Queen of Swords and Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands looks upon a reversed Queen of Swords
Another Sword, the Queen reversed. Emily Lubanko can evoke a feeling, can’t they? I almost gasped when I pulled the card, and it felt right to keep it reversed. I struggle with reverses: I feel like I don’t know the cards well enough to read them upright, and to add reverses doubles the mental load. But here we are. The Queen upright stands for discernment. She can hew reality from fantasy, as well as draw and enforce boundaries. The reversal indicates discernment as an extreme. In this case, the reversed Queen of Swords—on her iron throne, with a glowing border around her head, and her blood-red hair—implies the rigidity of thought. Unable to take in new ideas, the reversed Queen stares into my soul, implicating the well-trodden thoughts I have been cycling all day.
The Queen touches on the Devil I drew yesterday. The figures are placid in the card because the Devil’s illusion is all-encompassing. If you don’t know that a better life is possible, and the illusion is all there is, how can you be mad? “It is what it is” is no longer a mantra about acceptance, but a mollifying phrase designed to keep you where you are. The reversed Queen is there as well, reinforcing those same dreary thought patterns. You’re locked in and can’t escape.
I have been emotionally and physically exhausted from work, running day-long workshops. I have plenty of support, but it still takes its toll. In this vulnerable place, I hear about another murder by federal agents in Minneapolis. Of course, the graphic video is online for all of us to see. Several federal agents execute a man in between pistol whips.
It is hard to imagine an effective way to struggle against this tire fire of a world without endangering my family or career.
This is where I am: sad and brooding. I struggle to imagine a better world for my family.
The Knight of Wands looks at the reversed Queen and offers a way out. The Pride Tarot version, illustrated by Anita Inverarity, features a stern knight in a vibrant, colorful cloak. Yes, she is wearing mail, but instead of violence, she brings an intense energy. She is there to wake you up and get you excited about your ideas, spirituality, and building community. When building my magpie deck, this was one of the first cards I chose that diverged from the standard RWS pattern.
The Knight tells you it is time to dive into your ideas with a passion. That means reaching out and building community with like-minded people. Even if it feels as trite as board game night, you are still building community. Part of that means being vulnerable: putting forth your ideas in front of others. That is, after all, how you learn. Passion is beyond the material, and the Knight also hints at the spiritual path. It is time to run (I doubt the Knight walks) from your doldrums of stagnation.
