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.

Queen of Swords/Mother of Air

The Queen of Swords is all about balance.  She’s the combined energy of the intuitive water and the logical air.  She’s the ultimate in logical thinking without letting her emotional side get in the way.  That’s not to say this queen is cold.  She is deeply loving – this is a universal love and a love for the greater good.  She is the ultimate in compassion and she manifests that love for all using her logical, structured, organized brain.

Knight of Swords/Brother of Air

There are times in life when it’s time to go FAST.  The Knight of Swords is the manifestation of the double air energy – it’s a deep, energetic focus on a goal without paying attention to anything else.  The tiny red heart on the horse’s bridle is an indication that this Knight wears his heart on his leave.  Like the other Knights, the Knight of Swords wears a suit of armor – this is an indication that it is a time to protect ourselves.  The horse is moving full speed ahead; this guy is all about action.  This knight is full of passion, full of ambition, and full of drive.  He is gallant and pure of heart, on a quest for a higher meaning.  His horse is white, indicating a purity that’s motivating this knight.  The butterflies adorning the horse are all about transformation – this is an important time.  Finally, the birds that adorn many of the sword cards are a reminder that this card and suit are a representation of high ideals and higher level thought.

Page of Swords/Sister of Air

The pages hold the energy of the suit they appear in, and the Page of Swords is no exception.  The Page of Swords is curiosity in its purest form.  He’s a young hero.  I think in an episode of Tarot for the Wild Soul, Lindsay Mack compares the Page of Swords to Aladin.  The Page of Swords brings together the grounding energy of the earth with the movement energy of the suit of swords.  This is communication and intellect in its purest form – this Page has a big heart and wants to use his mind and his voice to make a difference in the world.

X of Swords/Ten of Air

The 10 of Swords is characterized by defeat and misfortune, possibly a betrayal by another.  However, it’s also a death to an old way of thinking – a new perspective is arising.  Like the saying says, it’s darkest before the dawn.  Old ways of thinking no longer serve you – you’re rising above those old thought patterns now.

IX of Swords/Nine of Air

The Nine of Swords comes up when we haven’t learned the lessons of the Eight of Swords.  Our negative thinking and misconceptions about our situation has become worse, and as a result, we’re suffering from nightmares, anxiety, or depression.  The Nine of Swords is one of the scariest looking cards and speaks to the fear that creeps up on us at night.  The card is only one of a handful that have a black background.  The bed-frame depicts a duel where someone is being defeated by another, and the bedspread is covered with red roses and astrological signs.  There is a sense that the figure in the card is suffering some kind of loss, and that they may be blaming themselves for the loss.  The Nine of Swords, however, tells us that this loss was inevitable.  The loss would have happened one way or the other – it’s time to stop blaming yourself.

VIII of Swords/Eight of Air

The most important message of the Eight of Swords is that while situations can sometimes feel imprisoning, the figure has a way out.  The swords aren’t touching here, and her feet are free to move.  Take off the blindfold, babe!  Try to flip your perception and you’ll soon realize your prison is your own mental creation.  We have the power of personal choice to release ourselves from illusions.  The castle behind the figure is an indication that this negative thinking may be limiting us from achieving our goals.  Eights in the tarot are all about movement, or in this case, a lack of movement.  Now is not the time to jump into something headfirst.  If you have a decision to make, try to take your time.  That blindfold around the figure’s eyes is a good indication that we’re not seeing things clearly.

VII of Swords/Seven of Air

The Seven of Swords is a tricky card.  The card often comes up when we’re (consciously or not) trying to manipulate a situation in order to get what we want.  We can see this sneaky expression on the figure’s face as he’s trying to sneak out of the camp with arms full of swords.  While he may think he’s getting away with it – an indication of that bright yellow sky, in reality, there are some shadowy figures far off in the distance who see what he is up to.

VI of Swords/Six of Air

The Six of Swords is the ultimate in finally making the logical choice and ending a bad situation.  It’s painful and often we need to shut ourselves off from that emotional side in order to get in the boat and go.  One of the most beautiful aspects of this card is that the water on the right side of the boat is the more turbulent water, while the water where the figures are going is much more calm.  They’re moving from a present environment of agitation and strife toward one that is more calm and peaceful.  You can see by the way the woman’s head is covered and angled down that there is some sadness and grief associated with this decision, but it’s the only choice.