The Queen of Swords is about expertise. Sometimes people do a twelve-card reading for a new year considering one card per month, so if you want to look at these twelve cards in that way, the expertise could come near the end of next year after all that work. For me, I mostly think of it as a general theme for the year, along with all those other cards (which I will try to sum up in a neater way along with the final card/official card of the year tomorrow).
Personally, I have special feelings about owls, so I was happy to see this particular Queen of Swords from the Anima Mundi Tarot.
I think this owl would like to know what expertise you intend to rely on, or what new expertise you are pursuing yourself as you step into the coming year.