August 25-27, 2014: Queen of Cups
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THE QUEEN OF THE THRONES OF THE WATERS
The Queen of Cups – Queen of Nymphs or Undines
WATER of WATERMeditation pattern: Place 10 of Swords, 2 of Cups, and 3 of Cups side-by-side, with the Queen of Cups above them. Below the two Cups, place Atu VII, The Chariot.
Traditional Description: A very beautiful, fair woman like a crowned Queen, seated upon a throne, beneath which is flowing water wherein lotuses are seen. Her general dress is similar to that of the Queen of Wands, but upon her crown, cuirass, and buskins is seen an ibis with opened wings. Beside her is the same bird, whereon her hand rests. She holds a cup, similar to that of the Apprentice Adeptus, whence a crayfish issues. Her face is dreamy. She holds a lotus in the hand that is resting upon the ibis.
HEH of HEH (WATER of WATER). She is the fertile, loving mother, whose essential nature is expressed by the titles LOVE and ABUNDANCE. As Heh of Water, she is nurturance, love, maternity, reflection, and peace. As Heh of Briah, she is especially intuition, and all the higher expressions of the soul (Neshamah), including the faculties of prophesy and revelation.
She rules the heavens from 20° Gemini to 20° Cancer. Her strongest astrological relationship is to the first two decanates of Cancer. Cancer expresses the maternal quality of this most maternal sign as containment, enclosure, even enwombment. Cancer (Cheth) emphasizes the layered shells of our existence in the various worlds and, especially, the receptivity of the vehicle to right guidance by higher power. To it is attributed the Consciousness of the House of Influence; and it is the fluidic word “influence” which best describes the irresistible power of this Queen, who is a compendium, or house, of all the veiled mysteries which dwell in dark shadow, yet flow forth, cohesively, from the inmost sources. The Cancer decanates to which she corresponds are those labeled LOVE and ABUNDANCE, ruled by Venus and Mercury. The Venus decanate indicates love, harmony, enjoyment, and pleasure. The Mercury decanate credits her with intelligence and practical ability.
Alchemists are wont to call Mercury “our water.” Mercury (Beth) is a Path of prophesy and revelation. The intuitive faculty of the Queen gives voice to the Word she witnesses in her reflection. Her shadow is expressed by the final (solar) decanate of Gemini. It represents undisciplined, warring forces divided against themselves, creating disharmony and friction. Normally, this is utterly unlike her! Such a state would disrupt her serene reflection, and is the lurking enemy of all inspiration, intuition, and harmony. (Her ibis, the bird of Thoth, is a symbol especially of the power of reflection; but, also, an ibis is a variety of stork – which has definite maternal implications. The two themes are integrated in her.)
In divination, she is loving, nurturing, and fertile; imaginative, poetic, kind, harmonious, yet not willing to take much trouble for another except for those close to her. Gives and receives much pleasure. Coquettish and good-natured, underneath a dreamy, reflective appearance. Despite this, intelligent and practical. Imagination is strong: may have a gift of vision or prophesy. She is very much affected by other influences, and therefore more dependent upon dignity than most of the cards.
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- Guarding and caring mother, the one who nurtures, takes-care-of, feeds, protects.
- Carrier, ark, boat, etc.
(I’m so tired I am falling asleep while trying to meditate. Enough for today.)
- Gimel personified!
- In her domain are the patterns and forms/modes for growth and development of everything that lives in Nature (spiral, Fibonacci).
- Layers upon layers, veils upon veils: as if behind her appearance there is an endless Profundity, never to be completely disclosed, never to be fully known; she is Lady Mystery, Nuit in a form of Sacred Feminine, accepting all, loving all.
- Water in Briah: she is the source of substance of mind, whose motion is like stirring and rippling of the lake that lays before this Queen; as if the mind is this lake, and she guards it and illuminates it, reflecting in it when the water is completely still.
- Key words: gentleness, subtlety, refinement, sublimity.
- Ten-of-Swords as shadow side: ideas, thought, and generally any motions of intellect stir the water, interrupt the perfect stillness and harmony of her nature.
- There’s a symmetry in this card, reminding immediately of Hermes’ rule: the water-line marking the central (and “dividing”) “plane”, images Above & Below being the same, as reflecting one another…
- She is the vehicle, or channel, of the essential Will, giving that Will a form and multiplying its further expression.
- She is the Possibility of Manifestation.