Symbolism & Imagery:
The Queen of Cups sits at the ocean’s shore. The blues of the water and the cloudless sky tie her to the subconscious mind. Her cloak itself is the pattern and color of rippled water showing us that she is comfortable with emotions, with unspoken thoughts. She is one with the depths of the subconscious mind as symbolized with all this water and the color blue.
Though the Queen of Cups is at the shore, her feet rest on pebbles of various colors, not in the water. This shows us that she is in touch with her emotions but not ruled by them. Many of the pebbles are green, showing that she is quite grounded and in touch with the element of earth. More greenery lines the cliffs behind her.
The Queen of Cups is unique because her cup is covered. This symbolizes where the emotions of the Queen are coming from. They do not come from her cup, they come from within her. She is in control.
The Queen sits on a throne engraved with small mermaids or sea nymphs, fish, and seashells. This ties her further with the depths of the ocean and therefore the depths of the subconscious and unconscious.
The cliffs and beach are yellow behind and beneath her, along with her cup and her crown. Yellow is a color tied to the air element, bringing in the Gemini side of her. Air as an element is associated with higher consciousness. This queen is heavily aligned with both the subconscious and higher consciousness of emotional intelligence and intuitiveness.