As we move into swords, we move into the air and winds around us. This is the realm of the mind and the intellect. The winds have the power to both clear and illuminate as well as cloud and confuse which we see unfolding in the path of the Swords. Swords connect us to our mental thoughts, patterns, habits, and attitudes about the world around us. The realm of the mental energy in the Swords is connected to ideas and how they manifest or are blocked in our path. Swords are also quite heavy and should be taken with some measure of care. They show up in a reading to get our attention. Imagine lifting a sword and the physical strength required to wield this heavy, sharp, metal object that is primarily a weapon. Knowing that this quality is symbolic of the mind helps us to understand how we can learn to wield our own mind with clarity and control rather than weakness and self-sabotage.
When we imagine swords, we may naturally think of them swinging through the air, indicative of their power and relation to the wind and air. They have the power to cut through, free, and open the way, and they also have the power to wound, cause pain, and create suffering. When we look at the cards in this suit, we see several negative cards, more than any other suit in the deck. The indication is that our own mind is often the crux of many issues within our life. Many of the cards in this suit are associated with symbols of darkness and blood. Figures may be shown confused, blindfolded, in despair, and under attack. The cards illustrate the power of the sword as well as the importance of addressing the mental issues that often underlie questions around career, money, love, and health.
Swords have a powerful connection to the acts of speaking and listening and will indicate when these are positive and useful in our lives, when they are absent, or at worst, when they are negative or demanding. At their best, swords encourage us that a new kind of approach to life is possible, or that it is time to move more into the realms of learning and sharing and seek out new teachers. They may indicate the arrival of an “a-ha” moment to help turn our path in a new kind of thought. On the negative side, swords indicate a time to cut through harmful or limiting habitual thought patterns that no longer serve us, the need to rise above negative speech or gossip, and a call for action to help us shift our perspective.
The element of air is connected to the winds and the winged ones, the ability to soar over and through problems. Birds have the capacity to fly high—think of the “bird’s eye perspective”—which the suit of swords encourages. The air can be cleansing or it can be turbulent, as in a wind storm. Finding our connection to the wind and the air helps to anchor our understanding with swords. We can connect to the air through the use of feathers.
Exercise: Finding Feathers
Feathers as a part of bird wisdom are symbols of air, wind, flight, and communication. Feathers and wings have been used for healing in countless cultures to evoke the energy of wind, breath, light, and clarity. Often associated with the air element and energy of the east, feathers bring a sense of fresh awareness and aliveness. Feathers are also everywhere! They are a gift from the winged creatures that fly throughout our day, offering song, sound, feathers, and the reminder to look up and connect with what is above us. We can set an intention to find feathers and may start to discover them in our path more. Take time to learn about which feathers you find, which birds they belong to, and their unique sounds and ways of communicating. Learning about the birds in the area, their habitat, and relation to the trees, we are able to connect more to our surrounding environment. This process naturally soothes and relaxes our nervous system, allowing our mind to quiet and awareness to center on the breath in the present moment. In quiet moments we can open up to deeper inspiration and guidance that brings us into alignment with our path. This is a helpful reminder when we are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious—states of being that are so prevalent in the swords of the minor arcana.
Ace of Swords: Clear Insight
Aces contain all of the teachings within them, and this one carries with it the full spectrum of the swords suit. Swords are connected to the element of air and our thoughts and mental patterns. They have the potential to clear the mind, to help us move forward with ideas and thoughts, and the possibility of wounding and obscuring. Within the Ace of Swords, the mastery of thought, ideas, creative discipline, and mental realms is possible.
In the Waite-Smith deck, a hand offers a shining silver sword pointing toward to the heavens. The sword bears a crown with green herbs symbolizing growth, vitality, strength, and vigor. The crown indicates a powerful insight, a crowning thought, so to speak, and certainty of direction. Here, the gray background symbolizes a steadfast awareness, solid like the landscape below the sword.
In the Crowley deck there is a vibrant green sword with crescent moon handles and a radiant crown. Behind the sword is the sun rising and illuminating sacred geometrical forms symbolizing the inspiring quality of guidance, a new idea that has the power to change and affect our path in a clear and dramatic way. Clouds clear, allowing for this new path to unfold.
When the Ace of Swords appears in a reading, it signifies that a new opportunity of learning and discovery is on the horizon. It may be going back to school, receiving spiritual teachings from a new teacher, or simply taking classes in something that you have been interested in for a while. The Ace of Swords may also indicate the time to teach, to pass on what you know, and an opportunity to share knowledge and wisdom will be presented to you.
