Reimagining the Queen Archetype
by Tabby Biddle
I lay down on the rocks at the edge of a river. A gentle caress of water streamed over my body. I felt relaxed and at peace as the water cascaded over me. Several women kneeled in the river around me. They were bathing me, purifying me in some way. I am not sure exactly why, but I kept relaxing into it anyway.
“Take the crown,” the women said to me in unison. “Take the crown.”
I felt myself tighten, resisting what they were asking of me.
“Take the crown,” they repeated.
Who are these women? Why do they want me to take a crown? What crown are they talking about? And why am I resisting?
I slowly left the scene and returned to the Los Angeles office of my beloved craniosacral practitioner, Dr. Maura Moynihan. The COVID pandemic was just breaking out in the United States. It was March 2020.
Since that appointment with Dr. Maura, like so many others with her that dropped me into worlds and timelines beyond this one, I have been on a journey seeking to understand the archetype of the Queen.
Truth be told, this has not been an easy journey. There have been many bumps on the road… especially when it comes to speaking about the Queen.
Who am I to be speaking about the Queen? Am I worthy of this? There is a brutal history of colonialism in the name of the Queen. Do I want to go there? Will I be misunderstood? There have been many Queens the world over throughout ancient and modern history, but I’m not a historian. Is it still okay to speak about the archetype of the Queen?
With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I felt I couldn’t hold back any longer. It was time to speak more transparently about my experience, especially since I’ve come to believe that the Queen archetype holds an important key to the expansion of women’s leadership, and the future of our world.
I want to first acknowledge that there are many of us who have a mixed relationship with the Queen – whether that be a real-life Queen like the late Queen Elizabeth II or the overarching archetype of the Queen, an archetype not connected to any one woman. As much as we may want the Queen to be all light, grace and majesty, history has shown us this not to be the case.
Take for example, while there has been an outpouring of love, sadness and grief over the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there has also been anger, rage and disdain over the long and brutal history of colonialism in the name of the Queen.
From South Africa, to Kenya, to Nigeria, to India, to Jamaica, the British Empire enslaved the people of those countries and enriched themselves in the process. This gut-wrenching legacy of violence and debilitating poverty cannot be separated from the monarchy and the Queen.
“Coming from a thrice-colonized country, the monarch has a very different meaning for me. And by extension, I sense, it is so, for many women of color who are going back to their origins, reclaiming their ancestral roots,” said Sonali Fiske in an interview with me in 2020 when I first started exploring the Queen archetype.
Sonali is a Sri Lankan-born leadership consultant based in Southern California amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous, Women of Color and the creator of BIWoC Revolutionary Voices Take the Mic.
Adding to our knowledge and experience of real-life Queens, are the Queens we’ve experienced throughout fairytales, fictional film and television. These Queens are often depicted as cruel, callous, vengeful, vindictive, cold, impatient and quick to enrage.
For some of this early imprinting, we can thank Lewis Carroll and his main antagonist in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Written in 1865, the fictional Queen of Hearts is an ill-tempered monarch who is quick to give death sentences for the slightest offense. She famously said the oft repeated: “Off with their heads.”
In 1951, the book was later turned into a Disney animated film, “Alice in Wonderland,” where the Queen of Hearts appears as the film’s main villain, decapitating anyone who annoys her.
The stories kids grow up on matter. Disney Studios, notably, has a long history of utilizing the evil queen archetype in their animated films. Think: The Evil Queen in “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs”; Maleficent in “Sleeping Beauty”; Ursula in “The Little Mermaid” (although she’s not a Queen, she attempts to dethrone the current monarch).
Since the Queen has been distorted and manipulated in modern culture and often depicted as wicked, evil, conniving, and most definitely “unlikeable,” many of us haven’t wanted to identify with her, and therefore, we have disconnected from the Queen archetype.
The problem with this is that the Queen is the embodiment and worldly expression of our power as women.
By disconnecting from the Queen archetype, we have disconnected from the full potential of our power. And with all that’s going on in the world, we cannot afford to be disconnected any longer.
There is more to the Queen archetype than the evil and conniving.
The Queen archetype represents power and authority in all women. In fact, it’s the only leadership position that is distinctly female. A president can be any gender. A prime minister can be any gender. A CEO can be any gender.
