Whenever I pull tarot cards for myself (which, as a self-professed spiritual baddie, is pretty much daily) and the queen of wands tarot card show ups, I can’t help but feel empowered. Why? She has some serious Beyoncé energy. She’s powerful, confident, vibrant, creative as all hell, and unapologetic. 

While every tarot deck may feature different imagery for each card, in the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck, the queen of wands is depicted sitting on a throne draped in a gold robe holding a tall rod in one hand and a sunflower in the other, explains Valeria Ruelas, a tarot reader and author of the forthcoming book The Mexican Witch Lifestyle. 

One way to interpret her presence in a reading is simply by intuiting what her imagery means to you. But as you delve deeper into your tarot practice, it’s often helpful to understand the traditional meanings of the card, too, as they can offer greater insights. 

The queen of wands upright meaning

To better understand the queen of wands’ meaning, it’s important to back up and first get to know the tarot’s suits and court cards. Like playing cards, the tarot features four suits (wands, cups, pentacles, and swords), and each suit features four court cards (page, knight, queen, and king). “The suit of wands in the tarot relates to the fire element and is representative of our spirit, creativity, energy, and willpower,” says Meghan Rose, a spiritual advisor, and tarot reader. “Wands in the tarot can key us into situations that involve competition, growth, ambition, strength, and a desire for power.” 

Therefore, when a court card like the queen of wands shows up in a reading, Rose says it most often represents a person in your life or the person for whom the reading is for, but the cards are not gender-specific. “Although there are more energetically ‘feminine’ qualities to queens, they can still be representative of men or male-identifying people in a reading,” she adds. “A court card is so much more apt to connect with the energy of a person than their gender.” 

So, when the queen of wands is pulled during a tarot reading, Rose says, “it will represent the energy of someone who is independent and honest; someone who gains their power from being truly admirable, and never makes themselves superior by belittling others or dragging them down.” That’s queen energy, for sure. 

In the Rider-Waite deck, the queen of wands card also shows a black cat at her feet, and in tarot, all the details in the imagery can convey messages. In this case, according to Ruelas, the black cat can give off bad-luck energy, but only if your intuition is picking up on something negative. “It’s important to connect to duality in the tarot,” Ruelas says. “Use your intuitive powers to see which meaning applies.”

The queen of wands reversed meaning

While some tarot readers, like Ruelas, don’t believe in reading reversals (“this ruins the alchemical and astrological meanings,” she says), it’s ultimately up to the reader whether or not to interpret the meaning of a card that shows up upside down in a reading. 

If you do wish to read reversals, Rose says the card can represent someone who is confident and well-spoken but perhaps has different intentions that come from a space of manipulation, pursuit of power, and focus on what they can get rather than give back. In other words, the message is to be cautious with this person. Or, if the queen of wands represents yourself in a reading, Rose advises “bringing awareness to your own shadow aspects that mirror this sneaky and manipulative energy back to you and start to take accountability.”

Queen of wands meanings in different types of readings

You can glean many juicy messages from the general meaning of the queen of wands tarot card, but when the reading is focused on a particular area of your life, such as your relationship, career, or wellbeing, it can reveal more specific information. Here’s what the card means in different types of readings. 

Relationships

“[The queen of wands] represents a fun and outgoing person but perhaps someone who would be prone to late-night outings,” Ruelas says.This person will likely show up with clarity, positivity, and passion, and you’ll both be very heavily attracted to each other, physically and energetically, Rose adds. 

Career

The queen of wands is a strong career card, Ruelas says, representing positions of power and good luck in your career journey. To put that magic into practice, Rose recommends taking it as a sign to dive deeper into a career you’re passionate about. “Only focus your energy on what you want, and release spending time on what you don’t,” she says. “You will be amazed at what you’re able to accomplish once you put your mind to something.” 

Money

Given that career and money can often go hand in hand, Ruelas says the queen of wands is also good news for your finances as its meaning can be summed up with one word: abundance. Rose also notes that this is a good time to focus on your long-term financial goals and perhaps speak with a financial advisor to guide your next steps.

Wellness

In this type of reading, Rose says the queen of wands can mean you’re entering a life phase where your internal wellness (how you treat yourself) is reflected externally. This can look like seeing positive changes in your social circle, external environment, or maybe your skin is glowing, and you feel confident in your body. The takeaway: “Start to make your workouts, morning and bedtime routines, and habits a reflection of the life that you desire,” Rose says. “You will get there much sooner than you know.”

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