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Astrologically, the Queen of Cups is in the last Decan of Gemini and the First two Decans of Cancer.

Both the Rider-Waite-Smith and Archeon Tarot- Queen of Cups cards concentrate on this aspect of tranquility. On Waite's card She is seated on a throne, on the shore of a tranquil sea, with ornate moon chalice in hand. She uses this moon chalice, to see her visions.

Once again, we find that the Rider-Waite-Smith Queen of Cups, while exquisitely illustrated in its medieval reverence, dwells primarily within the mundane and exoteric interpretations of this archetype. Its art is ornate and devotional, reflecting more the piety of churchly mysticism than the transcendent psyche of the Divine Feminine. Pamela Colman Smith, though inspired, did not render the Qabalistic depths that Lady Frieda Harris achieved under Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic vision in the Thoth Tarot—a deck that dares to reveal the submerged currents of the soul rather than merely its surface ripples.

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Queen of Cups is steeped in symbols of water—the classic element of emotion and subconscious vision. Her garments flow like gentle tides, the sea behind her laps at the shore, and she is enthroned upon a seaside throne carved with watery motifs: merchildren, fish, and shells. Most prominently, she holds a chalice unlike any other in the deck—a Moon-chalice, closed and mysterious, suggestive of a vessel that contains the unknowable. Yet, what is offered here remains symbolic of only the outer garment of water's wisdom.

In contrast, the Thoth Queen of Cups plunges us into the oceanic abyss of the soul. Here, she is not merely surrounded by water—she is water, veiled in transparency, her form dissolving into the swirling mists of Binah, the Great Sea of Understanding. She holds the sacred Lotus and the overflowing Cup of the Graäl—a vessel that does not conceal, but overflows with the tides of love, inspiration, and the psychic force of the Shekinah.

Unlike the romanticized RWS version, the Thoth Queen is the magnetrix of all emotional alchemy. She is the pure receptacle of the Holy Spirit—Ruach Elohim—brooding upon the face of the deep. Her cup is the womb of manifestation, the place where waters above and waters below converge. She represents the lunar tides that draw down celestial vision into the heart of the Magus.

For those who seek a richer, initiatic understanding of the Tarot archetypes, the Thoth Queen of Cups offers far more than courtly affection or maternal kindness. She is the mirror of the Moon, the Priestess behind the veil of form, and the intuitive matrix through which dreams become destiny.

(For a full exploration of these archetypal contrasts, see my nontraditional tarot blogs at elitarotstrickingly.com, where the Queen of Cups is traced across various decks including the Thoth, Animal Totem, and more.)

This radiant Queen is often depicted gazing into a Moon Pool, her sacred mirror into the soul. But make no mistake—she is no "drama queen" wallowing in emotional turbulence. Her emotional landscape is not a swamp of chaos, but a carefully cultivated temple of living waters, where every ripple is a whisper of divine intelligence. To her, emotions are not distractions—they are tools of creation, the sacred architecture of life itself.

She is the Creatrix, the Lunar Alchemist who weaves the currents of feeling into the tapestry of existence. When one peers into her Moon Pool, they do not see mere reflections—they behold the living beauty of the soul, unveiled and unguarded.

Thus, the Queen of Cups symbolizes a person of deep intuition, sensual wisdom, and boundless empathy. This is not simply someone who feels—it is someone who understands through feeling, someone who has refined emotion into compassionate knowing. She is emotionally mature, tender without being fragile, receptive without being passive.

To encounter her, in oneself or in another, is to come face-to-face with the healing force of the Divine Feminine. She connects not through logic but through resonance. She senses your pain before you speak it. She is the midwife of inner truth, offering the waters of compassion to those who thirst for authenticity.

Whether she appears as the querent or as another in the querent’s life, her presence signals a time of emotional alignment, inner healing, and psychic revelation. She does not demand understanding—she evokes it.

And so she gazes, still and sovereign, into her Moon Pool—and invites us to do the same.

Beneath the still surface of the subconscious, in the liminal space where moonlight kisses water, there lies the Moon Pool—a symbolic gateway into the Mysteries of the Divine Feminine. It is no ordinary pool, but a mirrored vessel of dreaming consciousness, a womb of silver light reflecting both the celestial and the chthonic. The Moon Pool is a sacred alchemical retort where psyche and spirit are distilled, dissolved, and transfigured.

