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Post by maurice on Oct 22, 2009 13:49:35 GMT -5
So, do you mind if we analyze one card and its diverse meanings- I thought this could be a nice weekly series... The first I picked is...   Any input? |
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 23, 2009 9:15:22 GMT -5
Wonderful idea, Maurice! Thanks for coming up with it, and for diving right in....
The numbered Sword cards are traditionally seen as "negative," and indeed most decks have a depressed vibe to them in the Sword category (at least the numbered cards). Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Swords are air, and that they deal with mind. Many spiritual traditions view mind as a two-edged sword -- it can bring intellectual clarity, but it can also be the doorway to delusion. In fact, delusion is more common for most people, and it can lead to emotional despondency in quick order.
Five is halfway through the ten numbered cards -- halfway through a particular cycle having to do with mind, intellect, thoughts, etc. The Cat Tarot guy looks like he's pondering a decision of some sort, and his cats are anxiously awaiting the answer. By the looks of things, there may be a lot riding on his decision! Who knows? But it seems to me that the card depicts a momentous occasion in which there will be winners and losers, which makes the process difficult. That's my intuitive "hit," anyway.
The other deck shows a more traditional rendition -- looks to me like the aftermath of receiving bad news and no one seems to know what to think -- that sort of thing. Again, a mental conundrum.
The deck I use, the Cosmic Tarot, shows a guy laying on his back on top of a pentacle, with the five swords pinning him down (each sword piercing a red rose on the ground near the guy's body). The landscape is desolate, the sky is reddish-pink. Knowing what swords stand for, it appears that this person is feeling trapped or cornered by some sort of mental process, and he/she can't figure out how to get untrapped.
What do you get from the Five of Swords, dear friend?
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Post by maurice on Oct 23, 2009 11:30:21 GMT -5
Very interesting...yes the swords do not look too inviting! Though I must say that the Cat People deck does a better job at giving more neutral meanings to the swords as opposed to the conventional negative vibe... I do see that indecision in the traditional deck too - some are giving up the battle, while one is actually collecting the swords and seems to want to "do" something about the situation... so it is a two direction decision indeed. Yes, I would agree that this one is pretty...desolate  However, it is not the person who is crucified, he lies on this pentagram and perhaps this is a protective sturcture...?  |
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 23, 2009 11:35:24 GMT -5
Man, I have to figure out how to post images like that -- and charts, too. I know you provide instructions for your forum, Maurice -- I'm assuming it works here, too?
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 23, 2009 11:45:37 GMT -5
Oooo -- good insight on the Cosmic guy -- we have to read the Pentacle as earth/structure/support, etc., so my thought was that the guy's belief system, career situation, home situation, relationship situation -- all the boundaries that he's erected around himself through simply living life... are adding up to complicate the particular decision that confronts him. Something must give, some concrete aspect of his life is bound to fall off... and the desolation around him indicates that, halfway through the numbers, there seems no adequate way out of the dilemma. In counseling someone who pulls this card, we may encourage him/her to remember that all things must pass, and that the natural cycle moving through his/her life will eventually lead to a place of clarity and release. We are back to the art of "embracing the descent," which asks us to suspend our paranoia and despondency while trusting that the universe will sooner or later offer us whatever is needed for resolution.
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Post by maurice on Oct 23, 2009 12:05:22 GMT -5
If the picture is already uploaded on the internet, the only thing you have to do is - right click on the picture - copy the url - click on your forum the "insert image" button - paste the url of the picture inbetween the ![]() code. So I looked on the internet for the pictures of the cards and right clicked them, etc... |
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 23, 2009 12:28:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the instructions -- very clear and understandable -- I can do it!
So, for charts one must convert it into a photo image (jpg), upload it to the Internet (like into an Image Shack account)... then follow the above instructions...?
It's the converting-to-jpg that may be intersting.....
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Post by rowena on Oct 23, 2009 14:23:56 GMT -5
Hi all,
I've been learning tarot for a wee while...I like to share ideas so thought I'd chip in, if that's ok!
