Queen of Wands: From the Heart

The Queen of Wands is an incredible Tarot card. I want to speak about her from the heart, and about how she has manifested to me in my own Tarot journeys. When I see the Queen of Wands in my mind’s eye, she is flowing, but still. She has beautiful, long natural red hair, and full, attractive hips. She is dressed in a stately, medieval-style dress. Her eyes are full of a restrained fire, and she has this little half-smile on her face. She exudes restrained power, restrained sexuality.

She also has no problem getting her hands dirty. In her adventures as the Princess of Wands, she got herself into some sticky situations. Because she has seen it all, and she knows herself, she is a confident force of womanhood. She has a large tiger sitting next to her, and this is another sign of her self-mastery: You can tell that she and that tiger have been through some adventures together. And you also get the sense that the tiger would eat you if she gave it the go ahead. This tingling mixture of power, sexuality and danger is the essence of the Queen of Wands.

She is, of course, an archetype, meaning that although no real person could ever be exactly like her, she is an office that a person can assume. She represents an ideal to strive for, and an attitude to be emulated. In the Tarot, much like in chess, Queens are the most powerful court card of their sign. They represent a pinnacle. The suit of wands deals with issues of authority, sexuality and fire, and we see in the Queen of Wands the most refined use of those qualities. In my own personal experience, I see her coming up in situations where a person has power they can claim, and yet are not doing it. She tells us that the time is ripe to seize our own personal power.

When she comes up in regards to someone other than the querent, I always feel that this is a woman in the querent’s life who exerts much power, and can be a powerful enemy if surrounded by cards that accentuate her negative qualities. We see that when the energy of this card is taken to an extreme, the potential to control through sexual means arises. The card starts taking on a tone of manipulation, and you also see a very punishing personality emerge.

The Queen of Wands represents a scale of behavior that is influenced by the cards and situations around her. The Empress is a good match, because it emphasizes the domestic urges within the Queen of Wands; when influenced by the Empress you can expect her to be like a mama lion, protecting her cubs. The Tower would be an example of a bad conjunction; the Martian energy of this card and its explosive nature give the Queen of Wands a sense of superiority, and too much firepower in her life. If I pulled these two cards together in regards to a querent, I would advise them to stop whatever they are doing and think it out, because that combination could lead to a very negative result.

Generally, when considering how the Queen of Wands is going to interact with the querent, I look at the narrative within the card, how well a card flows with the archetype of the Queen of Wands. It’s also sometimes helpful to construct little narratives with the cards.

A good exercise is to lay out the Queen of Wands with three other cards that represent a positive grouping, a neutral grouping and a negative grouping. Within these cards, work out a narrative explaining why they are that way. It doesn‘t matter which cards you choose, as long as they resonate for you.

I feel that the best way to explore the Tarot is through how our mind interacts and creates with it. Once you’ve built a good imaginative relationship with this card, you can start using it as a meditation symbol in order to bring her qualities to balance within your own mind. The Queen of Wands, just like any court card, opens itself to imagination and persistent inquiry.

I’d love to hear from you, in the comment section, about different ways that you have related to this Queen.