With that said, the Queen is an archetype of the Divine Feminine, which lives in all of us, whether we are a woman, man or non-binary. Therefore, the Queen archetype is available to all of us.
But due to living in a patriarchal society — whether a monarchy or a democracy — we may have had experiences that led us to believe our personal power is limited. Or we may have tried to embody traditionally masculine traits to be taken seriously or not be taken advantage of by anyone.
In patriarchy, there is a mindset that there is a limited amount of power. If I have more power, you have less power. Many call this a ‘Power Over’ mindset. This ‘Power Over’ dominator model is a real drain on our feminine system because it puts power outside of us and keeps us from accessing our own internal power – or even knowing that it’s available to us.
As a woman living in a power over system, we shrink, we lose our voice, we burn out, we get sick, we develop chronic health issues, we shut down, you name it. I have seen this happen to far too many women.
Since the Queen archetype is associated with personal power, it follows that her negative side, or Shadow side, would involve the misuse of power. It’s the Shadow Queen who operates in the ‘Power Over’ model. She is ego-driven, abusive, and operates from a fear of losing power.
But it doesn’t have to be this way anymore.
As a women’s leadership coach, I am dedicated to helping women take their place as leaders in this world — not tethered to the old ways of patriarchy, but in a new paradigm of feminine leadership. This paradigm doesn’t see power as a limited resource, and it doesn’t wield power over others. It sees power as unlimited and something that is innate within everyone and to be shared by all. A power within and power with mindset.
This leadership paradigm also distinctly encourages and supports others to get in touch with their power for the benefit of everyone, knowing that when one of us rises, we all rise.
I believe the Queen archetype has an important role to play in all of this.
The "Queen" I am talking about is not a colonial ‘Power Over’ type of Queen, but a reimagined Queen. A woman in her own sovereignty who is in service to the greater good of humanity and the well-being of our planet. She is a woman deeply connected to her internal power, her truth, her community, and social justice.
This Queen cares for the whole equally, not just parts. She is confident, unapologetic, empathetic, compassionate, powerful, vulnerable and resilient. She is also gracious, loving, fierce, capable and wise. She sees power as infinite – and is holding space for everyone to rise.
She holds the energy of Mother, Leader, and Goddess.
Queen Elizabeth II embodied many positive qualities of an Empowered Queen, including her steadfastness, loyalty, and devotion to service, not to mention her wit, grace, humor and charm. But she also operated in a monarchal ‘Power Over’ paradigm.
With Queen Elizabeth II gone now — many are asking: What’s next?
I believe we are being called to step into our sovereignty and take the crown within our own lives. It’s time to release distorted societal views and representations of the Queen and reclaim her for ourselves. As women, to come into our full power as leaders, I believe we need to reclaim our Queen from within.
“Redefining ‘Queen’ is sovereign and deep work,” I remember Sonali Fiske saying in our interview two years ago.
I agree. Since we women have had so much cultural messaging shoved down our throats about our “less than” and “less worthy” position in society, we may not immediately believe we are worthy of our own power and authority. This can take some time. This has definitely been one of my challenges.
It reminds me of the research done years ago by Hewlett Packard that showed that men apply for a job when they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, but women only apply if they meet 100 percent of them, and even then, they are still doubting themselves. This stuff is real. We have many years of cultural programming to unravel.
What I have learned on my journey of seeking to understand the Queen archetype is that she is here to help us claim our worth and establish our value from within. She is here to help us reclaim our self-authority and our sovereign throne.
If we continue to reserve this archetype for the select few (Serena Williams and Beyoncé come to mind), or disengage from this archetype within ourselves altogether, we will never access our full potential as leaders.
I have come to believe that every woman is a Queen or has one inside of her waiting to be awakened and expressed. The Queen is being called to rise within each woman to carve a new pathway forward where there is dignity, respect, peace and justice for all.
I believe that’s what those women by the river were trying to tell me. While I still have some resistance to fully embracing the Queen within me, I am dedicated to going on the journey. Will you join me?
Tabby Biddle is a writer, educator and women’s leadership coach dedicated to helping women find their voice and take their place as leaders in our world. She is a two-time United Nations Foundation Press Fellow, co-founder of 50 Women Can Change the World in Media & Entertainment, and the bestselling author of Find Your Voice: A Woman’s Call to Action. Learn more.