The Lady of the Manor

Today's card is the Queen of Crosses. She stands in the doorway of what might be her home, greeting those who come to visit. Her guests are the rats and other wildlife that she protects and nurtures with her kindness. Due to the practical, earthy, and caring nature of this woman, I usually see her as my mum.

It is interesting that I chose the crosses to represent both Pentacles and earth in this deck, since in the book 'Set Me Free' by Victoria Frances, the illustration is accompanied by the following text - "After revealing his identity, he [Abel] showed Favole the Necross, an amulet that used to belong to Marquise, his mother. The young vampire revealed the power within this inheritance. With it, the Rumanian princess could make real her dream of seeing her beloved stone sculpture come to life. Now, in contact with it's new owner, it would open up paths for all the damned". Like the pentacle in tarot, the cross appears to bring physical life to the cracking wings of those turned to stone. Favole (or the Queen of Crosses, as she is here) wears it around her neck for all to see, as she administers warmth and care to those around her, returning them to the land of the living. Nobody or nothing is spared of her touch.

Like the Queen of Crosses, who is one to look after her money, I got down to my paperwork this morning, preparing invoices to be sent, but I think this queen represents somebody else for today. We had a viewing a few hours ago. A couple came with their four children to look around and I detected this queen in the mother - a tall Indian lady, who poked her head around my door, her hand delicately comforting the shoulder of one of her daughters. I can't imagine our house being big enough for a family of six, but today's card hints at this home-maker and her maternal soul. Did she see our house as a place where she can nurture her brood and give them a new life?

It's nice to be home. My parents have gone to see my aunt and uncle, so I have the place to myself. I seem to have pulled a muscle in my back which pangs with every move, so like the Lady of the Manor, I plan to rest on my bed for the remainder of the afternoon, until I go to my boyfriend's this evening. The craziness of my current social-life resumes on Friday, so up to then, I am endeavoring to be a homebody, so that I can recharge the energy lost from the previous long weekend.



Illustration from The Favole Tarot by Victoria Frances