Mythic Tarot - Queen Wands

rwcarter

Queen Penelope (wife of Odysseus) sits on a golden throne adorned with lion’s heads. Chained at her feet is a lioness. She holds a flaming wand. Green and gold fields stretch behind her.

Penelope
  • she was thrown at birth into the sea for her father wished for a male child, but a flock of purple-striped ducks rescued her, causing her father to realize that she had a special destiny
  • wife of Odysseus, when he left on his adventures, she was left to run the kingdom with her young son to help her
  • assuming that Odysseus had died, more than 100 suitors from neighboring islands sought her hand in marriage so they could assume the throne (these suitors had also agreed to murder her son)
  • at first she declined because her intuition and her heart told her that Odysseus must be alive
  • she finally relented and said she would choose a suitor as soon as she completed a shroud for her father-in-law; but each night she would undo the work that she had completed during the day
  • Odysseus returned in the guise of a beggar, dispatched the suitors and was reunited with his wife
Overview
  • loyalty of the heart and the strength of the creative imagination to sustain the heart’s chosen goals
  • faithfulness and loyalty based on a deep inner conviction that everything will turn out right
  • industrious, creative, versatile, strong-willed and talented but also self-contained and stable
  • possesses great inner strength and energy, which is devoted to those few things to which she has given her heart
  • a woman who is capable of loyalty and love in relationship, yet who also has the strength, ingenuity, creativity and tireless energy to rule her own world in her own right and to need no strong shoulder to lean on or socially acceptable label to make her a worthwhile and self-confident individual
  • a career woman who can still run a household, raise children and maintain a social life
  • knows her limits and has intuitive faith in her personal abilities
Leo
  • creative, artistic and imaginative, they’re gifted with organizational ability, they thrive on praise and being in the limelight and crave credit and public acclaim
  • competitive and likes to win
  • intensely individual while also being loyal and generous to those they love
  • warm, sincere, affectionate, protective and self-assured but also can be prideful, vain and extravagant with a tendency to show off
Random Thoughts
  • the end justifies the means
  • a little subterfuge may be necessary to keep the wolves at bay
  • mess with a lioness (or her offspring) and suffer the consequences
  • ability to see the big picture and not let the trifles get in her way

The keyword/phrase I came up with in my workbook for this card on 18 Aug 91 was "strength and energy to attain goals".

Rodney