The Ace of Swords often indicates a form of mastery of the intellect, of higher learning and discipline, a crucial aspect of working with the mind. Often, we are overwhelmed by our emotional states, the pain body, or life issues because our mind turns toward worry, concern, even despair and sadness. We may need to implement a positive mental practice to help move through the challenges in our lives. In Buddhist practice, the focus is on the mind; it is by changing the mind that we change everything around us. When we develop and cultivate lovingkindness, one-pointed focus, and concentration, we are able to balance our mind and approach life with right attitude. Committed, disciplined action can help heal an issue. In bringing our minds into alignment with our body and emotional selves, we can naturally create a mental shift that fosters an environment for deep healing.
Exercise: Cultivating Discipline
This works to help shift, let go of, or manifest something in your life—or a combination of all three. Choose something you wish to change, such as a negative relationship pattern, wanting to manifest more abundance in your life, or letting go of something that no longer serves you. Create an affirmation to use during this process. Affirmations keep our mind focused and engaged in positive thought instead of swirling off into negative thinking or wallowing. For example, if you wish to bring more abundance, love, or health into your life, you can use: “I am abundant,” “I am healthy and strong,” “I am love,” or “I am loving awareness.” If you are wishing to let go of something, be sure to turn the idea of letting go into a positive affirmation. For example, instead of saying, “I let go of my ex-boyfriend,” change this to “I am free and whole in myself,” or “I cleanse and heal my emotional body.”
Once you have decided on your affirmation, create a simple action that you will do every night to put it into a ceremonial context. If you are creating more abundance or love or light, you may wish to light a candle every evening while stating the affirmation. If you are letting go of something, do an artful practice such as folding paper cranes to encourage healing. Through the repeated action of this work, you will find yourself on a journey to unlock certain aspects of the mind and make changes. We have the power to change, release negative thoughts, and turn our minds back toward love and clarity. The Ace of Swords is the reminder that this change is always possible, even if the swords or the mind become heavy and troublesome.
Two of Swords: Temporary Peace
Moving from the Ace of Swords, an opportunity for learning and expanding our mental horizons, we shift from the all-encompassing power of the ace to the two. Twos are the moment of separation, when a dualistic view emerges. This card in particular offers the opportunity for mental reflection and deep listening, the clear recognition that a situation is no longer working and there is acceptance. Although one may not know the way forward, what is clear is that the current method no longer works. This card indicates it is time to approach things through a practical and logical method; emotional currents have run their course. Obstacles may still be evident, however, resting in the knowing of peace and understanding will have a long-term influence. The Two of Swords encourages a stable mind and a willingness to look at both sides of a situation.
In the Waite-Smith deck, a female figure is blindfolded and holds two swords crossed over her chest. She is protecting her heart and is unable to see; her perceptions are limited. Behind her stretches the waters of emotion, feeling, and intuition. The sky is clear and unobstructed, symbolizing the potential for inner insight and perhaps even an initiation into deeper wisdom from within. The figure’s ability to stay relaxed, yet also upright, while holding two heavy swords crossed indicates a unique quality of tension that rests in the balance of heaviness. Inner peace may arise amid conflict and tension, but only at the counterbalance between two opposing views.
In the Crowley deck, the word is “peace,” and this card indicates a momentary time of peaceful resolution. Two swords pierce a blue lotus, symbolizing the cutting awareness of conflict and the opportunity to see things from another point of view. Behind the swords, four pinwheels dance across a pale green and yellow background indicating the need to pause and feel into a fresh perspective—lightness and opening are possible.
In a reading, this card signifies that two parties have decided to temporarily halt a conflict or issue that has arisen. Listening and quiet reflection are more useful than fighting out a disagreement. However, this card does usually indicate that this peaceful resolve is temporary in the kind of way that two people gree to disagree. There is not usually a clear resolution in sight, only the opportunity to listen, reflect, and acknowledge one another.
Like the Hanged Man, this card may also indicate being at a crossroads and needing to make a decision about a relationship, job issue, health concern, or spiritual matter. Resting for a moment and allowing yourself to be in the crossroads can give time for an insight to occur that you may not have thought of.
Exercise: Partner Listening
This exercise is helpful to practice both processing and listening with others. The need to be heard and seen, and witnessed on our path is one of our most basic ones. When I read cards and offer sessions to clients, this card signifies the importance of creating and holding space for someone to allow their process to emerge. By acting as a witness while offering quiet guidance, it allows for someone’s own insights to occur. This practice requires trust that others involved are capable of carrying intuitive intelligence regarding their own life paths.
In this exercise, find time to create space to listen and process with a trusted friend, partner, or family member. If you are having a particular issue with someone, do this not with them but instead a neutral person who is not involved in the conflict or issue. Create a sacred space and altar with candles, flowers, and anything that symbolizes receptivity, such as a shell or bowl of water.
