The Power of a Queen

A witch is drawn to places of power whether it be the mountains, the desert, or the ocean. We’re a curious bunch, and we notice all sorts of things when wandering about. One of the things we notice are rocks, particularly if they have holes in them. Every witch loves hag, or holey, stones. A divination tool, the witch looks through the hole to divine the future. A witch should never purchase a hag stone, instead we’re to find them on our wanderings. I suppose they can be a gift from someone, but it’s better for a witch to find her own. I found a Crone-load of hag stones at the Oregon coast last year while there for our oldest son’s wedding. I use them during ritual or if I need some Crone energy to influence a magickal working of some kind. Below the cards are two of the hag stones I found at the coast. In all of my life, I’ve never found one. But sometimes Goddess provides a windfall because that day, my gathering bag was full.

The Princess of Disks, the 4 of Disks, and the Queen of Swords from the Thoth deck are the cards for today’s reading. Elemental Earth energies dominate the reading with two cards from the suit of Disks. Pentacles in other decks, Disks suggest practical matters may be of concern to us today. The Queen of Swords, on the other hand, appears not to care about such things, or does she? The suit of Swords reflects Elemental Air and our intellectual presence in the world. Absent from the reading are Cups and Wands.

The numerology is easy because Court cards aren’t numbered, so the numerology of today’s reading is four, or Gaia energy. Synchronous with the energies of Elemental Earth, issues of foundation or structure are reinforced by the numerology of the cards.

Beginning with the Princess of Disks, we see a young woman whose focus is placed on practical matters. She stands silently, in deep concentration, her staff points downward to physical form. She is practical, generous, and reliable. The Princess is a student, her careful study transforming her future.

The 4 of Disks depicts the fortress of power, suggesting a strong foundation or structure. The four elements and quarters are represented in the scene, the strength of Elemental Guardians present. The 4 of Disks suggests wealth that’s building toward material or financial success.

And now for my favorite card, the Queen of Swords. She sits on her throne, reclined a bit, surrounded by clouds, her sword in her right hand, a head in her left. Clearly, she takes no prisoners, her effect final. The Queen cuts through illusion getting to the truth of the matter, suffering no fools in her path. She is intelligent and self-reliant, assertive yet graceful. Extraordinarily perceptive, the Queen of Swords prefers the solitary path, relying on her intuition as guide.

When Court cards appear in a reading, they can indicate either the individual on the card or their traits. An initial look at the cards really didn’t give me a feel for their flow. But as I began describing each one, it became clear to me what was going on here. Instead of seeing both Court cards in the same way, I decided to look at the traits of the Princess of Disks, and alternately, the Queen of Swords as an individual. I suppose we could see the Princess as the Queen when she was younger, but I think we’d arrive at the same place anyway.

There’s power in building the foundation for our lives. We seek out education in all forms, determined to learn all that we can, recognizing that the time spent in diligent, focused study will result in future success. We’ve learned from the Princess that transformation is possible with careful management of our resources.

But at the end of the day, the Queen reflects on wisdom gained over a lifetime lived. She’s paid her dues. The Queen uses her sword, balancing intellect with intuition to cut through illusion, finding the dispassionate solution. She lets go of what no longer serves, in this case, a severed head, suggesting it may be her own thoughts that she casts to the universe.

Typical Crone. Over time, we learn to choose our battles, eventually learning to ignore just about everything. In the clouds, she sits apart from the physical aspect of Self, aligning with her Source Presence as she releases her hold on the past. Her foundation is strong, the power of the Queen felt by all.

As women, we have far more power than we may realize. A lifetime of oppression is the cause, but all along, we’ve been building our strong foundation, our fortress. There is no one more determined than a woman. No one. We survive as we always have, with grace and dignity. And it’s time that we embraced that inner strength and resolve that has sustained us throughout our lives.

We’re worth far more than some in our country would suggest. And our time has come.

Blessed Be