword symbolizes a severing of indecision or vacillation. The Queen would tell us it is impossible to walk to separate roads of selfishness and benevolence or self-respect and self-flagellation. But in order to retrain our mind and its habits, we first need to pay attention, as Carol Wilson explains: "When we’re not aware of what’s present in our consciousness, we’re looking through its lens and it colors everything we’re doing."

Acknowledgment

This week I'll be using the Buckland Romani Tarot, created by Lissanne Lake and Raymond Buckland; this book and deck set was published by Galde Press. Along with it, I'll be using the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, created by Archie Fire and Chief Lame Deer; this deck and book set was published by Inner Traditions. Today's draws are the Queen of Chivs (Swords) and Spider:

The Queen of Chivs sits before an open trunk with the hilt of a sword balanced on its hinge. The trunk represents openness; she will be honest and sincere and expects us to do the same in return. As she fixes us with a steady gaze, we realize that we will get only the unvarnished truth from her. Spider symbolizes becoming entangled in our fears of the unknown. In that webby darkness of the unseen, logic and reason are replaced by dread and terror. This queen would ask us to acknowledge our fears, then would advise: "If you can do something beneficial about this situation, do it. If you are powerless to change or influence it, then work on acceptance. Either way, worry is wasted energy."

Each time we are aware of fear, we have a choice: we can acknowledge our problem and work with it, or we can run away from it and seek refuge elsewhere: distractions, pharmaceuticals, weekend feel-good-about-yourself workshops, whatever. 

—Lama Tsony

Be A Blessing

From the Herbcrafter's Tarot, the Madre of Air (Queen of Pentacles); from the Green Wheel Oracle, Cow:

The Madre of Air is associated with Motherwort, an herb that grows upright on a prickly bush. Unlike some other herbs in the mint family, it has an unpleasant smell and bitter flavor. Motherwort contains numerous compounds with antioxidant properties, compounds that protect cells from damage caused by potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals. Such is this Queen, whose purpose is to nurture and protect but whose honest objectivity can often be unpleasant when heard. Yet her clarity and wisdom are shared not to hurt but to help. Cow, often a symbol of abundance, represents blessings. It reminds those who speak honestly with others to do so in a kind, gentle manner. Brutality is never a blessing.

Rooted in the Mind

From the Badgers Forest Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Gemstone Oracle, Fluorite:

When people have emotional problems, they go see the Queen of Cups who helps them work with their feelings. When people are frustrated and can't find a solution, they go see the Queen of Swords; she doesn't really care about feelings because she's more concerned about finding the root of a problem and offering a shovel to dig it out. She's often the last resort - no one likes to have their blind beliefs, lack of perspective or unskillful habits pointed out. Fluorite's name describes its fluorescence, or the ability to glow under ultraviolet light. Metaphysically, it is said to promote learning and proficiency. The Queen of Swords would give such an endeavor two thumbs up, encouraging those who seek her advice to stop giving all their attention to their feelings and see for themselves what is going on unawares in their mind (often fueling their emotions).

As I see it, the mind is like a single point, the center of the universe, and mental states are like visitors who come to stay at this point for short or long periods of time. Get to know these visitors well. Become familiar with the vivid pictures they paint, the alluring stories they tell, to entice you to follow them. But do not give up your seat - it is the only chair around.

―Ajahn Chah

Seeking Wisdom

From the Songs for the Journey Home, Wind Creating (Queen of Swords); from the Raven Cards, "You have chosen:"

The Queen of Pentacles is mature enough to know that no one knows everything (even herself). So she constantly seeks a higher, wider perspective in order to see more of the whole. We all need other viewpoints to see the entire landscape of a situation in order to make better and more appropriate choices. Yet even when we are open-minded, the Raven suggests we may need the support and refuge found in another who is wiser and more experienced. No matter how smart we think we are, there are times when we all need a little help and guidance. 

Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. ~Epicurus

To Trust

This week I'll be using the Idiosyncradeck Tarot, created and self-published by Jessica Bott. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Mixed Emotions Cards, created by Petra Martin with Kris Wiltse (Illustrator) and published by Heron Lake Press. Today's draws are the Queen of Swords and Trusting:

The Queen of Swords prefers truth that is grounded in the reality of hard evidence. She may come off as cool and uncaring, but she actually wants people to be able to come to grips with their life, however it may show up. Like the tree's star-shaped flowers, she shines a light on our fantasies, denials and delusions so that we can step out of them and begin acting with a purpose that can produce a beneficial result. But our fabrications and the figments of our imagination can be comforting, making it awfully hard to leave our cozy bubble. 'Trusting' brings to mind a quote by Nelson Mandela: "Problems can only be solved if one is part of a team." Finding a person or people we can trust and share our struggles with means the possibilities for a solution can become doubled or tripled. We also find the emotional support needed to deal with world rather than run from it. 

You won’t understand what I mean now, but someday you will: the only trick of friendship, I think, is to find people who are better than you are—not smarter, not cooler, but kinder, and more generous, and more forgiving—and then to appreciate them for what they can teach you, and to try to listen to them when they tell you something about yourself, no matter how bad—or good—it might be, and to trust them, which is the hardest thing of all. ―Hanya Yanagihara