Queen of Swords. The independent woman.

   Drawing the Queen of Swords completes for me the court cards of the suit of Swords. As with all the Queen cards she represents the feminine aspect of rulership. In this set she is the active competent while the King is the passive.
     The Queen herself is obviously an independent woman quite capable of taking care of the matters of the kingdom. She is facing to the right on the card and looking to the future, her hand raised as if bidding another to rise, or to gesture onwards or upwards.
   She wears a cloak of clouds which indicates that she is still connected to her feminine intuitive nature, even with the mantle of leadership placed upon her. The White robe beneath it shows the clarity and purity of her thoughts, but don't confuse that with naivete or innocence. The upright swords represents martial power and is reminiscent of the Justice card, showing she is quite capable to meting out force when necessary. One thing to notice is that the sword is creating a barrier between herself and whomever she is addressing.
    This figure still feels it necessary to keep people at a distance with a show of naked steel (her intellect). The clouds and wind behind her show there is still a great deal of emotional content, even though she is quite capable of rising above it when necessary (the gesture indicates this). The bird above her head shows that she occupies this space a lot of the time and can be solitary in nature. These aspects indicate the need to rise above emotional situations in order to advance.
    Again we can see a lot of butterfly symbolism showing transformation and evolution. In this instance I feel it indicates being able to transform emotionally volatile situations by rising above them. She is much more connected to her intuitive side than the King, shown by the face of the Cherub on the side of the Throne. In his card the cherub is small, whereas here he occupies a large place on the side of the throne and therefore in her methods of rulership.
  She wears a head scarf of orange and the lining of the cloak is also orange, though these are a subdued colour. This indicates she is still in touch with her emotions, even if they are somewhat hidden or covered by the trappings of rulership.
   In general this card I feel shows the modern ideal of a personally liberated woman as viewed by society. That she is able to hold her own in arenas that are often (myopically) seen to be the sole province of men. She is still able to firmly keep hold of her femininity in spite of the phallic nature of the suit of swords. Both this suit and that of wands are typically male elements (fire and air) and both Queens in those decks have mastered this energy without losing their innate nature as women.
      Whenever I have drawn this card before it has often symbolised my own wife Zoe. The idea of being an independently minded woman has figured very large in her life and like for many of us is a work in progress. Her chosen career is that of a writer, which fits in with the indications of this card, along with her Libran nature (again connections to the Justice card). At the moment she is reading a book which she is finding empowering for her femininity in a way that has not been present in her own life.
      I do think that there are a great many challenges to women who chose to rise above the legacy that patriarchy has left behind. I like to hope that there are less obstacles to women achieving a  level of personal liberation than there has been previously. It takes a level of courage, for both men and women to step beyond the roles that society defines for us. A good female friend of mine wishes to raise a family and struggles with the idea of being a mother and primarily a mother. She was a strong feminist for some years and the idea of setting down and raising a family somewhat chafes at her, even though she would make a great mother.
      It seems that for many women, that there is a constant struggle in many roles and regardless of what they choose have lots of extra barriers to overcome. I think her choice to be a devoted mother is a totally valid choice and a sacred trust. I see that this new-found independance for many women leaves them in a place in which there is no safe ground in which to feel comfortable, either they become career women and face the danger of trying to fit an old patriarchal model. Or if they decide to become a mother who wishes to raise their children they supposedly fly in the face of their independence.
         In the end the Queen of swords is showing us just one facet of female empowerment and it not so much matters if we are male or female, but whole.