TAROTQueen of Wands
Upright
Confidence and poise and ‘soft power’. An optimistic world view and a drive to get things done.
Inspiring yourself to achieve your goals.
Seeing your dreams to fruition.
Strong inner confidence and sense of self, boldness in actions, and a clear, intuitive sense of what needs to be done.
Can be cunning when required to meet her goals, but often to everyone's eventual benefit.
Intuition
There are three cats on this card, representing a strong feline personality. Pride in family, powerful, with a strong intuitive sense, and exuding royalty without ever needing to say it!
The woman is Queen Hatshepsut. She brought great wealth and art into Egypt during her time and is noted for not balking at taking up a normally male role and then doing it better than anyone before or after her!
Reversed
Having great ideas or passions but not being able to communicate them.
Insecure and not being able to speak in your true voice.
Over-managing a situation through lack of confidence or a pessimistic outlook.
The potential for vanity or becoming self-centered.
Can blurt out unfiltered truth without consideration of others or make illogical decisions when under extreme pressure.
Astrologia
Intense emotional creatives. Strong enthusiasm that carries others with it and can become a healing power. A person in tune with deep passions and often very honest. Can overwhelm others with emotional outbursts and can act illogically in these situations.
Queen of Wands
The Knight of Wands may exude leadership, but he is a warrior. The Queen takes his Fire passion but now mixes in Water not Air, literally adding an element of caring and intuition into the mix and taking out the brashness of the Knight.
Instead we get a different kind of power and speed; the power of a big powerful cat. Feline intuition, strength and agility, plus the ability to win over the hearts of others through caring rather than a show of strength. And of course, those who have ever owned a cat will recognize the ability to act like a royal and command attention without ever needing to say it!
The Queen of Wands is a force to be reckoned with. She has plans but also the practicalities to delve down to the finer details and get things done.
As well as intellectual strength, she also has an intuitive streak, giving her soft powers: reading the room, understanding what people want and coming up with mutually rewarding plans such that her enemies end up as allies.
Finally, she is one of the best cards for those looking to increase their family.
There’s very few historical or even mythical characters that can meet all these attributes, but there’s one very good candidate.
Queen Hatshepsut
Queen Hatshepsut is considered by many to be the first great woman leader that we know of, ruling the largest superpower of the time (Egypt, around 1450BC) and doing it better than pretty much anyone before or after her, assuming we consider massive increases in trade, art and knowledge as the hallmarks of a great leader (as opposed to conquest via constant war). Her time was noted for increased trade and prosperity and an increase in the building of great works.
She did not let the fact that she was a woman slow her down in religious rites and ceremonies that assumed a male leader by dressing the part as a male when the need arose. Her ability to think around any problem set her out as a free thinker who would not let anything break her plans.
Even if we prefer war to trade and diplomacy, there is only one Pharaoh who arguably did better than her, but she also had some input in raising him (he’s the King of Wands and her stepson and we’ll meet him soon in the deck).
She is the epitome of the strong woman. A leader with high ideas, diplomacy and mental strength, but also with female intuition and the strength to achieve goals irrespective of any bad hand dealt to her.
[The Queen of Wands] is the epitome of the strong woman. A leader with high ideas, diplomacy and mental strength, but also with female intuition and the strength to achieve goals irrespective of any bad hand dealt to her.
Hatshepsut was not only one of the most successful Pharaohs to rule Egypt, but was also a co-ruler with the other greatest Pharaoh of history, her stepson Thutmose III, a ruler noted for his leadership in battle (he was involved in 17 military campaigns) and considered one of the greatest military generals ever.
We will see more of him in the King of Wands, but it is worth noting that Thutmose tore down references to Hatshepsut after her death (probably nothing personal and more political - to maintain his legitimacy), and Hatshepsut was unknown to us until fairly recently – and because of her achievements (plus her tendency to dress as a man when it became expedient) it was assumed she was a male Pharaoh for many years.
If nothing else, she is certainly a very interesting woman!