The Queen of Cups, especially in the Thoth Tarot, is the living embodiment of this sacred pool. She is not merely beside the water—she is the Water. She governs its currents, understands its tides, and opens its depths to the worthy. Her cup is not merely a chalice but a Moon-chalice—an occult device, sealed and sacred, only to be opened by inner initiation. This cup, in both the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth traditions, is linked to the Holy Grail, not as a vessel of wine, but as the Womb of Mysteries—filled not with substance but with the infinite potential of becoming.

The Pool as a Portal to the Deep Self

In Qabalistic terms, the Moon Pool is rooted in Binah, the Great Sea, the Supernal Mother, whose Hebrew name means “Understanding.” It is also reflected in Yesod, the lunar sphere upon the Tree of Life—the astral gateway, the realm of dreams, memory, and image. Between these two spheres flows the river of consciousness where the Moon rules as High Priestess and Oracle.

To gaze into the Moon Pool is to see oneself beyond the mirror of the ego. It is the place where:

• The egoic self dissolves in the waters of the True Self.

• The reflection becomes more real than the reflected.

• The tides of fate can be sensed and perhaps altered through inner knowing.

Here, the Queen of Cups reigns as the Lunar Initiatrix. Her power is not in command but in stillness. She listens, and thus hears the voice of the soul. She reflects, and thus knows the unspoken truth. She holds the chalice, not to serve, but to receive. To meet her gaze is to face the tides of your own emotional body. She invites the initiate to lower their masks, to weep into her waters, and to transmute sorrow into vision.

Alchemy of the Moon Pool

In alchemy, this sacred water is known as the Mercurial Waters—fluid, formless, yet reflective of divine pattern. It is through immersion in these waters that the dross of the personality is dissolved and the Silver Self begins to emerge. The Queen of Cups does not seek to fix, but to unfix, to return all things to the liquid state of primal possibility—Solve et Coagula in emotional form.

These waters contain the prima materia of the soul's evolution—tears, dreams, longings, and losses—all distilled into luminous knowing.

Ritual Contemplation: Entering the Moon Pool

To enter the Mysteries of the Moon Pool:

1. Sit in stillness during a waxing moon, near actual water or before a bowl of moonlit water.

2. Gaze into the reflection—not with your eyes, but with your inner vision.

3. Whisper the ancient name of the Great Mother—Binah... Mari... Lilith... Isis...—until time dissolves.

4. Ask: What part of me have I hidden beneath the waves?

5. Listen. The Queen will answer in image, symbol, and feeling.

The Queen’s Gift: Inner Sight

The final gift of the Moon Pool is vision without distortion. The Queen of Cups offers this not through logic or words, but through feeling infused with soul-truth. Those who truly receive her insight are changed—not by force, but by deep emotional revelation.

Her realm is that of psychic sight, poetic imagination, artistic flow, and sacred silence. To work with the Queen of Cups is to make peace with the tides within and to retrieve from them the Pearl of Wisdom—your own hidden Self.

The Archeon Tarot – Queen of Cups: The Muse of the Invisible Architects

The Archeon Tarot Queen of Cups radiates a haunting and ethereal beauty—her presence is serene, her gaze fixed not upon the world, but beyond it. She stares into the unseen architecture of the cosmos with the calm grace of one who knows the tides of mystery and has long since surrendered to their rhythm. This Queen is not loud with emotion; she is the deep well from which emotion springs.

She embodies kindness not as a gesture, but as a frequency—a psychic emanation that touches all who approach her with sincerity. Her imagination is vast, a realm where myths breathe, and dreams are carved into archetypal blueprints. She is the muse of the invisible architects, the spiritual inspirer of those who build not with bricks, but with ideas, visions, and sacred intent.

Though she carries intellect and refinement, she is not cold or distant. Her energy is flirtatious, yet not in the mundane or coquettish sense—her allure comes from wisdom, from the deep sensuality of knowing. She entices the soul, not the body. She plays with mystery as a Priestess plays with incense—shaping the atmosphere, not the outcome.

Her waters are calm, yet charged with refined emotional intelligence—not reactive, but responsive. In her presence, one does not merely feel... one understands emotion as a language of the soul. Refinement pours from her like moonlight on still water, revealing not just beauty, but truth hidden in soft reflections.

She is the Lady of the Moon Pool in the Archeon realm—the stillness between breath and wave, where insight descends quietly, like dew on the spirit.