Then, simply take time to allow the other party to speak their heart freely. In this exercise, practice fully listening without comment or asking questions—just give them space to process whatever is on their mind. You may wish to use a prompt to start such as, “What is bothering you today?” or “What are your concerns and worries about [a situation]?” or “How do you feel about ___________?” After asking the question, establish eye contact and allow them space to explore verbally any response that emerges. Though you are simply listening, this is a kind of active listening in which you are not giving advice or opinion or waiting for the person to finish so you can add your own thoughts. With this type of listening, you are instead allowing the person to open and process their thoughts and feelings, giving them the chance to be full in who they are. When they are finished, you can provide reflections by repeating back what you heard and allowing for them to express anything left unfinished. Then, simply change places.
When finished, notice any reflections that have come up, emotions that surfaced during the process, and the underlying awareness often hidden under conscious thoughts and problems. Perhaps take a moment to write down any reflections. Thank each other for holding the container for listening and processing and close the space.
Three of Swords: The Terrain of Grief
The peacefulness of the Two of Swords is not lasting. Moving into the Three of Swords we find a disruption in the quiet, one that is painful and heartbreaking. One of the most difficult cards of the tarot, the Three of Swords is a time of intense sorrow, pain, loss, or fear. Because it is a swords card, the situation at hand often creates a sense of mental anguish and worry—even if the situation itself is not terrible, the mind certainly processes it as terrible, which in turn dramatically affects the emotional body.
In the Waite-Smith deck, we see a large heart pierced by three swords. The background shows gray clouds and streaks of rain. The tone is somber, and there is little light in the picture. The heaviness of the clouds indicates that there is no light at the moment; the only way to get past the pain is to go through it.
In the Crowley deck we see three swords piercing the heart of a white lotus, the petals falling away like tears. Two of the swords are curved, symbolizing a distortion in the mind that can cause anguish and pain. The swords are surrounded by rippling layers of gray and blue clouds, indications of turbulence, obstacles, and a very difficult process.
When this card appears in a reading, it often indicates sorrow, trouble, or a predicament between three people. Someone may be cheating on someone else, falling in love with someone else, or there is pain between three family members. It could also signify a conflict at work with other employees or an experience of loss in a relationship. This card indicates the importance of paying attention to the conflict and trouble in your life so that you can begin to walk through the pain toward healing.
Reframing a Personal Story
As explored in other sections in this book, I was profoundly affected by the loss of my baby daughter many years ago. When I was pregnant with my first baby girl, Rubybleu, her father and I decided to pull one tarot card on her imminent birth. He pulled the Three of Swords. Disturbed, I reshuffled and pulled a card myself. Again, it was the Three of Swords! A few months later I gave birth to a seemingly healthy girl who then died few days later for unknown reasons. As I found myself recovering from the shock of losing a baby, I was numb and hollow as the image of three swords filled my mind. This was one of the worst possible case scenarios one could encounter, and it reaffirmed my understanding of the depths of sorrow carried by the Three of Swords.
The year that followed was a long heavy walk of pain and suffering. Three souls, forever interconnected—my baby daughter, her father, and myself— taught me the pain of loss. As I grieved, I also received many gifts in the form of teachings around birth, death, karma, loss, and beauty. My daughter taught me all of these things and continues to do so year after year. One of the most powerful lessons of learning about what I call the “Terrain of Grief” is to reflect on a painful time in your life and reframe it as a powerful initiation or teaching. This activity helps us make sense of things that seem hopeless, painful, or confusing, and it empowers us to see our life as a mythic journey.
Similar to viewing the Fool on an unfolding path through the archetypes of the major arcana, we can also choose to see a difficult time as a teaching on our journey. You may also wish to use the Hanged Man layout, which helps us to reframe a traumatic event as an initiation. Choose a particular painful time in your life and set the intention to understand the process from the perspective of the soul or higher self. Create a sacred space on your altar with candles, a bowl of water, and flowers. Light incense to honor the air element and call on your guides to help you track back to a painful memory in your past. Set the intention to view this from a healed and whole place. Visualize a clear blue and gold light moving back toward the painful memory and sending healing. Then track back to the time and view the issue or memory as if you were simply an observer. Allow any feelings or observations to arise. Be open to receiving insights from this time in your life.
When you are finished, send healing light again to your past self and acknowledge you are learning on your path. Bring your awareness back into the present moment, and write down anything that feels important about this process. Close the space and honor the helpers.
Four of Swords: Momentary Rest
The challenges and conflict presented by the Three of Swords is followed by the temporary rest and peacefulness of the Four of Swords. Four indicates the ground, rest, and stability; however, similar to the Two of Swords, this card indicates a passing or temporary rest. This card may be also an impasse, knowing that further force or push will only aggravate the situation and it is best to pause and take a moment to reflect, rest, and even retreat.
