Help interpreting a reading?

[Sobekemiti]

I'm not a greatly experienced Tarot reader, though I've been reading on and off for over a decade. Lately, I've been doing some practice readings for other people to work on my skills. But I need some help with this reading. The person I was reading for was feeling a bit aimless and wanted to know what direction she should go in. I did a Celtic Cross with Clive Barrett's Egyptian Tarot and drew the following cards:

1) XI Justice
2) XXI The World
3) 0 The Fool
4) 3 of Cups
5) Queen of Wands
6) V The Hierophant
7) 8 of Wands
4 of Swords
9) XIX The Sun
10) Prince of Wands

My thoughts on it was that she's at the end of one cycle and beginning a new cycle. She's going to enter a new period of perhaps spiritual development/growth, and that there's a lot of fire energy around that's affecting that. But the court cards have thrown me and I'm not sure how to fit them in, my intuition is failing me here, and the more card meanings I read, the more confused I get. Can anyone help me work out what this reading is saying? I want to make sure I can give her good advice.

Thanks in advance,
Arden Star

[Sharysa]

5) Queen of Wands
10) Prince of Wands

The Prince/Page represents a person akin to that hyperactive kid everyone knows--the one who's always running around and getting into trouble because s/he doesn't know what to do with all that energy. On the positive side, the page tend to be charismatic, optimistic and genuine in their enthusiasm. They just lack maturity and focus.

The Queen of Wands represents a person who's energetic as well, but unlike the Prince she can harness that energy and focus it towards her goals.

On my first instincts, the inclusion of Prince and Queen does indeed represent a maturation (going from immature/unfocused to mature/focused), but that also depends on what the cards mean in the spread. Could you elaborate on what the court cards stand for?

[Sobekemiti]

The Prince/Page represents a person akin to that hyperactive kid everyone knows--the one who's always running around and getting into trouble because s/he doesn't know what to do with all that energy. On the positive side, the page tend to be charismatic, optimistic and genuine in their enthusiasm. They just lack maturity and focus.

The Queen of Wands represents a person who's energetic as well, but unlike the Prince she can harness that energy and focus it towards her goals.

On my first instincts, the inclusion of Prince and Queen does indeed represent a maturation (going from immature/unfocused to mature/focused), but that also depends on what the cards mean in the spread. Could you elaborate on what the court cards stand for?

 
For the card positions in the spread itself, The Queen is representing the Recent Past, and Prince is the Outcome. As far as I can tell, it's a pretty typical Celtic Cross spread, with the present situation (1), immediate influences (2), near future (3), distant past (4), recent past (5), goals/aims/ideals (6), the subject's effect on the environment (7), environmental influences (, attitudes/feelings/emotions (9), and the final outcome (10). I should've included them in the original post; apologies for leaving them out.

For this deck in particular, the Queen is interpreted as 'adaptable, kind, generous and warm-hearted to her friends. Her intelligence and attractiveness make her popular and her friendship is eagerly sought. She is caring and sympathetic to the problems of others, but she may be irritated by opposition. She has a calm, practical mind, and in business matters she is usually successful. In the area of business, she is fully able to apply her feminine skills'. (p.78 of the guide book)

For the Prince, he is 'the possessor of both swiftness and strength. He appears to be indecisive, but this is caused by his ability to appreciate both sides of every argument. (Indeed, he often expresses opinions that he does not himself hold - it may be that he has very few deeply held beliefs.) He is therefore often slow to come to a decision. In an attempt to make his choices more quickly the Prince may give the impression of being impulsive and easily influenced, At heart he is noble and generous to those around him. He delights in the romantic aspects of history and tradition, he pursues these interests vigorously, perhaps at times to excess.' (p. 77 of the guide book.)

They're the interpretations from the book, which tends to see the Court cards as people, more than anything else. I know not everyone sees the Court cards this way, but that's how this deck uses them. Certainly I'd agree with immature > mature, if it was the other way around. That would've been less tricky to deal with. I'm just not sure how to interpret these two the way they are. I'm still certain the Hierophant is acting to temper the two, but that's about as far as I've got.