The Astrological depth of this card is shown as the last 2 decans of Gemini, and the first 2 decans of Cancer are assigned to the Queen of Cups card.

Let’s delve into the astrological decans of Gemini and Cancer:

Last Decan of Gemini (June 12 – June 20):

• Influence: This decan is influenced by another air sign, adding complexity to the Gemini personality¹.
• Traits: Individuals born in this period are known for their intellect, wit, and strong communication skills. They are quick thinkers and express themselves with ease².
• Characteristics: They appreciate power, study it in others, and may use it to further their own aspirations. They are less susceptible to the opinions of those around them and are persuasive¹.

First Decan of Cancer (June 22 – July 1):

• Ruler: The Moon governs this decan, enhancing emotional sensitivity and intuition³.
• Traits: These individuals are emotional, sensitive, intuitive, and nurturing. They are good at making decisions and tend to avoid conflict⁴.
• Characteristics: They have a rich imagination, are very sensitive, and sometimes escape from reality. They are good at rhetoric and possess artistic talents⁵.

Second Decan of Cancer (July 2 – July 11):

• Ruler: Pluto influences this decan, along with traits from Scorpio³.
• Traits: People in this decan are practical, a bit stubborn, deep-thinkers, sentimental, and great caretakers⁴.
• Characteristics: They support their position with wisdom and experience, are quiet, determined, and approachable, yet can become fierce if their family is threatened⁵.

Astrology provides a nuanced view of personality, and these decans offer a more detailed perspective within each zodiac sign. Whether you resonate with these traits or not, they can be a fun way to reflect on personal characteristics and tendencies

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Qabalistically speaking, the Queens of Tarot are not simply representations of people or feminine figures. They are far more profound than mere court cards. They are States of Conscious Intuitive Self-Energy, personified as archetypal vessels through which the Divine Imaginal is received, gestated, and expressed.

In the Western Hermetic Qabalah, these Queens are aligned not just with elements and suits, but with specific Sephirothic Beings—emanations of the Divine Universal Collective Unconscious, the primordial field of active imagination that precedes form. This realm is not fiction, but powerful causality—a domain of images so real, they shape the foundations of incarnation.

To approach these Queens is to approach the Magnetic Womb of All Becoming—the Creatrix, the Sea of Binah, the chalice before the Word was spoken.

The Image is the Vessel

In both the exoteric and esoteric traditions, the Image is not a symbol in the ordinary sense. It is a living force—a body of meaning condensed into vision. To "image" something is to give it energetic shape within the Astral Matrix of Yesod, from which all material manifestations emerge.

To realize these deep strata of Mind—and that which comes before Mind—we must work with imagery. Without the image, there is no form through which the formless can descend. The Queen is this intermediary. She is the Mother of Vision, who births sensation from the unsensed, meaning from the void.

Before Mind Was Eheieh

Before thought, before even the Word—there was Kether, the Crown, the primordial stillness. It is not a god in the anthropomorphic sense, but the primal unmanifest, the divine will-to-be.

The god-name of Kether is Eheieh (אהיה), meaning “I Will Be.”

This is not merely a name, but a creative fiat—the first self-declaration, the First Light of Selfhood spoken from the heart of No-Thing. From this declaration of Will, the Breath of Life flowed outward, exhaling itself into the spirals of energy we now experience as light, time, thought, soul, and matter.

You, as a being of self-awareness, are the living fulfillment of that command:

“I Will Be.”

You are the echo of Kether, vibrating through layered densities of soul and psyche, now clothed in skin and story.

The Queens as Solar Psyche Archetypes

Each Queen, then, is an archetypal mode of fulfillment of the Divine Will within the structure of your Solar Psyche—the soul-self who knows itself as light. The Psyche, in its full definition, is not merely waking consciousness. It is the entirety of Mind:

• Superconscious (Kether-Tiphareth)

• Subconscious (Yesod-Netzach-Hod)

• Unconscious (Binah-Geburah and beyond)

• And the waking conscious Self (Malkuth-Tiphareth axis)

These are not separated realms but layers of a single, living, ternary intelligence—a trinity of awareness moving through dream, instinct, intellect, and spirit.

The Queen archetypes are the receptive modalities of this Radiant Self—they gather the divine will into emotional matrix, shaping its descent through understanding and inner wisdom. They are the Magnetrix, drawing down the Fire of Chokmah into the Form of Binah, so that we may feel the presence of God within the vessel of Self.

