Queen of Cups: The Counselor / Martyr

hold up the mirror to reflect for another

Queens reflect the magic and power of their suit from within + Cups represent our emotional life and relationships

Deep diver of the inner realms, the compassionate and supportive confidante is always there with a sympathetic ear to listen to our woes and help guide us through them. Able to put their own feelings aside in favor of others, they possess an emotional maturity which allows others their own feelings. The unconscious is a mysterious place, obscured to us and often uninviting, but the Queen of Cups can reflect it back whether they mean to or not. It’s almost as if they’re a vessel, channeling water through their core with a natural affinity for the psyche and its shadows, dreamworld, visions, and attunement to the clairs.

They care for the feelings of others, and their natural emotional fluency is reflected outward not only in guiding us through our inner realm, but their compassionate nature advocates for those less fortunate. As empathic as they are empathetic, their sensitivity can be a benefit or a bane.

In resistance, they close off to their own feelings and become reactive and moody, fluctuating as widely as the tides. Similarly, they can be insensitive of others’ feelings, and their environment in general.

In excess, they rely on the love and affections of partner, family, and friends for their own self-worth, sometimes absorbing others’ emotions or values as their own in order to feel accepted, and sacrificing their own needs in service to others.

Questions we may be prompted to consider when this card appears include

• Do you explore your own emotional drives and triggers? What gets in the way of doing that?
• Where do you find yourself reacting rather than responding to others?
• Do you rely on the love of others for your self-worth?
• Are you sensitive to the needs of others, or is that something you could develop?
• Do you suppress your own feelings by focusing on those of others? How can you honor your own?
• Do you readily absorb the emotional experience of others like a sponge? How can you establish better shields?

What else? Court cards contain so many personas and aspects, and you may have other insights. Who is this queen in your life? What internal part takes on this role?