The Queen of Wands

Representing the maternal nature; the Queen of Wands represents our instinct to nurture others and protect them. Where the Knight of Wands represents the position of authority gained through wisdom that has been attained, the Queen of Wands represents a position of authority gained from obligation and devotion. A Squire, or Page in medieval times served a Knight by choice in recognition of their status, a child however is bound to its mother by birth, beyond choice this connection can never be broken.

In the upright state the Queen of Wands represents our attention turning away from what we have created, instead focusing on the act of bestowing this creativity on others. The Queen is outward looking, forward thinking, and proactive in her nature.

In the inverted state the Queen of Wands represents our attention turned inward, reflecting upon our strengths and weaknesses in an attempt to recognise the limitations of our power and influence. Knowing what we are capable of allows us to have the greatest impact that we can.

In the Rider-Waite deck the Queen of Wands sits on a golden throne with two lions looking in opposite directions representing vigilance. She holds in her hand a single Wand representing her experience and wisdom and in her other hand holds a sunflower representing direction and counsel. As we have seen in the Major Arcana the Sunflower looks toward the Sun which in turn represents forward focus and anticipation of the future, guidance and navigation. The Queen of Wands therefore attempts to balance counsel with wisdom and experience, to recognise the path that others would walk and accept the role and responsibility of preparing the way.

Behind the Queen on a banner above her head, three sunflowers can be seen forming a triangle, with the topmost flower betwixt two lions representing internal conflict being contained. The symbolism here reflects the nature of the Monarch who must observe and have limited intervention. The Queen’s power is the softer more traditionally submissive side of Monarchy.

Finally at the foot of the Queen sits a solitary black cat, the Witch’s Familiar; the Black Cat serves as a reminder that it is the magicians and magick wielders or practitioners who take up Wands as their tools, this is a nod to the Magician card and the desire through the pursuit of creative endeavours to extend our achievements beyond the Suit of Wands to that of the other domains of the Minor Arcana.

In self-reflection the Queen of Wands serves as a prompt to consider your environment and reflect on what contributes to your creativity, to amplify those and to minimise the impact of the elements of your environment that detract from creativity and distract from action.

Ask yourself “What made this easier?” and “What made this more difficult than it needed to be?” your focus here should not be to create or to act, but to recognise how your efforts to achieve both of these have been influenced by your environment. From your physical location, and the people around you, to each of your five senses, taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound, consider what stimuli in your environment influence each of these and how desirable that impact is.