Queen of Cups

The Queen, as I read the cards, is the unconscious, but external, portion of ourselves. This is a little difficult on the surface, but it’s most obvious in our relationship behaviors- the things we do in relating to other people that stem from instinct, rather than premeditation. The Queen is the seat of our unconscious self, and the way we interact with the people and world around us. The suit of cups is the suit of our intuition, our hopes, fears, dreams, knowings, all the things that move within us and through us. The cup is filled with water from the well of the world, and with our tears, and sweat, and blood.

The Queen of Cups can be elusive- she is the Lady of the Lake, holding aloft a gleaming sword that will change the future of a nation and the destiny of a king. She is the mermaid who sits at the bottom of the ocean, weeping salty tears into the surrounding brine. She is Mary herself, offering forth the grail cup full of elixir to anyone who is brave enough to take the proffered drink.

As a card, the Queen of Cups indicates both deep emotional and spiritual resources, and the abyss. Answers can be found in the depths; or sirens can lure the querent to their doom. The primeval floods gave crucial life to the land at the same time as they were the chaos that had to be kept at bay to ensure the continuation of civilization. Those who seek the face of G-d/ess may be driven mad from the resulting ecstasy.

What un-plumbed depths of emotion and spirit may be accessible to you in your quest? How could opening yourself to the water of the world bring you new connection and inspiration? How have you been losing your self and your way in the hypnotic rush of the waves? How can you sip from the well, yet still retain your sanity?