In the Waite-Smith imagery, we see a figure lying in repose on a long flat board or concrete panel. Below him lays one sword parallel, suggesting the quality of being at rest. Three swords hang above him against a gray backdrop of solemnity and quiet. Pictured in the stained glass window we see a figure on his knees. Perhaps he is asking for forgiveness from a priest or teacher as well as receiving a blessing from Christ. This is a gesture of humility, the quality needed to listen to our inner divine wisdom, our own higher self who is consistently guiding us.
The Crowley deck shows four swords pointed inward resting in the center of a thousand-petal lotus. Behind the lotus is a soothing peaceful green color; the word is Truce. This indicates a quality of rest and peacefulness.
This card can indicate not just rest and retreat but also the need to create a contract or the appearance of a peace contract, negotiation, or pact to give a sense of balance and harmony in a situation. When we don’t know how to solve a problem, coming up with guidelines to follow that feel right and correct can help to lay a foundation for moving forward, step by step. For example, if we wish to make a change in our workplace and are having conflicts with our boss, we can choose to take a pause from reacting, gossiping, and complaining and instead take a step back. We can find our center and make a time to meet with our boss and speak our truth about what is bothering us. We can seek alternative solutions and approaches to a situation. Resting in the unknown and allowing the reactive energy to pass often gives the space and time needed to come up with creative solutions that are born out of insight and awareness instead of urgency and anger.
Meditation: Resting in the Breath
So often, we strive to resolve things from a place of urgency, fear, and concern that is not necessarily patient or wise. The Four of Swords encourages us to slow down and take a breath before acting on something or reacting to something. Swords are connected to air which is the breath that moves through our body. By tuning into our breath, we are able to slow down our awareness and rest in our natural state.
During this meditation it is helpful to burn incense, spray an essential oil blend, or inhale a soothing oil from the bottle. This way of connecting to our sense of smell helps relax our mind state and tune in even more distinctly with our breath and the air element of the swords.
Sit in a meditative posture either in a quiet space in your home or outside in a natural environment. You may sit in a chair with feet resting flat on the floor, or sitting cross-legged in the lotus or half-lotus positions. Focus on the breath for a few moments. Bring your attention to the outflow and inflow of the breath through the nostrils. Notice the gap between the air flowing out and the air coming in. Acknowledge that peaceful, restful quality, that stopgap between. Throughout your day, see if you can find that stopgap between activities, thoughts, and exchanges with people in your life. There is always an opportunity to stop, drop, and rest, so to speak, and remind yourself of the inner peace that dwells within. You can do this even if you don’t feel peaceful all the time!
Five of Swords: Internal Strife
The Five of Swords evokes a sense of tension, strife, and disappointment. With this card, we may feel a tearing at our heart. Although it is similar to other fives such as the cups and disks, this loss is primarily in our mind and we feel plagued with doubts, discomfort, fears of the future, and dread. The source of this pain is usually a past trauma or sorrow that is unresolved and likely has no bearing on our current situation beyond the mental drain that thoughts can cause.
The energy of the Five of Swords often appears in relationships that cause us suffering and haven’t yet been resolved. We may find ourselves in continued conflict with family members, exes, or coworkers. In these situations, we have to contend with being triggered into doubt, anger, fear, and sadness. Although it is difficult, this is actually an opportunity to work with those more troublesome emotions and gives us a chance to practice forgiveness. In traditional Buddhist practice, we welcome our enemies or the ones who make our lives difficult because without them, we would not be able to work toward becoming more compassionate. It takes effort to move back toward a place of gratitude and kindness, and work on taking the high road rather than sink into the defeating mental storms. This card may also indicate a need to set clearer boundaries particularly with toxic people or people who carry toxic emotions that influence us in negative ways. Forgiveness may not always be possible or feasible in certain situations, and the anger that one feels may be a good way to clear the path and move forward without getting dragged down. In this way, peace may not be an option. In any kind of conflict where there seems to be no resolution or peaceful end in sight, we find ourselves confronted with the lessons of the Five of Swords.
In the Waite-Smith deck we see several figures who are in displacement from one another, symbolizing a lack of harmony. Sharp gray clouds indicate confusion and hint at the possibility of a storm. One figure holds the power of the swords upright, but two have fallen to the ground. The figure looks back over his shoulder in concern about the other figures who appear to be lost and unhappy. This figure is either overly concerned with how these others think and feel, or he is fearful and distrustful of their intent … or both.
In the Crowley deck, five swords bleed with pain and misery. The quality of the card is dark and indicates defeat and an inability to move forward. The energy tears at the heart which causes bleeding yet also invites us to open further toward the possibility of healing. As we know, it is often darkest before the dawn. Pulling other cards to assist in ways to move through the heavy clouded energy of the Five of Swords can help to navigate this troublesome time.
