Queen of Spades in Cartomancy: Meaning and Combinations

About the card

The Queen of Spades is the female figure of the black suit of trials. In the nineteenth-century Paris portrait she is called Pallas, after Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. This name is a late attribution, which varies between publishers and has no bearing on the reading.

In the 32-card deck, she follows the king and precedes the page. In cartomancy she has long had a poor reputation: nineteenth-century manuals made her a severe, jealous or spiteful woman. Today’s readers more readily see in her a figure of independence and lucidity.

Traditional meaning

Traditionally, the Queen of Spades is a woman alone: single, separated or widowed (a word that often recurs in older books), of reserved temperament, sometimes critical or wary. She stands for a sharp mind, frank speech, a taste for independence, but also distance, resentment or a tendency to analyse everything.

These portraits should be read with care: they reflect the prejudices of their time about women who lived outside marital guardianship. A present-day reading sees instead someone who has learned to rely on themselves and who keeps their distance because they need to protect their space.

Nuances and divergences between authors

According to authors, the Queen of Spades is sometimes a rival or someone who judges harshly, sometimes a lucid friend whose remarks are accurate but sharp. Few agree on her precise age or status: “widow” is the most common tradition, but not the only one.

She can also stand for your own critical voice: the one that doubts, compares and demands a great deal of you. This reading has the advantage of saying nothing about another person. If a real woman comes to mind, avoid judging her on the strength of a card.

Day to day, at work, in love

• Daily life: a period of withdrawal, a need for calm, a biting remark that needs untangling.
• Work: a demanding colleague, a rigorous analyst, someone who keeps their distance but sees clearly.
• Love: an independent, cautious person who commits slowly; or a reserve you carry yourself.
• Yourself: your critical sense, your need for space and silence.

Common combinations

These leads are to be tested against your real situation, without turning them into predictions.

An example reading

Question: “Why do I find it hard to ask for help?” Spread: Queen of Spades – Seven of Spades – Queen of Hearts. Possible reading: a part of you that prefers to manage alone (Queen of Spades), small worries that pile up (Seven of Spades), and a welcoming person one could turn to (Queen of Hearts). You might take away: “dare to ask a trusted person”. The card predicts nothing: it sheds light on a pattern.

Kinship with tarot and Lenormand

The Queen of Swords in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot (1909) is shown in profile, sword raised, hand outstretched: a lucid sovereign who has known trial and speaks plainly. The kinship with the Queen of Spades is quite clear, even if the equation Spades = Swords remains a modern convention.

In Lenormand, following the convention of the 36-card deck, the Queen of Spades corresponds to The Bouquet (card 9), a sign of attention, courtesy and joy offered: a quite different register. For the suit as a whole, see Spades in cartomancy.

A reflection exercise

Note the three criticisms you most often make of yourself. For each one, ask: is it a fact, an expectation I inherited, or a fear? Draw the Queen of Spades and complete the sentence: “My lucidity serves me when… and weighs on me when…”. The exercise is not a judgement, only a way of sorting out what helps you and what holds you back.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Cartomancy with a standard deck of playing cards.