The bathers, page 10, part III

Let’s discuss the arm positions.

All of the arm positions of the initiate before she meets the queen are backwards, in the same position as the initial image of the bound prisoner. The arm positions imply a lack of agency. Perhaps she is indeed a captive; but perhaps—as with most of us—it’s a self-induced captivity that results from her worldly nature. A psychological or spiritual captivity, that is.

She meets the queen, a woman with obvious authority conferred by the crown. The tress of her hair on the left side in front of her is clearly braided—perhaps a sign of vanity or constraint. The right side, however, rests behind her and flows free.