Summary
The Queen of Swords represents a lonely figure. A single woman, perhaps a widow or divorcee.
She may sometimes be bitter, meaning she is harsh and cold in her approach to others. Sadly, life may have made her this way.
Earlier in her life, she may have been more like the Queen of Cups, but this gentle energy was exploited and has left her wary of allowing anyone to get too close.
She is usually highly intelligent and has a sharp sense of humour. She can be charming and charismatic company.
It can however be hard to form a relationship with her as she is cautious. A close friendship based on trust may be the way forward.
Card attributes
- The Queen of Swords wears a stern look as she sits high on the throne – looking off into the distance. A queen of the air element (that the swords represent), her place in the clouds shows that no one can trick or fool her.
- The sword in her right hand is pointed towards the sky, whereas the left hand is extended like it is offering something.
- The Queen of Swords gives us the gift of judgment for everyday decisions and the flexibility to take in knowledge from others.
Upright Meaning Guide
Queen of Swords Upright Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Honest, truthful, candid, protective, independent, chatty, communicative, witty, funny, principled, fair, constructive criticism, strong, quirky, realistic, objective, discerning, problem solver, skeptical, intelligent, sharp wit, self-reliant, open-minded, sophisticated, mother, repressed pain or sadness, divorced, hard knocks
General Meaning and Interpretation (Upright)
In a general context, the Queen of Swords can represent an older woman in your life who will step in when you are vulnerable and protect you or help you to overcome a problem. It represents being intelligent, sharp-witted, witty, honest, truthful and candid.
This Minor Arcana card signifies being realistic, discerning or skeptical and it can signify that you will receive constructive criticism from someone and you would do well to listen to it. It can also represent open-mindedness and self-reliance. However, this card can also indicate that you may be suppressing some pain or sadness from past events.
As a person, the Queen of Swords represents a mature female or feminine person who is chatty, quirky, forthright and supportive. She may be an air sign such as Aquarius, Gemini or Libra. She is a woman who may have known loss or suffering herself and has gained much inner strength and wisdom from her experiences. She is someone who will always defend those who cannot defend themselves. She has strong empathy and is a great person to have in your corner if you are vulnerable as she will defend you. However, she will not suffer fools gladly and if you are in the wrong, you can expect her to call you out on it without mincing her words! She can have quite a sharp tongue on her at times. She is strong, quick-witted, principled, fair, funny, sophisticated, independent and capable and will not be clingy or needy.
Love & Relationships (Upright)
In a love Tarot reading, if you are in a relationship the Queen of Swords can indicate that you are in a relationship with someone who embodies the qualities outlined in the above section or you are displaying some of those characteristics yourself in your love life. As a partner, she likes her own space and is extremely discerning about the people she dates or has relationships with. She will not be overly slushy and may not like public displays of affection but she can be very affectionate and loving and she is incredibly loyal, witty and kind.
This Minor Arcana card can represent a woman who is in a relationship but misses some of the freedom and independence of being single. It can also indicate that a bluntly honest mature woman may have a lot to say about your relationship. This could be a mature female friend, mother or mother-in-law giving their opinion. Again, they will not mince their words but they may provide constructive criticism that you would do well to take on board. If you are single, the Queen of Swords can indicate that you will meet someone who embodies the qualities outlined in the above section or you are displaying some of those characteristics yourself in your love life.
This card can represent a person who has had some hard knocks in life but has come through them stronger and wiser. It can represent being divorced or a single mother so you may meet someone in those circumstances or be in them yourself as you enter the dating world. It can also indicate that you love the single life, are fiercely protective of your independence and need a partner who can understand your need for freedom and compliment your life.
This card indicates that you would like to meet someone who can enrich your life but you are self-sufficient enough not to need one. This is a great position to be in when dating as you can afford to be selective.
Money & Career (Upright)
In a career Tarot reading, the Queen of Swords can indicate that you may receive support, assistance or constructive criticism from an older woman in your work environment. This woman is sophisticated, honest, wise and professional. You would do well to follow her example. This Minor Arcana card is a good communication card so you should find you are able to get your point across when it appears. Your colleagues will respect you for your honesty and integrity when it appears in your Tarot spread. In a financial Tarot spread, again the Queen of Swords can indicate that an older sophisticated woman may give you some solid financial advice so pay attention. She will not stir you into trouble. It can also indicate that your gift of the gab may lead to you getting some good financial opportunities.
Health (Upright)
In a health Tarot spread, the Queen of Swords indicates that repressed emotions may be at the root of any health issues you are experiencing. You may have suppressed sadness or grief. This card in a health context, tells you that you need to find a way to release these emotions and events as the stress of suppressing them may be manifesting in physical or psychological symptoms or ill health. A professional counselor may be able to help you release them. Reiki would also benefit you to help let go of the negative energy and find your balance. This is a motherhood card and as such, a good omen if you are trying to conceive.