🜄 In Summary:

• The Queens of Tarot are not personalities but personifications of Divine Magnetic Intuition.

• They represent the Creative Psyche—the force of Imagination that gives shape to the Soul's Will.

• Their power lies in image-making, emotion-weaving, and holding the space for form to arise from formlessness.

• They are gateways to your True Solar Self, who is the child of Kether’s command: Eheieh—“I Will Be.”

Binah, the third Sephirah on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, resides within the Supernal Triangle, that triune realm above the Abyss where pure ideation becomes the architecture of form. She is not merely Understanding—she is the Womb of All Form, the matrix through which the divine impulse is shaped into the potential of becoming.

I often refer to Binah as a "Womb with a View", for she does not conceive in the biological sense, but through perception. She conceives by seeing and understanding idea—by receiving the pure electric force of Chokmah (Wisdom) and shaping it into a coherent image in the depths of the astral mind.

The True Mind—which is not the biological brain—is a vessel of image and pattern. It speaks in symbols, not in words. Image is the original language of soul. Words, at best, are secondary echoes.

Hence, your persona—the face you wear in the world—is not your identity. It is an image, sculpted in the imaginal waters of Yesod and projected through the lens of the Soul. But most modern personas are not authentic emanations of the Solar Psyche. They are manufactured simulations, built by systems of external control.

What many call the “ego” is, in fact, a lesser construct—a patchwork shadow-self assembled from culturally approved programming. In Gnostic terms, this is the Archonic False Self. Indigenous traditions call it the Wetiko, the cannibal mind-virus that feeds on fear and projection. In Hermetic terms, it is the adversary formed of unrefined Yesodic matter, polluted by word hypnosis—the language-spell of media indoctrination, engineered by the Military-Industrial Complex.

This false ego is composed of reactive, emotionally charged imagery, weaponized through repetition and reinforced through trauma. It operates by creating false jeopardy, keeping the being locked in a fight-or-flight loop, suppressing the clarity of soul-identity and replacing it with survival-driven fragmentation.

The result is a shadow identity, artificially programmed, designed to mimic your personality but disconnected from your true Solar Self—the Self created not by fear or control, but by the divine light of Tiphareth, born of Kether’s command: Eheieh—“I Will Be.”

To return to Binah is to return to the womb of vision, where the true image of the soul can once again be conceived—free from distortion, free from fear.

The use of words as identity is a product of the Shadow subconscious identity manipulation and is called "antilife"(evil).

      You are not made of words but of The Greater Understanding of the Oneself as Itself. 

You are not merely flesh, nor merely thought—you are the living convergence of Spirit's Will to Force and Will to Form. This dynamic duality, known in Hermetic Qabalah as Chokmah (Force) and Binah (Form), finds its union within you as the radiant expression of the Divine Creative.

Your very presence is the answer to the sacred axiom:
"Above all things, know thyself."
 

But to truly know thyself, you must first tear down the Tower of Babel—that crumbling edifice of ruler-defined language, mass-manufactured labels, and artificial identity constructs.

Words, though powerful, have been hijacked—reduced to spells cast by those who seek to divide, program, and control. This is not communication but confusion, a confusion designed to sever you from your true Name, your true Image, your true Will.

To escape this labyrinth, you must turn inward and upward. You must look not through the mirrors of culture, media, and fear—but through the Eye of the Great Creatrix, She who dreamed you into being out of sheer Love. In Her infinite Womb, you were formed as the Solar Child, the conscious light that acts, that creates, that becomes.

You are the Bright Action of the Divine,
while the Shadow—that parasitic false self—is merely Reaction.
Reaction to fear. Reaction to indoctrination. Reaction to forgetting.

To awaken is to reclaim your true nature as the active flame of creation. Not the conditioned reflex of a bound ego, but the Living Will of the Divine Self—the I AM that declares I Create, I Shine, I Know.

When you remember this, you are no longer the echo—you are the voice.
You are no longer the puppet—you are the Hand.

The Queens all represent the Water in each suit; therefore, the Queen of Cups represents Water of Primal Earth. Water being the symbol for Intuition, Emotions and Consciousness as well as the blood of Earth. Queens are enthroned in the Element of Consciousness, as Will to Form and Enclose Energy (by realization and understanding) to bring forth the Will to Force of the King. She develops that force into information and/or in-Form-Action. As emotive consciousness does to idea.