I'd agree with much of what has been said above for this card...the suit of swords can be relating to power and conflict. I think there is a link here between conflicts of ideas and principles.
In the deck I use there's a similar design to the first card shown above. The man with the swords looks far from despondent, but the two men in the back have their heads down... it seems that the interpretation of this card could be influenced by who the querant identifies with (the man with the swords, or perhaps the two in the background). Other cards in the reading and intuition might make that clearer!
So there may be something about a struggle around ideas/ideals and facing that, (maybe defending what is perceived as a higher principle)...
It's a good point you make about everything passing, Michael...even if the querant can identify more with the figures in the background, the difficulties are surmountable :-)
I've not come across the imagery with lying on the pentacle before - it's really interesting! I wonder if that could be related to self esteem issues and the above...second house stuff (pentacles and earth), evaluating the value placed on those ideas/ideals (swords) via a challenge in circumstances -?
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 23, 2009 16:52:33 GMT -5
Nice to meet you, Rowena, and thanks for joining the conversation here. I look forward to sharing with you!
The "struggle around ideas/ideals and facing that" is a good way of interpreting the 5 of Swords, especially (as you point out) when the other cards in the spread nudge us in that direction. I'm always encouraging the reader to go with her intuition in allowing the card to speak to her -- makes the reading more authentic and taps the reader deeper into the psychic space, so that the querant has the experience of being truly "read." While there are definite guidelines in terms of traditional meanings, it's also clear that there is no set right/wrong paradigm in the Tarot.
I thought the same thing about the Pentacle shown in the Cosmic deck for 5 of Swords: it has something to do with manifestation and how the structure of the person's life (i.e., belief system, job, relationships, etc.) is facing change through whatever thought process is at hand. "Ideals" would fit into the structure of a person's life, for sure....
Excellent insights, new friend!
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leann
New Member
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Post by leann on Oct 24, 2009 23:07:14 GMT -5
The 3 images for the 5 of sword cards are so different and evoke different feelings in me...
As I mentioned, I'm only just starting to learn the Tarot cards. Even though the sword cards represent air and the mind, the actual images seem very emotional to me.
It seems like the 5 of swords card represents some kind of turning point, ,challenge, or conflict to be resolved (whether internal or through interaction with others).
With the traditional 5 of swords card, it seems one person feels the victor and the others despondent walking away, representing a power struggle or a choice to be made about whether to fight or not... or a need to evaluate what is worth fighting for...
With the cosmic 5 of swords card, the issue seems internalized...swords in the roses seems painful...as if the person has faced some situation that requires them to go deeply within to find their truth...
Maybe this card represents a challenge where there is a need for contemplation and soul searching before responding...or if the person feels defeated by circumstances, the need to reaffirm what has meaning and value for them personally...
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Post by Michael Hawkins on Oct 25, 2009 9:43:03 GMT -5
Leann -- I thought you said you were just starting out with Tarot...? I mean, you've GOT IT!
So much of Tarot is trusting what you eyes and heart "get" from the cards -- and the fact that different decks tell you slightly different things is why it's not always easy to choose which deck to use. I love the Cosmic and use it in readings, but everyone is different; some decks speak more easily to one person than another.
I just wanted to validate your reading of the three 5 of Swords depictions, and encourage you to continue to trust what you get.
By the way, I haven't forgotten to list a couple more books for you -- sort of got caught up in this weekend's Chiron workshop with Maurice, but the info is coming to you soon!
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marta
New Member
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Post by marta on Jan 20, 2010 18:40:33 GMT -5
I also see this as a controversial card.....defeat or victorious?
Am I the one walking away or am I the victor?
All in all, I have used it for issues in and around limitations and acknowledgment of one's self and of others depending what other cards are near.
I believe it also can mean you have conquered your own fears/battles/odds against you etc. Triumphed in adverse conditions.
Can also mean you need to look at yourself....are you putting your interests ahead of others and or maybe it is telling you that you need to do this.
Anyway, all the fives promise change, it is not written in stone.
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