Description and Symbology
We see a woman sitting on a gold throne. She looks totally at ease in her position. A woman who does not need to wield her power to prove it.
Her ‘wand’ is a rod with a golden Ankh, symbol of life and transformation.
Behind her head we see another symbol that could either be a tree or the sun, representing either fertility or power (and possibly both).
She holds a sunflower in one hand. This can again be about fertility but can also be about the woman’s positivity and energy for the enjoyment of life (as seen in the other card containing sunflowers; the Major Arcana Sun card).
We see two lions around her. Both are male and sit at her feet. They represent Fire and her passion. The lions sit at her feet suggesting the Queen has her passionate nature under control… but probably not best to make her angry as she has the strength at hand to more than protect herself!
In front of her we see a cat. The car may represent the inner feminine or intuition (or may even represent the old fashioned symbol of 'a woman with many suitors'), but this cat’s face seems to represent none of this – it simply looks happy.
There are three cats in all on the card, suggesting the Queen’s powers are also feline; intuitive, playful, beautiful, and clever… but also with claws when needed. Never cross the Queen of Wands when she is angry as she then becomes a totally different beast!
The carpet that leads to the throne contains a red inner stripe and blue outer stripes representing Water and Fire. Deep emotion, intuitive understanding of others (Water), coupled with the passion to follow her ideals and goals (Fire).
Finally, the overall color of the Queen’s throne room is red and gold, which completes the Fire symbology, but also suggests wealth through proper use of that passion for setting goals and making them reality.
The queen
The queen sits comfortably on her throne. She is well accustomed to her position. The ankh, sunflower and tree/sun symbols around her represent a joy for life, strength, power and fertility.
The lions
The two lions represent the Fire astrological symbols associated with this card. The lions sit at her feet suggesting the Queen has her passions under control.
The cat
The contented cat represents the Queen’s inner intuition and playful nature; she enjoys life.
The carpet
The carpet leading towards the throne has red and blue stripes representing the two elements associated with this throne: Fire and Water.
The throne room
The throne room is red and gold suggesting the Queen’s passionate nature has been harnessed constructively to set goals and meet them to build her a successful future. A self made, passionate but practical woman.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
For existing relationships, passion in the relationship is backed up with a deeper understanding of each other, making for a firmer relationship. There will also be energy and confidence to get things done together. A power couple!
For a new love interest the card suggests a practically minded person with clear goals and energy to succeed. This person will speak their own mind but with understanding of others.
This is also a good card for those wanting children.
Be wary of negative inner thoughts that may blow up into arguments. Jealousy or one partner making plans without including the other will be common points of contention.
If you or your partner has been unusually quiet, now is the time to explore where it is coming from and do it before the simmering issues blow up!
You will go through a period of new found confidence. Use this time to reach high and attempt your dreams!
Your energy will be catching, pulling others with you.
Your intuition will also be high so trust your reading of the room in any career discussions.
You will have ideas and goals in your head but they are not coming out because of insecurity or lack of confidence. Something or someone is blocking your energy and you need to find the source or put some distance between it and you!
An inner mental strength will feed into the physical with strength and stamina to complete tasks... but look after your body if you are spending long hours trying to make your dreams come true!
There may be an emphasis on beauty at the expense of health. Vanity may become a problem.
A lack of being able to express yourself in other areas may be affecting your health.
This may result in a lack of energy or a negative view.
The reverse card can also be a negative indicator for those wanting children.
Intuition, mental strength and confidence are a powerful and rare combination. Now is the time to make plans to satisfy any inner hunger. Travel and new experiences, following a new path, or learning more about yourself.
You may be under pressure from failures or not getting as far as you would like in other areas of your life.
Staying calm when you are feeling negativity is important. Seeking help is one thing but blurting out argumentative statements (irrespective of whether they are true or not) only causes arguments!
Taking charge and achieving goals is a forte of this card, so now is the time to sort out your finances by taking a leading role in decision-making.
The only thing to watch out for is burning yourself out trying to achieve your goals and a propensity for being too generous to others. This is not a bad trait for others but might be for you!
