Queen of Swords – Tarot Meaning Deep Dive

Welcome to part 2 of my 16 part series Meet the Court Cards – each week we will hang out with ONE court card and dive deeply into the symbols, personality traits, talents and dark side. This will be similar to my Major Arcana Meanings Deep Dive series, but we’ll also explore how each court card acts in the context of love, work and money.

I’ll give you specific ways to embody this card as well as some journalling questions to help you connect with this card on a more personal level 🙂

Today we’re diving into the Queen of Swords – she’s chilly, she’s whip-smart and let’s be honest, she’s a total bitch! And this is why she’s my favourite.

Sit back, relax and discover who this Queen really is…

Element: Air (thoughts, intellect, focus, communication)

Keywords/personality traits:

Intellectual, smart and witty, very observant, well read and  knowledgeable, a clear and direct communicator, brings clarity to a situation, focused, truth seeker, honest, organized, intentional and focused.

Symbols:

straight sword = straight laced, straight shooter, straightforward

sword = cuts through confusion and distractions to get to the heart of things / pointy = focus

butterflies (on crown and throne) = transformation

angel face (on throne) = purity and innocence

outstretched hand = perceptiveness (taking the temperature of the day, feeling what direction the wind blows)

blue sky & clouds = head above the clouds, clarity

Special Talents…

The Queen of Swords has a way with words (both spoken and written) and this is the medium through which she captivates and enchants her audience. She is a wonderful speaker and an eloquent writer whose words cut to the heart of the matter, transmitting a searing truth that sheds light on all the dark places.

Whether she is an investigative journalist hellbent on exposing the truth or a teacher dedicated to helping her students understand complex concepts, she brings the illuminating light of truth to whatever she focuses on.

She has a desire to dig into things, like a cat who hears a mouse in some far off corner of the house. She is tireless when it comes to doing research and her incredible organizational skills will leave most people in the dust.

At a Party…

You’ll spot her over in the corner, all alone and looking bored while she nosily eyes up the host’s bookshelf. It’s packed with Danielle Steele and Tom Clancy novels – she’s not impressed.

You may not connect with her right away as she can come across as a cold and distant weirdo who lacks a decent sense of humour…at first. She won’t laugh at your fart jokes and your intimate knowledge of Love Island (seasons 1 – 8) doesn’t impress her. But get to know her and you’ll find she is deep, bizarrely observant and a true treasure trove of nichey knowledge.

She’s up on all the trends but appears un-hip because she just doesn’t give a fuck, which actually makes her truly cool. She’s well read, has a ton of interesting opinions and just may be the perfect person to critique that smutty werewolf novella you just finished writing.

In love…

The Queen of Swords’ heart (and other parts) won’t throb until a prospective lover has proven their superior conversation skills. Being locked in a tense and breathless intellectual discussion is what gets this Queen all fired up! An intellectual bond must happen before any kind of romantic or sexual bond is even considered.

When this Queen is in love all she wants to do is talk, talk, talk! Erotic literature is her porn of preference, although she would never call it porn. She hates that word. So if you want in her bed, you must first get in her head!

In work…

The Queen of Swords is focused, determined and a bit of a perfectionist. She’s often a typical Virgo, sometimes paying a bit too much attention to detail!

She’s the kind of person you both love and hate to work with because she’s hard working and brilliant but is kind of a bitch and makes everyone look lazy. She often doesn’t have much of a life outside of work and she can be quite critical of others, although never as critical as she is with herself.

You’re most likely to find this Queen working as a lawyer, writer, speaker, teacher, researcher, data analyst, or a film or book critic.

In money…

While you’d expect the Queen of Swords to be rich, she really isn’t. Not because she’s incapable of making lots of money but because that isn’t where her deepest interests lay.

If you gave her $100 million dollars she’d still drive the same crappy car, wear the same frumpy clothes and eat out at the same hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The biggest change would be that she’d start buying hardcover books instead of using the library.

In order to thrive, the Queen of Swords needs…

A good book! If she doesn’t have a good book on the go, she just feels out of sorts. She needs to feel intellectually stimulated and for people to think she’s smart and capable. She likes to pretend she doesn’t care what others think, which is mostly true, just as long as they think she’s smart.

The Queen of Swords thrives when she’s able to organize, prioritize and make sense of things. And most important of all, she needs to be able to speak her truth at all times. If she feels she cannot do this, she will either begin to crumble or feel an explosive energy begin to build within her.

She can’t stand…

Dishonesty, superficiality, messiness & disorganization and above all else….idiots!

Dark side of the Queen of Swords

She can come across as cold, critical and overly intellectual. At her worst, she appears to lack emotion, creativity and spiritual connection, although what you see is not necessarily what you get with this Queen. Just because she seems emotionally cold, doesn’t mean there isn’t a fire of emotions burning beneath her cool, calm exterior.

This Queen can sometimes be too blunt and direct (she’s just speaking her truth!) and while she overflows with intelligence galore, social intelligence is the one thing she often lacks, making her the most socially awkward of all the court cards.

And let’s be honest – while there’s plenty to like about the Queen of Swords, she’s kind of a bitch and often comes across as being a bit too straight and uptight. She could really benefit from smoking a joint in the bath while reading some trashy romance novel, but you know she never will.

Embody this Queen:

-Write a letter, speech or lecture

-Make a to-do list

-Get into a good book

-Join a debate club, book club or philosophy group

-Practice speaking your truth

-Critique something (like a book, movie or play)

Journalling questions:

♥ What part of the Queen of Swords do you relate to?

♥ Who do you know like her?

♥ Which of her qualities would you like to cultivate in your own life?

♥ Which of her traits do you want to minimize? Or watch out for?

Tell me your thoughts!

Did you enjoy this deep dive? What aspect of the Queen of Swords do you most relate to?  Let me know in the comments below…

♥ Join me next week as I dive into the Queen of Cups – compassionate and kind, she’s also a good listener with a psychic streak  – she’s basically the perfect therapist or best friend! Hop on my mailing list so you don’t miss it!

You may also enjoy…

Queen of Pentacles Deep Dive
Tarot Meanings Deep Dive series (Major Arcana)