A Personal Journey Through The Tarot: Death and the Queens
Radicle Transformation
The Kabbalistic Tree of Life comprises 3 pillars. The central pillar is neutral, the right pillar is Mercy and the left pillar is Severity. The pillars of Mercy and Severity are associated with gender. I love to pose the question; Which do you think is the female pillar? If you think it is the pillar of Mercy you are incorrect. The pillar of Severity carries the female association. Why? Because it is women who hold the act of life and death in their realm. It is women who stand at the threshold between worlds, it is women who rule the world of radicle transformation. There is no such thing as “kinda” pregnant. You either are or you are not. This is the black and white world of severity. This is the Realm of the Queens.
You may think this is harsh but it can also be fair. When a Queen dictates terms you can count on them. When a Queen speaks you know she means what she says. The rules are not arbitrary nor are they negotiable. They are put in place for a reason and hence they are adhered to. Children can thrive when the rules are clear and honoured, given too much choice they can become unruly.
So what does this have to do with Death? Death is just as sever. There is no such thing as “kinda” dead. You either are or you are not. With the understanding of the Queens you can face death squarely, you can comfort the dying and help them on their way knowing that in certain cases it is inevitable. But even if we look at the Death card not as a literal death but instead as a radicle transformation the power of the Queens still stands to help. Instead of wallowing in the crippling question of; Why me? Queens just get down to business to deal with the new reality.
Queen of Swords helps us intellectually process the new reality. Queen of Cups helps us emotionally come to terms with the new circumstance. Queen of Wands motivates us to make the changes needed to deal with the new reality while the Queen of Pentacles signifies the successful new life style wrought from the radical transformation.
Today I contemplate Death and the Queens. When the Goddess speaks I can find comfort in knowing she will be true to her word. Fear not, for when it rains it will always rain down.
