Symbology, Meaning and Interpretation
Upright
Compassion, Warmth, Counsellor, Sensibility.
This card portrays a beautiful and introspective Queen, sitting on her throne by the sea. Her feet are at the edge of the ocean, representing the unification of the self with the emotional side, creating a harmonious balance.
She is the most intuitive of all queens, trusting her intuition to the extreme of defying logic, which sometimes results in an overthinking of the situations. Nevertheless, she is emotionally mature, showing a great sensibility and kind presence. The Queen of Cups allows the blending of action and imagination, creativity and social values, and this achievement could be represented by the most ornamented cup of the entire tarot that she holds in her right hand. That cup is closed, and it contains the thoughts and feelings controlled and balanced but not repressed – they come from within the subconscious mind.
While the King symbolises society, the Queen is linked to the familiar context. She affirms the strength of relationships and teaches us how to treat others with compassion and sympathy.
Her great sense of communication makes us feel heard and understood, revealing her aspects of a good confident and sentimental counsellor.
Reversed
Codependency, Insecurity, Manipulative.
In reverse, although the Queen of Cups appears to be tender and warm, she is, in fact, a manipulative person. She might represent someone close to us or someone we believe to be trustful. Her advice seems to comfort us but could have a negative influence. She works extremely well with the emotional side, so she uses it to control others.
The Queen of Cups in this position may indicate that we nourished a codependent relationship that is not healthy for anyone. She, too, warns us to balance our emotional side and not let it control our judgment, because it is extremely easy to lose control and act mindlessly. Such reflects emotional immaturity and means that we are insecure, which allows people around us to take advantage of us more easily.
It is time to find a safe space to speak about your feelings or someone who can help you to see the big picture.