VAMPIRE TAROT, Day 12 -- Queen of Knives

We have had our first repeat draw ... the Queen of Knives came up for us earlier in these draws on Day 3. You can go to that blog entry to see the reading for that day.

Since she has reappeared, it indicates that her energy is lingering for us at this time. Queens are generally thought to represent women in their 40s. They also represent the female pinnacle of their suit. The Queen of Knives (or Queen of Swords in the Rider-Waite tarot) is stereotypically thought of as "Queen Bitch". I remember a tarot teacher saying that she thought of the Queen of Swords as the bitch card because she is known for telling it like it is and having little patience with people of lesser intelligence or people who don't share her high standards. However this teacher also pointed out the narrowness of this view. Yes, the Queen of Swords is an exceptionally intelligent woman with a gifted and sharp mind, but the sword cuts both ways. She is also the Queen of mental struggle and pain.

We can see this more vulnerable aspect of her psyche clearly in this illustration of the Queen of Knives. She is holding a mistletoe, the classic symbol of love, and her eyes look very wounded. Her heart has been broken. Perhaps she has suffered several heartbreaks and although she has gained much wisdom from those experiences, she hasn't gained much happiness from them. She has taken some hard knocks and although she is wiser for it, that wisdom has taken its toll on the way she sees the world. Very often she doesn't see it as a hospitable place so she protects herself with her intellect. Her intelligence is her armor and she can sometimes come across as harsh and bitchy when really she is just trying to ward off further pain.

If you have had your heart broken, try not to dwell on it. Sometimes we nurse our wounds and even make them a part of our identity. Doing this will only draw more heartbreak toward you. Sometimes relationships work out, sometimes they don't ... but we can't let the ones that don't work affect all future relationships.

Protect yourself, choose lovers and friends wisely, but don't cut yourself off from human contact out of an obsessive need for self protection. We can never avoid ALL pain. Sometimes it takes us by surprise but it can't debilitate us unless we let it.