Known as the Pagan Thanksgiving, Mabon puts us into the third spiral of the year, the autumnal equinox. On this day the daytime hours equal the nighttime hours, and then we make our descent into the shorter days and longer nights of winter. Initiated by Libra Season, we can look to the Queen of Swords to aid us in finding some balance during this time of year. The swords suit allows us to acknowledge and recognize the dissonance that often goes between what the mind is telling us, the thinking mind, our thoughts, and what’s actually here. This Queen is one who can aid us in slicing through our own thoughts, and to getting underneath to the truth of the matter. She is, in fact, the Truthseeker of the tarot.
We have to deeply acknowledge those parts of us that we shy away from in order for us to grow and take those next steps forward in our lives. We must learn to cast off the old, to slough off pretense and guile. We do this without exaggerated zeal, without anger, and without wanting others to acknowledge you, as this is a time to come to terms with yourself. This can create a swirl of emotions, much centered in the din of our thinking. It also brings with it an acquaintance with sadness, depending on how deep one needs to immerse oneself in that whirlpool.
I myself have never been able to find out precisely what a feminist is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.
Rebecca West
The Queen of Swords is the embodiment of boundaries and the keeper of the sacred. Many people often confuse the point of boundaries. Setting boundaries around yourself in life is never meant to be a punishment for those around you, although some may treat it at such when they can no longer manipulate you in the ways that they used to. The whole point is to keep in the good, to be kind and aware of what you are exposing yourself to, to protect your own energy.
With sharp grace, the Queen of Swords holds the sword of spirit penetrating matter and thus informing it. What is important in life? What do I want to live for? “She has gazed within and knows that when she turns her eyes to a mirror, the reflection is exactly what it should be, and the light that shines within her soul blazes bright in the glass. (Shadowscapes Tarot)” In order to live from that place we must let go of the past and leave those cocooning shells. We must delve deep within in order to find our true selves, so we can then present that face to wear and show the world.
Mad love, Jenna