This card may indicate disappointing news, particularly about something we were hopeful for. We may experience a loss in communication with friends or loved ones. We may have found out we lost a job, a chance to share our gifts, or we have realized that an idea or plan is not going to work out after all. Although this can be painful, this is usually a passing occurrence unless accompanied by a stronger card of loss such as the Three of Swords or the Tower. If accompanied by the Star or Sun, this loss may turn out to be something in our favor after all.
Ceremony: Purification
Swords represent the mental realm, and the heaviness of this card is connected to doubts and insecurities that we burden ourselves with in our mind. Negative thoughts have a powerful influence on us and can become stories that bring our emotions down, eventually resulting in disease in the body.
To help clear some of these doubts, use smoke to clear and heal your energetic space. Gather or purchase a bundle of sacred herbs or wood that are gathered in an appropriate and eco-sensitive way.
Use the smoke to cleanse around your body and also your space, in your room, and the house. Start in the eastern corner of the house and make your way around each room, filling up the space with smoke. Smoke of sacred plants clears away negative energy in the home, including unwanted entities and negative thoughts that become energetic patterns in space and around objects. If you are sensitive to smoke, use a spray bottle with purified water and essential oil such as lavender, lemon, or rosemary.
After clearing and cleansing your space, sweeten it by either burning sweetgrass or setting out fresh flowers in a bowl of water. This attracts the sweet energy in life and helps to affirm a more positive outlook in mind and body. We need continual resets in our lives to realign ourselves with the beauty, magic, gratitude, and love that flows through the life experience.
Six of Swords: Crossing Over
After the heaviness of the Five of Swords clears away, the restoration of harmony appears in the Six of Swords. This may come from an outer change that appears, such as in travel, or in a new inner way of the turning of perspective and outlook. This card also encourages taking a retreat, getting away, or setting aside some personal time.
In the Waite-Smith deck we see a literal crossing over water on a small boat. Two figures are hunched behind the steadiness of planted swords. They carry their ideas with them, yet the movement across water suggests a change is coming. This may indicate travel across water or encourage the questioner to take a trip over or near water, be it across the ocean or a visit to a river, lake, or stream. The interdependent relationship between water and air is relevant here. In the Five of Swords, we touched on the connection between mind and emotions in clearing our mental patterns and shifting our negative emotions. In this card, the emotional aspect of water is soothing to the mind.
In the Crowley deck, this card shows six swords coming together at a point centered on a rose in the middle of a cross. This evokes a dialogue between the parts of us based in faith and reason. On the one hand, our logical mind needs evidence, certainty, and assurance; on the other hand, our heart seeks mystery, divine connection, and the touch of the beloved. The Six of Swords invites us to dance with these two aspects of ourselves and recognize how we need both to feel fulfilled. These are the qualities of wisdom and compassion, the knowledge that it’s useful to be of service and feel compassion for those we choose to serve.
This card may also indicate travel or the need to take a journey either by air or over water (or both). The movement of passage is present here; even if the journey is not a physical one, it can indicate a journey into a different aspect of ourselves, in our minds and hearts. When this card appears, it indicates a time of looking and reflecting on those parts of us within that are having the connection between faith and reason. We may be moving away from one or the other and toward its opposite to find more balance in our lives. For example, if we have been doing a lot of faith-based practices of devotion to a spiritual teaching or teacher, we may find we need to follow more intellectual pursuits for a while and learn more practical things, or vice versa.
Ceremony: Crossing a Bridge
In this simple ceremony we bring the idea of crossing over into actual form. First, find a bridge to cross over! This can be anything from a road bridge that is also walkable, a rope bridge over a river, a small bridge in a park, or even a homemade bridge in your backyard. Once you find a good bridge to cross over, set an intention of what it is you are leaving behind. Gather flowers to drop into the water or land as you cross over, dropping the petals to symbolize clearing the way and being willing to move from one phase of your life and into another.
When you arrive on the other side of the bridge, close your eyes and feel gratitude for having made it across this bridge, for the courage to leave behind something and enter something new. Ask your guides or intuitive self to show you a physical move you can do that embodies this new self, such as a dance move, spinning around, jumping up and down—anything to symbolize you have left behind the old and moved into the new.
Seven of Swords: Futile Efforts
After crossing over our bridges in the Six of Swords, we enter the Seven of Swords, a time of surrender and release. In the sword progression, we are not charging forward, but instead continuing to reflect and let go of that which no longer serves us. We may be so deeply in the process of letting go here that things may seem futile and like they are not working. In some ways, this card is a necessary dead end, where the trail disappears into a field of unruly grass. We must decide if we want to carry forward or choose a new way.
In the Waite-Smith deck, we see a figure sneaking away with two swords, leaving five behind. This card often indicates a kind of betrayal or not facing something directly and avoiding responsibility. The thief thinks they are getting away with something, but perhaps the soldiers in the background see what’s going on and are ready to call out the thief.