Lack of confidence in your ideas or even your ideals means now is not the best time to look into finances especially as you may be tempted to fix inner issues with retail therapy!
Yes through strong intuition, mental strength, and confidence
Indeterminate. You may well reach your goals through determination, but may overreact to any slip or block in your path, plus your confidence may not be the highest, so it may be wise to wait.
Reading the Card
Like all court cards, the Queen of Wands can represent people or things other than yourself:
- A passion for getting things done. This can be in career or life
- The Queen of Wands can represent an older, practical person in your life. This can be a co-worker, relative or close friend who may have a leadership role (which may be implied via a ‘soft power’ role) yet is not full of airs and graces. A person who has known what she wants in the past and how to get it, and is willing to use that experience to help you. There is also a strong intuitive streak that means she can judge people well and play to their strengths. A charismatic and helpful person worth knowing!
- A beautiful and confident woman who is strong on family and career but also has causes or ideas that she is passionate about. Her passion and belief gets her places. She may also have an affinity with animals and nature.
- When reversed, the card can represent a lack of confidence or being pushed into something you do not want. To fit you will have to lose your inner voice, or at least suppress it.
When reading the ‘upright card’ and ‘reversal’ sections below, note that although the text refers to you it could actually be any of the above. The question being asked (or your first thoughts when you see the card) will suggest who or what the card refers to.
The upright card
The upright Queen of Wands represents a strong and confident woman who is passionate in what she believes. She is ambitious but also practical and helpful to others, and very able to communicate that help because she has a deep intuition and understands people and their aims or issues. A good person to know!
When you see this card, it either represents a facet of her within what you are doing, or a woman in your life who fits her description.
As a facet of your life the Queen of Wands represents making good, practical plans for the future, and more importantly, gives you the strength and confidence to see them to fruition. You will also have good ability to ‘read the room’ and have high soft skills - reading people and knowing their motivations.
As a person the Queen of wands can represent an older woman who already knows you. Irrespective of how long she has known you, she already knows you well and will provide good advice.
In a relationship the Queen of wands represents a beautiful woman with strong ambition but also an earthy practical side with an emphasis on family. She wants things but is also self-sufficient enough to get them on her own. Expect equality in any relationship. There may be strong associations with nature or animals.
Both women will appear extroverted in public but may have a warmer, deeply passionate side to them in personal relationships. They may sometimes be very frank and perhaps give you more truth than you need! Both women will also have a strong creative streak and will be good with novel ideas and expressing themselves.
The reversal
The reversed Queen of Wands is much like the upright (same passion, same sense of ambition and intuition) except that progress is blocked, usually by inner problems that block making success happen; a block on the inner voice that would normally drive towards solving problems and opening the way to success.
This could be due to
- A lack of self-confidence.
- A feeling of being trapped or overwhelmed by a situation, causing sudden bouts of anger, frustration, or making illogical decisions.
- Trying to solve problems through force of will, passion and understanding the motivations of the people involved but not realizing the problem has a complexity of its own, and the methods being used will fail through the lack of this insight.
- The person who is the Queen of Wands in your life being overly domineering or aggressive, or solving the problem the way she sees it rather than the way you see it, or making limiting conditions on you (especially when things are not going to plan).
- The person who is the Queen of Wands in your life being obsessed at a superficial level, wanting beauty or the trappings of success rather than actual success.
In all these situations, there will be a need to stand still rather than move forward. Use this time to understand not just your passion and motivations, but also the deeper issues that are driving insecurity and lack of confidence or conflict, and take steps to resolve those before continuing with the problem. You may find that these issues are the real problem.
Card Design Process
The hardest part of this card was getting the small cat to be smiling and full of personality rather than a cat that is just staring ahead. It was adding a slight tilt of the head in Photoshop that finally did it!
Final Words
The Queen of Wands represents a strong willed and passionate woman who can get things done and carry people forward with her. At her best she is the archetypal strong but kind woman. At her worst she will try to fix things as she knows best, but that may involve stepping on others and perhaps not giving them what they want and need.
