The Spiritual Meaning of the Queen of Wands Tarot Card

The Queen of Wands is generally depicted in the tarot as a beautiful woman, comfortable on her throne, holding a staff (or wand) and a sunflower. Lions adorn her throne and a black cat sits at her feet. This queen seems confident, independent, and intuitive, but what is the spiritual meaning of the Queen of Wands?

The Witch’s Card

The suit of wands is all about energy, power, gut feelings, intuition, and magic. In many decks, wands are either shown as branches with new growth coming out of them or torches lit on fire. In this case, the queen’s wand is an item of power and sovereignty. The Queen of Wands card is sometimes referred to as the Witch’s Card in the tarot.

Kings and queens of the tarot have gained mastery over their suit, generally after having gone through a long journey learning that suit’s lessons. Wands represent fire and passion, and the Queen of Wands has learned how to follow her intuition and listen to her heart while also attending to the practical needs of the world around her. She knows when to listen to her gut and intuition, when to take action, and when to pause and wait. She has earned her position by learning not to act before she thinks or think so much that she doesn’t act.

The Power of Cats

This queen’s lions are powerful, confident, wild, and also thoughtful. The lion is the “King of the Jungle.” The Queen of Wands’ cat is a domesticated version of the same: wild and tame, but still generally independent and sovereign over whatever home they happen to live in. Cats can cuddle and purr, but we must never fully forget the sharpness of their claws.

Cats, especially black cats, are symbols of the witch, partly because they have long been associated with the divine feminine energy of the goddess. Many witches need this catlike power to maintain the illusion of being domesticated while never forgetting their own magic and independence.

The lions on this card also remind us of the Strength tarot card. The Strength card usually depicts a young woman gently closing the mouth of a lion. The card represents power, but not the kind of fearsome brawn the lion might normally show to her enemies. This is more about using a gentle intuitive power to tame a set of toothy jaws.

Agency and Choice

The Queen of Wands holds the kind of magic that can bring forth the joy and beauty of a sunflower—and anything else she wants. When minor arcana cards like this one show up in a reading, we’re working less in the realm of fate and destiny and more in the realm of choice.

If the Queen of Wands shows up in your spread, you may want to ask yourself about your relationship with your own inner power. A witch is not so much a supernatural being as a person who loves nature and the seasons, who works to listen to their own intuition, and who sees magic in the everyday world. Witches understand that they have power and don’t let anyone tell them differently (even if they need, from time to time, to be a lion in cat’s clothing).

If you are struggling with a decision or which path to follow, this card may be reminding you to look at what you already know and what you already feel to be true in your heart and in your gut. There is encouragement here to listen to your inner voice.

Reversed: Losing Touch with Who You Are

If this card shows up in a reading reversed, it’s likely you’ve lost touch with who you are (or perhaps never knew it in the first place). You may need to go back to old practices or begin some new ones to call on the wisdom of the body and the natural world (and maybe your cat) to guide you.

Drop down out of the space of the mind and all its worries and thoughts and listen more deeply to that unknown in the darkness behind your eyes. You are that which (witch) you are looking for.

Explore the spiritual meaning of the High Priestess tarot card.