The Queen of Swords has always been a difficult card for me to deal with; in many ways she is my antithesis, head-leading rather than heart-leading. It’s not that I don’t engage in rational thought, but that my emotions are a constant simmering presence on the surface of my existence. However, there are times when her cool head is exactly what I need to keep myself on an even keel.

In order to settle my discomfort with this card, I chose the red-tailed hawk to represent it. The hawk has always been my symbol of the East and all intellectual considerations, and so it made a much better segue into working with the energy of the Queen of Swords. It’s not that hawks can’t be affectionate; rather, they possess great skills in being focused and hunt dispassionately. The goal is not to torture or coddle the prey, merely the practicality of eating and staying alive.

This is not, of course, a real hawk skull. It’s a rather nicely crafted resin replica. As with the other Court cards in the Swords suit, the jaw is detached from the skull to both show the card’s lower standing compared to the Major Arcana, and to symbolize this card’s suit.

This is the 70th assemblage completed; including the Happy Squirrel card, I have nine assemblages left–I bet I can get them done by the end of the year, too!