Today’s card speaks to caring for the land and the people over oneself. A rather timely message. We can all do something if willing to make real changes.
Queen of Cups (Brittania)
Meaning: A woman with an Otherworldly air. She is creative with a wealth of artistic ability. A delicate, romantic beauty. A woman who is acutely sensitive to her environment. One who trust her intuitive sense and psychic abilities. A poetic person of vision and intelligence. A realistic woman of strength and integrity. Can represent love and a happy marriage.
On the flip side, this card can also represent a dreamer and a show-off. A shallow person with little conviction or honor. One who spouts nonsense and believes herself of superior intellect. Dishonesty and immorality.
The Story: The early Celtic people believed that the spirit of the land was personified by the Goddess Sovereignty, who bore the same name as the land she represented.
The physical appearance of the Goddess often reflected the landscape and its current state. In the winter months, she appeared as a dirty, weather-worn hag, with hair of lichen and arms and legs that resembled the bare limbs of trees. In the spring and summer she because a fertility, radiant beauty.
In many of the old tales, Sovereignty would first appear in her repulsive guise and test the would-be king. If she deemed him worthy of her, she would transform into her floral beauty of spring. The king’s first duty was to the land, and upon taking the crown, the king underwent a solemn ceremony in which he was bound in a sacred marriage to the land – a vow that the welfare of all depended upon. As the story of the Fisher King illustrates, if the king failed his responsibilities or was wounded, Sovereignty would transform into her loathly guise, the land would become barren, and all would suffer until the king was healed or replaced (most often the latter resolved the matter).
Britain continues the tradition of having a female figure personify the land (or more recently, the British Empire). Today, she is embodied in the image of Britannia, who is depicted with a helmet, shield, and trident.
Legend: The Arthurian Tarot by Anne-Marie Ferguson
Parting the Mists 
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