Queen of Cups
Keywords
Insightfulness, spirituality, compassion, empathy, instinct
Range of Meaning
Light: Allowing yourself to be moved by the plight of others. Feeling strong emotions. Possessing unusual sympathy or empathy. Trusting your feelings to guide you. Calling on psychic abilities. Achieving unity with Spirit.
Shadow: Becoming so caught up in matters of Spirit, you become detached from the world. Allowing empathy to disable you (instead of inspire action). Using psychic abilities to wield covert influence. Wallowing in emotionalism, sentiment, or self-pity.
Correspondences
Personality: The Queen of Cups can represent anyone who wants to convince others (Queen) to be more spiritual and empathetic (Cups). The Queen may also represent the tendency to be more reflective than active, or the need to sway the opinions of others through emotional appeals.
Elemental: Water of Water.
Affirmation: “I choose to be enabled, not disabled, by my strong emotions.”
Story: The Main Character plays on sympathy to gain an advantage, or uses love, sex, or affection to gain cooperation.
Advice
Relationships. No amount of hand-wringing or self-pity will make things better. Stop second-guessing yourself! Strong feelings should tell you something, not render you helpless. Reflect on what you really need, then take action; otherwise, you'll get bogged down.
Work. Strong emotions in the workplace can distract people from their everyday goals. (Many may welcome such distraction!) Rather than get caught up in all the agony and ecstasy, keep an even keel. Don't fret; trust your intuition and take appropriate action.
Spirituality. In truth, very few of us were meant for a life of constant contemplation. Most of us have to live in the real world! If you possess psychic abilities, be sure their deployment is regulated by your highest ethical standards.
Personal Growth. Beating yourself up accomplishes nothing. Embracing your true feelings is one thing; wallowing in them is another. Pause to feel...and then move on, informed and enabled by your insights.
Fortune Telling. This card represents a woman with an emotional, deeply spiritual nature, likely born between June 11th and July 11th, who uses emotional and spiritual appeals to sway others to her point of view.
When? Between June 11th and July 11th.
Symbols and Insights
The Seashell Throne. While the nature of the Queen’s throne is difficult to see in the Marseilles version of this card, most RWS-inspired cards depict a throne integrating watery themes. Do your emotions support you...or rule you?
The Pensive Expression. Some see the Queen of Cups as pensive and moody. Are your own strong feelings an aid...or a distraction? What might happen if you set them aside for now?
Feeling vs. Thinking. The Queen of Cups feels things deeply … and thinks deeply, too. Which approach is your personal default? How well can you integrate your thoughts and your feelings?
The Marseilles Image. The Marseilles Queen of Cups holds both a chalice and a sword. As a result, she may suggest the need to allow your emotions, your spirituality, or your psychic insights to inform your decisions. What would happen if you set pure logic aside?
Questions to Ask
- How do I handle strong emotions?
- To what extent am I a victim of my own feelings?
- How can I move from reflection to action?