In the Crowley deck, seven swords hang without purpose and are listless against a pale blue background. The card’s word, “futile,” indicates that any action will not serve the situation and it is instead best to wait until the situation is more favorable. This color is also associated with communication and an effort to listen more closely to your true self, rather than any doubts or inhibitions that can cloud the mind.
When this card appears, it reminds us to take a step back and reappraise our situation. Are we being betrayed or betraying someone else in some way, either obviously or on a more subtle level? Are we betraying ourselves? This card is difficult yet giving us the opportunity to reexamine a situation such as an investment, relationship, job, or health decision. The Seven of Swords may also indicate trickery, deception, or untrustworthiness. Your coworker, partner, family member, or teacher may not be completely honest with you about something. This card would advise waiting before making or committing to any large decisions, particularly involving money or relationships.
Exercise: Free Write
Free writes are a way to express ourselves without limitations. Set a time such as five to ten minutes and write without interruption, allowing words to flow out of you. We begin a free write with a prompt to bring our mind and awareness into one direction. For this one, we use the prompt: I have betrayed myself when … Allow yourself to respond to the prompt without thinking about what you are writing. Let the words flow forth to give a voice to anything that might be stuck or undeveloped. When you are finished, look back over your writing and see if anything surprises you. Are there some insights about what you have experienced? Perhaps it will be helpful to do a purification ceremony or grounding exercise to honor your energy when you are finished.
Eight of Swords: Psychic Obstacles
As we move from the doubts and standstill that is the Seven of Swords, we enter a series characterized by heavy, mental darkness—the Eight, Nine, and Ten of Swords. This next series of cards are some of the toughest aspects of our human condition and also indicate the incredible vulnerability that arises on our journey in these small bodies with the capacity for infinite expression.
The Eight of Swords indicates a time of confusion, doubts, worries, and fear. The swords remind us that these are all in our mind and we are producing our own mental state. On some level, we have a choice, whether to stay in our stormy and troublesome thoughts or do the work to shift out of this thinking into a more neutral and loving awareness. This takes practice and discipline! Over and over again we are given the opportunity to work through these storms and, as the great Vipassana teacher Goenka remarks, over and over we must “start again.” And yet, at times this shift or a sense of choice around thought doesn’t always work. When we have been deeply affected by trauma, suffer mental distress, or have mental anxieties that can’t be worked out simply, we may need to ask for help. Seeking the advice of a well-trained therapist, counselor, healer, or support network is a way to help assuage some of the issues that may be plaguing our minds.
In the Waite-Smith deck, we see a female figure blindfolded. Her arms are bound up around her chest, abdomen, and hips. She is standing in stagnant water, the swords thrust into the earth around her like a wall. The gray background behind the figure indicates a heaviness and lackluster ability to receive fresh insight. This card indicates the loss of our usual ways to move forward; we must rely instead on intuition. This is very difficult when we are plagued by our own doubts and insecurities, to know when and how to trust our inner voice. With this card, it can be helpful to pull another to clarify what will assist us in moving forward.
In the Crowley deck, we see a variety of sword styles, shapes, and sizes in a heavy display behind two solid, long, straight swords. These indicate the multilayered qualities of our anxious mindset that can cause disruption and interference. The two long swords are a heavy overlay preventing us from fully accessing our path forward and showing us that we may need to resolve issues of anxiety, doubt, fear, and identity before moving forward.
Behind the swords we see a shattering of red lines against a purple background. This symbolizes the mental anxiety that can be shifted and moved, particularly if we find a way to tune into our intuitive self. It is important to remember that so often our fears and anxieties are not real but mental distractions we churn up inside of ourselves. Taking time to meditate daily can help to alleviate this greatly. Spend at least five minutes a day concentrating on your breath every morning and evening. Even if you are filled with thoughts, meditation will help to settle yourself and bring more peace and mindfulness into your life over time.
Ceremony: Identity Release
The identity ceremony is a way to become aware of the ways our own identities obstruct or block us from moving forward in our lives. Often, we hold onto old identities, outmoded views of ourselves and others which can prevent us from growing in new directions in our lives. A good time to do this ceremony is during the new moon when the dark night reminds of us shedding away the old to make room for the new.
For this ceremony, you will need paper, a pen, a pair of scissors, several small sticks or toothpicks, a fire either outside or a candle inside, and incense or smudge stick/spray. Create an altar to honor the wind, air, and breath including, for example, yellow candles, feathers, images of birds, knives, and smoke makers. These help to remind us of the mutable and changing nature of the air which governs the mental states in the tarot. Light your yellow candle and the incense, bundle, or stick and invoke the element of air. Honor the spiraling and drifting quality of the smoke. Take a few moments to watch and follow your breath and feel gratitude for the breath that moves through you.
