"A Bridge Between Feeling And Action..."

I find it weirdly apt that I could only find a handful of photos of Linda Jones, the late "Empress of Soul", on the internet. Her vocal expression probably rendered attempts to capture her essence in photography quite futile. When you can see sing like this, what in the world else could a picture possibly have to say?

This particular track is equal parts breathless patter and seismic vocal eruption. It's as though her emotional payload is so great that speaking becomes inadequate and the runoff is channeled into song -- sort of like a pressure-release valve. She sings like a woman possessed; her voice and even her body can barely constrain the force inside her. As opposed to Alice Clark, who "keeps it hid", Jones fearless broadcasts the feelings she's discovered, even the painful ones:


I've always preferred Shirley Bassey's version of "I Who Have Nothing", but I begrudgingly admit that Jones' is more emotionally authentic, without sacrificing any of the drama or vocal pyrotechnics. It's so tempting to imagine what else she would have wrought upon the world if she'd lived longer; Jones died of diabetes complications at the of 28, just as her star was rising -- and mere months after recording "Your Precious Love".

The Princess of Cups is an elusive figure in readings and in life. It's hard to know for sure who she is, but what she wants is unmistakable -- she broadcasts her feelings and desires with zero ambiguity. This Princess is a bridge between feeling and action; whereas the revelations experienced by the Queen of Cups serve to enhance her own wisdom and understanding, the Princess's discoveries have a far greater influence on others than on herself. She instinctively latches onto great truths and makes them evident to others in her words and deeds, perhaps without even realizing it. This makes her a valuable and inspiring lover, friend, or ambassador. She has yet to graduate to the sort of profound self-knowledge that will make her a true leader, but she knows all of that will come in time. Meanwhile, there is no one who faces greater challenges or attains sweeter bliss than someone whose dreams are constantly on the verge of coming true.

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Princess of Cups