IDS Day 32: Three and Four of Swords

Three of Swords

There must be a positive aspect to this card! It's raining. Swords have pierced a heart. It all seems so bitterly dark! But, if swords are about communication, then perhaps the positive aspect of this card is about finally getting through to someone. Maybe it was through harsh words or difficult actions, but what we see is a heart full of air--of swords--instead of just being immutable stone. The rain is purifying, cleaning the wounds in attempt at restoration.

In reflecting on the negatives, I see pain. Swords through the heart must be tremendously painful! And the rain? Just insult to the injury. We should take care with our words and actions, lest hearts resemble the mess 3 of swords seems to represent.

Four of Swords

"Don't get too relaxed!" comes to mind when I look at this card. I've always heard this to be a card of rest and recuperation. However, in this deck the cat is sleeping on a slab of stone with 3 swords poised above his head. Even if the stained-glass figure seems to be watching over him, I get the impression that he shouldn't sleep too deeply. That could explain his sword being at the ready beside the "bed" rather than mounted with the other three.

An interesting note...this is the only card I've noticed with a human figure! Why might the stained glass image be of a woman rather than another animal?!

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I did a reading for a lab mate the other day, and apparently I am much more accurate when I just describe the card rather than attempting to assign a meaning based on the question. On one hand, this seem counter-intuitive since by and large tarot is a series of archetypes that represent specific meanings. At the same time though, I find that tarot means what it means, in whatever context it is given, so it still makes sense that not giving a definitive meaning might be more accurate.

It seems then that I need some improvement in my ability to actually read for other people. When I read for myself, the descriptions quickly become clear connections to something in my reality. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case if I'm interpreting for another person. Fortunately, Jess is on a similar wavelength as I find myself, and my explanations alone were enough to pique the things she needed to know from within her. This, I suspect, may not be the case for everyone.

Additionally, I have 4 new decks coming my way! Is that ridiculous or what?! I won Fantastical Creatures on ebay mid-January, and after some shipping snafus on the seller's end, it seems it should finally be heading my way. I finally broke down and ordered original copies of Lunatic and Magical Forest from a seller in Taiwan, as my Forest deck is an English reprint (not as pretty as the pictures I post) and I desperately wanted a Lunatic deck. And a lovely woman on AT hosted a contest for us newbies through which I won an Archeon deck. When I entered I only had the two decks I've owned all along, so it was quite an outpouring of new tarot when I won that deck the same week the other 3 were due to start heading my way.

What will I do with all this new material?! I'm thinking a comparative study of all my decks, a card at a time. Maybe not daily since I think my time will be eaten up quickly once April's field season starts, but perhaps 4-5 cards a week. I also need to do an intensive court study since those cards bewilder me so, but having 5 decks should aid in this, I think. :p

Cheers!