[Sharysa]

For the card positions in the spread itself, The Queen is representing the Recent Past, and Prince is the Outcome. As far as I can tell, it's a pretty typical Celtic Cross spread, with the present situation (1), immediate influences (2), near future (3), distant past (4), recent past (5), goals/aims/ideals (6), the subject's effect on the environment (7), environmental influences (, attitudes/feelings/emotions (9), and the final outcome (10). I should've included them in the original post; apologies for leaving them out.

No worries, but that DOES throw me off quite a lot.

For this deck in particular, the Queen is interpreted as 'adaptable, kind, generous and warm-hearted to her friends. Her intelligence and attractiveness make her popular and her friendship is eagerly sought. She is caring and sympathetic to the problems of others, but she may be irritated by opposition. She has a calm, practical mind, and in business matters she is usually successful. In the area of business, she is fully able to apply her feminine skills'. (p.78 of the guide book)

For the Prince, he is 'the possessor of both swiftness and strength. He appears to be indecisive, but this is caused by his ability to appreciate both sides of every argument. (Indeed, he often expresses opinions that he does not himself hold - it may be that he has very few deeply held beliefs.) He is therefore often slow to come to a decision. In an attempt to make his choices more quickly the Prince may give the impression of being impulsive and easily influenced, At heart he is noble and generous to those around him. He delights in the romantic aspects of history and tradition, he pursues these interests vigorously, perhaps at times to excess.' (p. 77 of the guide book.)

They're the interpretations from the book, which tends to see the Court cards as people, more than anything else. I know not everyone sees the Court cards this way, but that's how this deck uses them. Certainly I'd agree with immature > mature, if it was the other way around. That would've been less tricky to deal with. I'm just not sure how to interpret these two the way they are. I'm still certain the Hierophant is acting to temper the two, but that's about as far as I've got.

 
Ah, the meanings make it a lot clearer; maybe your friend wants to be someone like the Queen of Wands (popular and successful), but the Prince's excess energy and indecision means she's trying to please everyone instead. Or it could be warning her to avoid that outcome?

[Sobekemiti]

No worries, but that DOES throw me off quite a lot.

Yep, this is why I've been so confused by it. It's not like I've never had Court cards show up before in that position, but IDK, this one has just thrown me.
 

Ah, the meanings make it a lot clearer; maybe your friend wants to be someone like the Queen of Wands (popular and successful), but the Prince's excess energy and indecision means she's trying to please everyone instead. Or it could be warning her to avoid that outcome?

 
Hmm, maybe. I've been looking around the Aeclectic Tarot forums, too, and they've got a subforum for this particular deck. Going through what others have said about the cards and their meanings have helped me begin to piece this together.

I'm interpreting the Queen, based on what others have said about her, as some sort of drive for knowledge or a pursuit of a new career that will lead to success. That's making more sense in the context of the rest of the cards. The Hierophant as a signifier of education or further training that is needed for that success to be achieved, rather than some sort of spirituality or religion.

But perhaps the Queen is signifying someone in her life that's pushing her towards a more conventional career path and she's not sure she wants that? She could do it, but perhaps she's not sure it's what she really wants. The 8 of wands and the 4 of swords are clashing here, at least to me. There are external forces trying to temper the fiery energy she has and her tendency to stand up for herself. She may be fighting against that, against someone trying to impose 'something sensible' on her when she doesn't want it.

Does that make sense to you in the context of this reading?

[Sharysa]

But perhaps the Queen is signifying someone in her life that's pushing her towards a more conventional career path and she's not sure she wants that? She could do it, but perhaps she's not sure it's what she really wants. The 8 of wands and the 4 of swords are clashing here, at least to me. There are external forces trying to temper the fiery energy she has and her tendency to stand up for herself. She may be fighting against that, against someone trying to impose 'something sensible' on her when she doesn't want it.

Does that make sense to you in the context of this reading?

 
Definitely makes a lot more sense, but as always with such personal issues, you might need to ask her that.

[Sobekemiti]

Definitely makes a lot more sense, but as always with such personal issues, you might need to ask her that.

True, and it could be more of an internal pressure, too, rather than an external one. And going off the description of the Prince, he's more focussed will and mastery of all that passion and fire I've seen in the rest of the cards. Which makes a bit more sense to me as a final outcome.