Spirituality (Upright)
In a spiritual context, the Queen of Swords can indicate that you are trying to rationalize things too much rather than follow your emotions and intuition and this is delaying your progress on your spiritual path as your mind wrestles with your heart. Your emotions and your intuition are just as important as your rational brain, don’t disregard them. Sometimes you need to trust your gut even if your head is telling you otherwise. It can also indicate that past personal struggles have given you wisdom, strength, and compassion that allow you to understand and empathize with others and defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Reversed Meaning Guide
Queen of Swords Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Overly critical, pessimistic, lack of empathy, rude, malicious gossip, manipulative, harsh, bitter, spiteful, vindictive, nasty, cruel, deceitful, cheater, unforgiving, scatter-brain, mental fogginess, poor communication, dysfunctional, obsessive, dependant, not learning from past, absent mother, repressed trauma, infertile
General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)
In a general context, the Queen of Swords reversed can represent not learning from the past or not forgiving the past and using it as a stick to beat others around you with. This card can signify that an older or mature female in your life may try to drag you down by spreading malicious gossip about you or being overly critical of you. It can also be an indication that you are feeling dependent on others or not getting the freedom and independence you crave. This card also represents being dysfunctional or infertile or having a cold or absent mother or an evil step-mother. As a person, the Queen of Swords reversed represents a mature female or feminine person who generally is not a nice character as she can be bitter, cruel, cold, unforgiving and pessimistic. She may be an air sign such as Aquarius, Gemini or Libra. She is a woman who may have known loss or trauma herself which she uses as justification to drag others down. She can be spiteful, nasty, vindictive and vengeful. She may lack empathy for others and can be obsessive and controlling. She is someone who may be overly critical or harsh to the people around her and can come across as rude and very negative in reverse. The Queen of Swords reversed may also be a liar, a cheater, disloyal or just generally deceitful.
Love & Relationships (Reversed)
In a love Tarot reading, if you are in a relationship the Queen of Swords reversed can indicate that you are in a relationship with someone who embodies the qualities outlined in the above section or you are displaying some of those characteristics yourself in your love life. The Queen of Swords can simply represent a woman who is in a relationship but is fearful of being single or alternatively, feels her freedom is far too restricted. However, if this card represents your partner is can be a bad omen of a woman who cheats or lies and manipulates. However, the Queen of Swords reversed can also indicate that a bitter or nasty older woman may try to interfere in your relationship and cause trouble.
This Minor Arcana card may also be telling you that you (or your partner) are repressing past pain and it is stopping you from fully opening up and being the loving, loyal and kind partner you are capable of being. You need to deal with these issues in order for your relationship to flourish.
This also advises you not to be overly critical of your partner. Nobody is perfect including you, so cut them a break!
If you are single, the Queen of Swords reversed can indicate that you will meet someone who embodies the qualities outlined in the above section or you are displaying some of those characteristics yourself in your love life. If this represents a potential partner, steer clear as she will bring you trouble and is not, in her current state, someone you should be in a relationship with.
This card can simply be an indication that you dislike being single and want to find someone you can depend on.
This card can also indicate that you have come through a trauma or a bitter divorce and are feeling pessimistic, negative and possibly vindictive. You need to give yourself time to grieve and release the pain or anger you are carrying. Don’t take the sorrow you feel at the moment out on innocent people. You have a choice in how you deal with what you’ve been through. You can change what’s happened but you can decide if you are going to learn from it and use it to become a better person or if you are going to let it change you for the worse.
Money & Career (Reversed)
In a career Tarot reading, the Queen of Swords reversed can represent an older woman in a work environment who is overly critical or harsh with you or may spread malicious gossip about you. However, this Minor Arcana card can also point to communication issues where you may not be getting your point across in the best way. Be careful not to come across as negative, severe, pessimistic or rude when dealing with co-workers or business associates. You’ll catch more flies with honey as they say! In a financial Tarot spread, again the Queen of Swords reversed can indicate that an older deceitful or malicious woman may give you some bad financial advice so be careful. This card can also indicate poor communication or miscommunication which could end up costing you money.
Health (Reversed)
In a health Tarot spread, the Queen of Swords reversed indicates that at the moment you are a bit scatter-brained when it comes to your health. This may take the form of forgetting to go for appointments, not taking medication as instructed or not following through on treatment plans. You need to put your focus back on your health and if you are worried that the mental fogginess you are experiencing may point to a more serious issue, go get checked out by your doctor. This card can also represent infertility or fertility issues.
Spirituality (Reversed)
In a spiritual context, the Queen of Swords reversed can indicate that you are completely shutting off your intuition and emotions in favor of your rational thought. On the flip side, it can mean that you have completely switched to going on emotions and gut instincts against any rational thought. You need your mind, heart, and spirit to be in balance. Don’t go too far to the extreme as it can leave you ungrounded and vulnerable. It can also indicate that past personal trauma may have left you completely numb and shut off from your emotions. You must allow yourself to grieve and release the pain of your past in order to learn from it and move forward.
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Reference:
Labyrinthos, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/queen-of-swords-meaning-tarot-card-meanings?_pos=10&_sid=18b5a7f6f&_ss=r)
Lisa, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://www.thetarotguide.com/queen-of-swords)