Queen of Cups

In the late 1880's, the body of a young woman was pulled out of the Seine. Ruled a suicide (jumping into the Seine was a common method among the broken-hearted), her unidentified body was given a pauper's burial-- but not before her beatific expression inspired the undertaker to cast a death-mask from her face. As years went by, copies of the mask began to circulate throughout bohemian Paris, and L'inconnue de la Seine became a famous icon of tragic romance, her face peering from the walls and souvenir shops all over Europe. Her mask inspired works by many artists, including Nabokov and Rilke-- many girls even modeled their appearance after her, moved by her mysterious beauty.

Does she look familiar to you yet? When toymaker Asmund Laerdal was commissioned to craft the dummy that would be used to teach CPR techniques, he modeled the face after L'inconnue de la Seine. "Resusci Anne", is still used in CPR training to this day; you've probably tried to rescue her yourself. Laerdal's design not only breathed new life into a beloved legend, it also ensured that this broken-hearted heroine would become the most kissed girl in the world.

The Queen of Cups is a similarly elusive, emotional figure. She may seem quite remote, perhaps even delusional, but approach her and you'll discover that her perception knows no boundaries. Adrift in dreams and visions, she rules by the unlikely power of her intuition, and is an obliging and devoted advisor. Her revelations may not be based on any reality that you recognize, but by allowing yourself to be drawn into an enchanting, primordial state, you may find that your mind and heart function more naturally when flooded by her otherworldly undercurrents. Like L'inconnue, her face will continue resurfacing from the dark waters of time and memory, beckoning and breathing secret messages of love and redemption when you least expect it.