The Tower again! This time paired with a Queen.
The Queen of Swords shows a woman with her arms out to either side, one palm facing up and the other facing down. Beside her are two Swords, the one on the right is floating in front of her downward-facing palm with point also facing down, and the one on the left is point up and has pierced her upward facing palm. She wears a golden crown made of double-edged blades, and she is surrounded by golden butterflies, one of the symbols of Air in this deck. The keywords for this card are just, honest, straightforward, and sharp.
The Tower of the True Black Tarot has become a regular for me, it seems. The card image shows a figure that is literally shattering, as if made from porcelain. She is holding between her two palms a glowing sphere which is also cracked. Behind her hips are vines heavy with grapes and at her feet is a fox. Behind her head and somewhat hidden in the darkness is a large eye. To her left floats a golden crown, which is broken in half; to her right floats a bouquet of flowers, also broken in half. The keywords for this card are change, cataclysm, danger, and epiphany.
The Queen of Swords is often said to be the Minor Arcana representation of the Justice card. This Queen is intelligent, knowledgeable and wise; she is very perceptive and it is not smart to try to lie to her. The Queen of Swords represents Water (her rank of Queen) of Air (the suit of Swords), and so she interacts with her world by manifesting Air through Water. We've spoken a bit about Elemental Dignities, and even the little bit of information I've already posted helps us to understand this Queen. Air and Water are neutral and can cancel each other out, but their individual energies are still in play. That means the Queen of Swords can use her intelligence (Air) and her compassion (Water) to manifest in an impartial but effective and compassionate manner.
The Tower has many shades of meaning, but they all basically boil down to an unpleasant truth: in some crucial way we are wrong, and we need to correct our actions. Let's think about a few "personality traits" of this card. The Tower is the number 16 card in the second set of ten Major Arcana cards. The card that corresponds with The Tower in the first set of ten cards is The Lovers, which is about personal choices we make for our own benefit. When we lose our sense of self that is necessary for the choices of The Lovers, we end up with The Tower. The Tower also follows The Devil in the Majors. The Devil often tells of excesses, deceit, and not caring for consequences; The Tower is the natural next step to those excesses, by providing a sudden and unexpected shift.
To me, The Tower tells of a much-needed adjustment, as well as a "clearing of the land so building can begin" kind of situation. Yes, The Tower is uncomfortable, but sometimes the discomfort is because Fate or Deity is giving us a good kick in the butt to wake us up. The True Black Queen of Swords reminds me that it is best to play by the rules. Yes, doing so may still cause pain and discomfort, but choosing according to my own ethics will take the sting away. The alternative to that Sword through the palm is The Tower, and I'm not ready to shatter just yet.
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