The word idea comes from Greek ἰδέα idea "form, pattern," from the root of ἰδεῖν idein, "to see" -all of which are the functions attributed to the Goddess/Creatrix/magnetrix and/or the Great Ocean of Consciousness, Binah.

When the Queen of Cups is thrown during a reading:

• The querent is showing issues surrounding motherhood.
• Suggesting emotional empowerment, as the querent is able to express feelings honestly, blamelessly and without judgment.
• Implies too much imagination about issues and not enough action taken to solve them.
• Emotional and Intuitive capability that show highly evolved interpersonal interactions and psychic abilities.
• Implies the querent is extremely empathetic and thus must watch out for moodiness and fluctuating feelings that often come from those around her.
• Suggests that one inspires from within and could be a time of Deep inner musings, thoughts focused within where the mind is engulfed in Imagination. 
• That a mature woman of deep sexual and fertility powers, where everything in her life is related to nourishment, sexual exchange, passionate giving and receiving maybe involved in the life of the querent or is the querent.
• Motherhood, or new ideas formulating for a creative line of work.
• An ethereal person of the highest ideals imagined.... sometimes unattainable in the physical world of constant change.
• Wisdom and virtue.
• Can denote a perfect spouse and a good mother.

If reversed:

• Distinguished woman who is not to be trusted.
• Vice.
• Perverse woman.
• Dishonor.
• Depravity. 
• The Stepmother of fairy tales.

Ritual for Calling on the Queen of Cups’ Intuitive Power

This ritual is designed to help you connect with the archetypal energy of the Queen of Cups, enhancing your intuition, emotional depth, and spiritual insight.

Preparation

1. Timing: Perform the ritual during a waxing or full moon to align with heightened intuitive energies.
2. Sacred Space:
   • Cleanse the space with sage, palo santo, or incense.
   • Create a small altar with symbolic items:
     • A Tarot card of the Queen of Cups (if available).
     • A silver or blue candle to represent water and intuition.
     • A bowl of water (preferably moon-charged) to symbolize emotional clarity.
     • Crystals such as moonstone, amethyst, or aquamarine.
     • Fresh flowers or shells for aesthetic connection to the Queen’s nurturing energy.
3. Attire: Wear flowing, comfortable clothing in shades of blue, silver, or white to invoke her energy.

Ritual Steps

1. Grounding:

   • Sit in a comfortable position near your altar. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and visualize roots growing from your body into the earth, grounding you.
   • Feel the calming flow of water energy surrounding you.

2. Invocation:

   • Light the candle and say:

     "Queen of Cups, Mistress of Emotion,
     Guide of Intuition and Deep Devotion,
     I call upon your gentle grace,
     To aid me in this sacred space.
     Reveal the depths within my heart,
     Show me where my journey starts."

3. Scrying in the Water:

   • Gaze into the bowl of water, or dark mirror can be used. Let your eyes soften and remain open to any images, symbols, or feelings that arise.
   • Quiet your mind and allow your intuition to speak. If emotions surface, acknowledge them without judgment.

4. Meditation:

   • Close your eyes and visualize the Queen of Cups. Imagine her sitting by a serene moonlit pool, holding her cup, offering it to you. Feel her presence and listen for any wisdom or messages she imparts.
   • Spend at least 5–10 minutes in this visualization.

5. Affirmation and Energy Alignment:

   • Place your hands over your heart and repeat the affirmation:

     "I trust the waters of my intuition to guide me.
     I embrace the depth of my emotions with compassion.
     I align with the wisdom of the Queen of Cups."

6. Offer Gratitude:

   • Thank the Queen of Cups for her guidance and the energies you’ve called upon. Say:

     "Gracious Queen of Cups, I honor your power,
     Thank you for your guidance in this hour.
     May your wisdom flow through me,
     As I walk this path in harmony."

7. Closing the Ritual:

   • Extinguish the candle and pour the water from the bowl onto the earth or into a plant as an offering, symbolizing gratitude and the flow of wisdom into your life.

After the Ritual

• Journal any insights, images, or emotions that arose during the ritual.
• Be attentive to intuitive nudges, dreams, or synchronicities in the days following.

By aligning with the Queen of Cups, you can deepen your connection to your inner wisdom and navigate life with emotional grace and intuitive clarity.

Thank you for your interest, comments, and supportive donations. May you live long and prosper.

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