The Queens as depicted in the Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle.
The Queens are showing up a lot lately. In my New Moon Tarot readings last week, there were multiple Queens making an appearance, and before that I was inspired to weave them into our four-week workshop craft study*.
*If you’re currently taking that class, this will feel like an extension of our study with the Queens.
I focus on the Queens in the Lantern for the Path series (currently on sale, YES), and there are old podcast episodes on Queen of Cups, Queen of Swords, and Queen of Swords again, so there’s lots out there if this post sparks your interest and you want to dig into this energy.
This is not so much a deep, scholarly dive into the Queens themselves as it is an opportunity to use elements of each archetype for guided writing and reflection. Enjoy!
Guided Writing: Queens as Creative Ally
Queens are an excellent ally for the creative life because Queens are super comfortable with SELF. Queen of Cups dives deep into the emotional life, Queen of Pentacles lives in rhythm with the seasons, Queen of Wands steps into a room and everyone goes Who’s that and what is their magic? And Queen of Swords sets boundaries and knows the true power of the sacred no.
Let’s invite these separate energies into a quick reflection + scene writing activity that takes about 25 minutes, a Pomodoro’s worth of creative time:
Inspired by Queen of Wands: What is your individual magic when it comes to writing? What are you own superpowers? Example from my own life: I have a background in studying creative nonfiction and am always pulling from memory. My memory-inspired descriptions are always more powerful for my fictional characters when I’m pulling from real life. I also think I’m great with chapter endings. And I love to write gross stuff. These are a few of my Queen of Wands powers. What are yours? Write for 4.5 minutes.
Inspired by Queen of Pentacles: Consider the main character in your WIP or a brand new character you’re dreaming up on the spot. What place do they go when they need to feel completely themselves? Is it indoors, outdoors? Is it populated, or is your character the only one there? What is the temperature/smell of the air? What does your character do here, if anything? Write for 6.5 minutes.
Inspired by Queen of Cups: Imagine that your character has been barred from this special place or somehow prevented from returning. In order to regain access, they have to express their feelings, perhaps on a difficult subject which they find uncomfortable (or others find uncomfortable), but they know if they never speak up and let their feelings be known, they’ll never be able to return. Write for 10-12 minutes, allowing your character to be as messy as they like. This doesn’t have to be a polished plea or rehearsed speech; this can be your character speaking through their tears/screams/nervous laughter/all of the above.
Take a deep breath. That was a lot. Thank your character for being whatever they needed to be.
Inspired by Queen of Swords: List a few writerly activities you’d like to engage in this week that support your creative life. Take a few minutes to list as many as you like, and then choose one of these activities to prioritize. One of these might be returning to the scene you began crafting via these prompts! Declare that you will carve out time for this activity no matter what competes with it this coming week. Let Queen of Swords inspire you with the power of the sacred no.
Take a deep breath and take pride in carving out 25 minutes for the writing life. Thank yourself and all the Queen-like selves within you.
Want more guided writing? Members have access to more guided writing via the members-only blog. Just one of the many perks of being a Blue Stone!