Swords!

The Swords are probably the most difficult suit of the tarot.  They represent conflict, strife, and often times devastation and grief.  There is also a great deal of beauty in the Swords.  They represent intelligence and deep wisdom, they represent the logic we can use to create structure and order in the world in order to manifest a society where we try to make things fair. 

King of Swords/Father of Air

The King of Swords is very much aligned with the Justice card.  This is a powerful figure that uses clear thinking, logic, and language to speak the truth.  He promotes positive change through intellectual power and authority and has the smarts to get the job done.  He’s capable of moving through intense mental processes and the ideas that form are transcendent.  This is global thinking, not local – these ideas are transforming the world.

Two of Swords/Two of Air

The Two of Swords is often about indecision or two choices where there is no clear “right” path to take.  However, more importantly it’s about willfully cutting ourselves off from emotions, as represented by the blindfold.  The sea behind the figure represents the sea of our subconscious.  The little rocks peeking through are like ideas bubbling to the surface of our subconscious.  However, the figure has her arms crossed over her heart chakra – representative of guarding herself emotionally in order to work to operate purely through logic.  While the blindfold is about intentionally being blind to a situation and how it impacts us emotionally, it can also represent that we can’t understand a problem and the possible solutions clearly.  She’s sitting on a bench, representing a pause in trying to resolve the situation.  Sometimes this pause is necessary in order to gain some perspective and clarity.  Finally, the blindfold can be a reflection of a time when either we try to ignore a problem, hoping it will go away, or a time when we don’t know all the facts.

Ace of Swords/One of Air

Can you believe we’re already talking about the suit of swords?!  Time flies when you’re blogging about tarot.

The Ace of Swords represents the nature of the sword suit more broadly, especially the double-edged nature of the suit.  The Ace of Swords represents the duality of an idea and you can almost see that in the way the sword in the card is split down the middle, with one side more shadowy and the other more clear.  The Ace of Swords is about the birth of an idea.  That idea can bring clarity, as expressed through the victory crown at the top of the sword, but it can also result in conflict, as seen in the dark clouds and tight grip of the hand holding the sword.  The card calls on us to work with new ideas and see where they take us, but reminds us not to grip those ideas too tightly.  If we become married to these ideas, we’ve seen how tightly held beliefs can lead to trouble in our own lives as well as in society at large.  This is expressed much more eloquently in Root Lock Radio’s Podcast, Episode 10 – The Suit of Swords.  By being flexible in our thinking, we have the potential for even greater discovery.  The Ace of Swords is like an “Aha” moment in our thinking, and is generally characterized as a period of great clarity and insight.  It’s up to us to use that power in the right way.

Knight of Cups/Brother of Water

The Knights are some of the most helpful cards in the deck.  When we have specific questions we’re asking the deck, the knights give us direction about where to go, how to get there and help us understand how to relate to particular situations.  The Knight of Cups is often romanticized as a messenger of love.  That’s selling him a bit short, however.  The Knight of Cups is more complex than simply a knight in shining armor.  His dual elements of air and water are a perfect balance of intellect and emotion – he’s touching enlightenment.  He’s got grace and beauty and often comes up when we’re feeling unbalanced.  He’s a reminder to be gentle with ourselves.