Journey Through The Tarot: Day 1
Sunday, Dec 1st 2024
5:44 pm. Right at time of the New Moon
Gluck coffeeshop. Kamitori, Kumamoto City, Japan
A queen dressed in yellow with a white cloak sits high above the desert sands upon a raised throne decorated with yellow lions. In her right hand, she holds an upright staff or wand, and in her left, she holds aloft a sunflower. Behind her is a desert scene, while at her feet sits a black cat.
Esoterically called the “Queen of the Thrones of Flame,” the Queen of Wands represents the fiery creative energy of Wands combined with the inward, feminine, elevated energy of the Queen.
The card is dominated by solar imagery. The sunflower, which turns to follow the Sun, reminds us to align with the highest source of inspiration and to embrace life with wholehearted enthusiasm. Sunflowers also reach their zenith during the summer, towering and bright. The sunflower echoes her call: follow the Sun, grow tall, and seek the heights where your essence blooms at its zenith.
While the scene is dominated by yellow solar colors and energies, the Queen wears a white cloak symbolizing purity.
The wand is very fertile and living, embodying creative fertility and the continual blossoming of ideas, projects, and endeavors. The Queen’s wand, held upright, bursts with leaves, further symbolizing this creative fertility. Her crown, entwined with green plants, highlights her connection to life and the natural world, showing that creativity and vitality thrive when grounded in harmony with nature.
The desert mountains in the distance call her to the heights of understanding, where the yellow glow of spirit meets the gray of introspection. Her gaze drifts to the unseen horizon.
The lions on her throne and the tapestry represent rulership, strength, self-expression, confidence, and courage, and they connect her with the sign of Leo.
A small black cat sits alert at her feet, the shadow of the lion made soft. It reminds her to hold mystery alongside majesty, intuition beside action. The cat grounds her fiery nature, reminding her to remain vigilant and balanced.
The glimpse of her red shoe beneath the cloak alludes to alchemical transformation, a nod to the fiery process of personal growth.
The blooming of the staff and the sunflower occurs in a desert setting, showing that life can bloom even within a desert when the consciousness and energy of this card are exemplified—when the intuitive, nurturing, ascended water energy is infused into the fire of Wands. When the Queen sits secure upon her throne with the staff in one hand and the living flower of the Sun in the other.
The Queen of Wands is associated with the last decan of Pisces and the first two decans of Aries. This alignment brings out a potent mix of Piscean intuition, creativity, and spiritual depth, coupled with Aries’ courage, leadership, and fiery ambition.
On the Tree of Life, the Queen of Wands corresponds to Binah (Understanding) in the world of Atziluth (Fire), representing the nurturing and creative aspect of fiery energy, shaping it into forms that manifest in the world.
The message of this card is that if we nurture our inner fire, it will allow our inner desert to blossom. She teaches that passion, when directed with wisdom, becomes a sacred fire that illuminates, warms, and inspires both yourself and the world around you.
She is the royal lion of light, the flower of the Sun, the tamer of shadows. Her lesson is simple yet profound: be bold, be beautiful, and let your soul shine as your truest self.
This Queen teaches the internal mastery of fiery energy and power, the art of shining without burning, and the dance of balance between lion-hearted boldness and feline intuition. She acts as a bridge between intuitive understanding and outward action, teaching the balance of being both a channel for divine inspiration and a creator in the world.
This Queen is the watery aspect of fire, where the creative, passionate energy of fire is tempered and shaped by the intuitive, emotional qualities of water. This is the “watery fire” of the alchemists.
The mix of Fire (Wands) and Water (Queen) means that when strong fire is balanced by water, it blooms forth in beauty and energy—emotion fueling action, passion tempered by wisdom. The conjunction of Fire (Sulfur) and Water (Mercury) symbolizes a harmonious blend of spirit and emotion, will and receptivity. The combination of Fire and Water creates steam, representing emotional mastery over fire, the alchemical fusion of Spirit and Soul, and the Mystery of the Living Fire.
Keys:
- Shining Forth
- Sunflower
- The Royal Lion of Light
Questions:
- Are you fully owning and expressing your power? Where are you holding back?
- How can you both take bold action while being guided by deep intuition?
- How do you integrate your shadow self into your creative journey?
- How can you nurture your passions and direct them toward meaningful pursuits?
- What creative projects are ready to bloom under your care?
Pathworking & Invocation:
Visualize yourself stepping into the scene of the Queen of Wands card. Feel the heat of the Sun, hear the crackle of fire, and sense the watchful presence of the black cat. Engage with the Queen herself. She may offer you words of guidance or a symbolic gift that represents your next steps.
Sit before a flame, holding the Queen of Wands card. Visualize her stepping out of the card, radiant and commanding. Ask her:
- “What message do you have for me today?”
- “How can I embody your power and creativity?”
The Queen of Wands reminds us that we are creators, rulers of our inner fire. With courage, wisdom, and balance, we can light the way not only for ourselves but for all who follow. Allow the consciousness and intelligence that this card and scene represent to inspire you. Think and feel as she does.
Tap into that powerful solar energy, but do it in that nurturing, feminine way. Let thy golden crown be wreathed by nature. Let your inner light shine. Yet let it not scorch with dry heat; rather, let it be balanced with feminine grace so that it may be the support for the growing true vine.
She beckons you to ask: What within you longs to bloom? What fire within your heart is ready to light the world?
Be bold. Be radiant. Shine with the courage of a lion and the grace of a sunflower. Embrace your passion, and let it serve your highest vision.