The Queen of Swords is a simple enough card, but it's the small details that make it pop out and mean something. The queen sits on a throne of stone, intricate carvings riddled throughout (most notably butterflies and a cherub). The throne sits upon the top of a hill, with a great view of the sky above. The queen herself sits with regal austerity – her clothing is intricate, and she wears a cloak covered in clouds and a crown covered in butterflies. The queen holds a sword in one hand. The queen's other hand is stretched forward, as if to as someone to approach and be judged – her eyes are cold, stern, and unforgiving.

This is a queen with a lot of experience under her belt – she's come close to seeing it all, so don't be surprised if you approach her throne and she already has a good idea of what you're about to tell her. This experience has made her very straightforward – she wants to get to the point and judge based on all the facts. She will pull no punches. The queen combines a feminine power with the power of the mind – these two make a dangerously astute woman, and one you don't cross.

The Queen of Swords may be asking for you to take matters into your own hands, and to deal with them quite harshly. Has your partner been cheating? Throw your partner out. Dishonesty at the workplace? Time to call it out as you see it. Friends talking about each other behind their backs? Bring everything to light. The queen is, if nothing else, painfully honest, and she asks us all to be as honest as she is. If you are in the right, you have nothing to fear, but if you are in the wrong... you might want to run.

Here are some things to ask yourself when you see the Queen of Swords in your readings. Does the Queen represent a person? If so, who? What message or lesson do they hold for you? What harsh judgments need to be passed? Is it time for you to lay down a smackdown? What harsh truth needs to be revealed?

It Takes Courage To See The Truth

The Queen of Swords is undoubtedly a rough card – rougher than many of the other cards in a tarot deck. Still, several cards have this rough-around-the-edges factor in common with the Queen. The Justice card is most notably similar due to impartiality in judgment – both the Queen of Swords and Justice ask for you to do what needs to be done, level the playing field, and may all injustices right again.

The Knight of Swords has a lot in common with the Queen, but while the Knight's negative aspects as something you want to steer clear of, the Queen's harsh nature is tempered with wisdom... unlike the Knight. You'll want to heed to what the Queen tells you to do, while you might want to give some thought to what the Knight suggests.

What Queen of Swords Means for You Today

When the Queen of Swords appears in your reading it is a sign that there may be some harsh truth that you need to confront. The queen of swords isn't interested in sparing your feelings but she is not deliberately hurtful either. She tells it like it is but always for a good purpose. Try to separate your emotions from the situation at hand if you can and try to see things without bias to the best of your ability. It is possible that some aspect of your ego doesn't want to accept something and it gets upset when confronted with the truth, especially when accepting that truth means letting go of some aspect of the past.