Write down all your identities onto your piece of paper. This might include: mother, daughter, boyfriend, uncle, teacher, caregiver, writer, artist, chef, and so on. Think of all the roles you play for others as well as yourself, roles you wish to let go of and roles you wish to keep. The idea is to clear away identity as a construct and give yourself permission to reset who you are. You may wish to burn your gender, sexual orientation, race, and religion—even if you still identify with these roles, this ritual gives you an opportunity to recognize yourself as pure spirit.
After writing these all down, cut them out, one by one. Scissors, like swords, have the ability to cut and define, to create new shapes out of something old. Cut out each identity and wrap each one around a stick or toothpick. After you have cut and wrapped them, place them all together in front of you. Place your hands over them, acknowledging how these identities have served you and that you will now be letting them go. When you feel ready, burn them in your fire or candle, one at a time, honoring the embodiment of release. After you have finished and the fire ends, collect the ash and spread it onto the earth as a witness to your release.
Nine of Swords: Dark Night of the Soul
This card is one of the hardest cards in the deck, indicating a shadowy heaviness of the mind and heart. Following the Eight of Swords, we descend into the depths of rejection, pain, abandonment, and cruelty. This card may be directly linked to an actual breakup, divorce, loss, or accident in one’s life either currently or in the past. Oftentimes, traumatic patterns are buried within us, and something may trigger them to come to light for further healing. At these times we may be flooded with suppressed memories which force us to look at and face the shadowy depths of our being. It is a time of crisis and change.
Although we may have a negative reaction when this card appears, it may actually be a blessing in disguise. The Nine of Swords is the dark night of the soul and a powerful reminder that crisis can also be the catalyst for deep healing. This is connected to states of grieving, loss, and sorrow that are often neglected in our culture. When we don’t allow these emotions to move through us fully, we stagnate in anger, frustration, and inner turmoil. Burying our painful emotions results in addiction, depression, anxiety, and even psychosis. When this card appears, we have no choice but to do that inward shadow work that we may have been avoiding.
In the Waite-Smith deck, we see an figure sitting in bed, his face buried in his hands, sobbing. Behind him hangs nine swords in straight lines against a black background. This indicates heaviness, immobility, and the push of darkness down on our mind, heart, and soul. The dark night of the soul weighs down and we must look inward for guidance. Often in these moments we call out to the divine, as well as trusted friends, support network or counselor to assist us.
In the Crowley deck, nine swords hang suspended in air, dripping with blood. The word “cruelty” is used to describe this card, indicating the intense pain of the situation. Pain contracts and pulls in and requires us to pay attention to it. If we ignore pain, we only make the issue worse. The imagery of the blood as well as shattered shapes behind the swords reminds us of the necessary breaking through illusion and denial.
Exercise: Healing Through Time
In my healing work I practice sending Reiki or energy healing across time and space. Although our human experience is usually perceived as linear, we know through quantum physics that often time moves in more than one direction. In energy healing work, we have the capacity to send our own current power, love, and wisdom back to a time that still needs to be healed. This can be a personal moment, a fight with a loved one, or to a time when we wish we had acted or said something differently. By sending out this energy to the past, we are asking for forgiveness of self and others. We release the burden of anger, sorrow, pain, and regret in this way and are able to move on with more grace and love.
In animist practices, we use soul retrieval to bring back pieces of our soul essence that have fragmented during trauma. In the animist view, a part of us may disassociate during intense pain, accident, violence, or abuse in order to protect our psyche and allow the soul to continue until it is ready to integrate that piece back into its journey once again. This practice could be thought of as a way to set the ground for eventual soul retrieval, which can occasionally happen through spontaneous healing but often needs the help of an experienced healer, shamanic practitioner, or therapist to coax this piece back into us.
For this practice, choose a time when you felt the weight of your own pain, fear, or sorrow and wish to heal. Sit in a comfortable, meditative posture and light a candle and/or incense to set the space for healing. Close your eyes and visualize the time you are wanting to heal. First, send golden light as a compassionate energetic bond between yourself now and then. Take a few moments to view yourself with disengaged compassion from that time. Ask if there are any messages from your old self that you need to hear. Listen and then give your past self love and guidance along with more golden light. Do this for a few more minutes, as long as it feels comfortable. When you feel finished, thank your past self and honor the wisdom and love that has moved through you. Close the session with a prayer of gratitude and recognition for the healing work you have done.
Ten of Swords: Hitting Rock Bottom
After facing the pain and troubles of the Nine of Swords, we finally reach rock bottom on our journey of hardship, mental anguish, anxiety, and suffering. In yet another difficult card, we find ourselves continuing into the darker aspects of human troubles; however, this card does offer a glimmer of hope. At this point, with the number ten ending the cycle of swords, we have nowhere to go but up. This is a card of utter loss and heartbreak so shattering that we are complete in our ego dissolution. Although incredibly challenging to navigate, the treasures that are offered up from going through this process only make the human experience richer.
