Element: Fire
Imagery: A confident figure sits with a wand and a sunflower, often with a black cat nearby.
General Themes: Confidence, charisma, creativity, courage, vibrant leadership.
The Queen of Wands Upright
Ahhhh…I love this card. If there were one card in the tarot deck that consistently speaks to me, it would be the Queen of Wands. She first came to me at the start of the pandemic, giving me hope and whimsy in an otherwise dark time. This queen wants you to fearlessly walk your own path. She certainly does, with her wand, host of sunflowers**,** and a canonical black cat at her side (I have two).
She is all sunshine—the sunflowers—who isn’t afraid of the dark—that black cat, which is just another way of looking at befriending your shadow and what the rest of the world might call bad luck. Enjoy the things that make life magical. She is a figure who delights in whimsy and enchantments, often finding them in the ordinary.
The Queen of Wands invites you to cultivate optimism. It’s easy to go dark and see only the bad in people and situations…but there is always room for hope, growth, and understanding. This isn’t about sugar-coating legitimately toxic spaces or relationships, but rather, it’s a way of looking at the world that invites connection and a generosity of spirit that generates meaningful collaborations and relationships. She might walk her own path, but this queen is always admired and has many collaborators. She is a reminder that you can be your delightfully weird self and still feel part of things.
The Queen of Wands Reversed
This card often appears reversed when you need to reclaim your sense of self. Self-doubt has probably kicked in or you’ve gotten lost in conformity and groupthink. It’s okay to be your own unique self. Stop dimming your light to fit in.
This card calls you back to yourself. You don’t have to over-do it in order to relate to others or otherwise compare yourself to others. You can be whimsical and delightfully strange, like this queen, and still feel a part of things. Likewise, you don’t have to follow other people’s timelines, expectations, paths, or values. The Queen of Wands always goes her own way and never feels guilty about it.
To get back to yourself, step back from groups and enjoy some quiet time—you’ll be surprised at all the inspiration that will come flooding back when you do. Likewise, remember how hard you once had to work to find your sense of self. Why throw it away now? You should be celebrating your hard-won confidence.
And remember, whenever the Queen of Wands appears, she welcomes innovation, whimsy, and a unique way of going about life. So shake off self-doubt and apply your energies to imagining a more exciting way of going about life.
The Bruja’s Guide to Tarot is the divination sister to the scholarly The Bruja Professor, a witchy take on literature, the occult & pop culture, and Enchantment Learning & Living, an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you.
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