In the Waite-Smith deck, we see a figure lying face down, at the lowest possible point of despair and anguish. Ten swords pierce the back down the spine, literally pinning the person to the ground. This indicates immobility and inability to move forward. When this card appears, we know that change is inevitable and can either be embraced or resisted. The manner in which we react to our life situation will affect how we walk through this intense and powerful change in our life. This card indicates a time of crisis, chaos, heartbreak, as well as opportunity. We are being forced or encouraged to let go of old ways, relationships, patterns, ways of making money, where we live.
In the Crowley deck, we see ten swords pointed inward toward one another piercing a central heart. Behind the swords is an orange and yellow background, the color of healing, vitality, passion, and energy. Along with the fractal movement of shapes, this reminds us that with the intense process of despair and pain comes the shattering of illusion and the power of spiritual breakthrough. This card may indicate a time of incredible breakthroughs, creative inspiration, and the return of vital life energy amidst intense changes and disruptions. Although seemingly problematic, it may signify clearing the old so dramatically to make room for a new and vivid aspect of love, work, money, or health.
The Ten of Swords is a powerful and unrelenting initiation, a transformation from one way of being into a completely new way. This card indicates a definitive ending and dissolution, a kind of painful death in which there is a certain letting go, sorrow, and ending. In a reading, this card will often indicate a breakup, end of community or a friend group, being fired from a job or project, or potentially even disastrous news about health or a loved one. Although this card indicates breaking up or apart, it also brings the potential of a breakthrough and may signify a profound new insight, a sudden and unexpected solution to a problem, or the appearance of help from an unlikely source. Often this card indicates a time that we recognize that darkness is part of our life, whether we like it or not, and trouble, obstacles, and difficulties are a part of the path, things we cannot fully escape in the human journey.
Exercise: Shadow Journey
When we think of shadows, it is helpful to remember that they are produced by light. The form and shape of the shadow is reflective of whatever form or shape we happen to embody, physically as well as emotionally and mentally. With this ceremony we delve into our shadow to recover and reclaim the darkness as a teacher for us. We honor our shadows and that which has been difficult in our life; not to suppress or get rid of the trauma, pain, or shadow, but instead learn to walk with the darkness. Often that which is the darkest in our life is our most potent gift.
For this practice, we journey into our dreamtime garden sanctuary that we established in the Empress card. This time we visit the dreamtime to set the intention to visit with our shadow in a safe place and then rest in a healing waters place within our sanctuary. We can also ask to receive guidance from a compassionate spirit helper. Many ancient myths tell the story of a journey to the underworld to pass through an initiatory experience and receive wisdom and guidance. Similarly, this is a practice to enter another part of our psyche and be open to facing our shadow and then honoring the truth and wisdom that our shadow carries. By setting the intention to meet the shadow in a safe place, you have the opportunity to understand and potentially transform deeper unhealthy patterns or painful issues.
It is helpful to either record the visualization and/or use a rhythmic drum beat or binaural beats to establish a relaxed brain pattern. You may want to lay down or sit in a relaxed upright position to do this practice, using headphones for the sound or voice. Set your intention to visit your personal garden sanctuary and meet your spirit helper, who will take you to your shadow and then to a healing waters place. Imagine you are walking down a set of ten steps, counting down from ten to one. At the bottom of the steps is a doorway. Pass through the door into your healing garden sanctuary.
Enter your healing sanctuary and find a healing water such as a river, stream, lake, or ocean. Visualize collecting some of the water and carrying it with you to meet your shadow. When you are done in the waters, move to an open space. In the middle of the field or space there is a tree. Take a moment to connect with the tree and feel its presence in your sanctuary. Ask to meet a guide and notice who shows up. Is it an animal? Human? Light or color? Perhaps you don’t see anything and just sense a presence.
Once you feel supported by your guide, ask it to take you to your shadow self. Be open to what shows up. You may meet something that is obvious, frightening, funny, or unlikely. Ask the shadow if it has any guidance for you. Use the wisdom of your guide to help you dialogue with your shadow. Ask your shadow what it needs. Usually it responds in a way that needs or wants love or attention. Visualize giving the shadow love and attention by pouring the healing water over the shadow. Notice if the shadow transforms into an ally, protector, or guide. Remember that shadows are cast from light hitting a form.
When you are finished, thank the shadow for its presence and your guide for supporting you. Return to the healing waters and rest in it again. Make an intention to remember what has happened. When you are finished, leave the sanctuary and climb the steps back into present awareness, counting from one to ten. Take time to write down anything you have experienced.