Reflections on Swords in the Negative: 7 of Swords - DECEIT

One of the trickiest Swords minors I find, most people see this card and think deceit and betrayal and yes it can be that but oh so much more too. And I found this out by seeing it come out in readings where the usual meaning really did not apply. Let's look at some of the most common keywords:

• Sneaking
• Deceiving
• Stealing
• Avoidance
• Lying
• Being alone
• Betrayal

 

This card affects others in different ways. Looking at the mental state of the 7 of Swords we have someone that is highly intelligent but uses this as a tool to manipulate and deceive others. Depending on the reading if this is representing a person then it could be someone close that is cheating on you, has stolen from you or has not very good intentions towards you.  

In love this could be someone having an affair, doing something behind your back or a two sided personality.

In career it could be a partner deceiving you or a colleague bad mouthing you.

In yes or no questions it is always a NO.

This is someone that will avoid dealing with a problem and would rather run away than face it, even if it means others may be hurt or worse off because of their behaviour. As a person it could also represent someone self centered and egotistical. 

There is no pain or mental anguish here, except for the one that is inflicted by the 7 of Swords. It is an intentional, non depressive kind of pain. And they are very well aware of it. 

Counteracting a 7 of Swords situation would mean opening your eyes and see things for what they really are. If you think or feel something is not quite right, then it probably isn't. 

You would want to take action before this person runs away with the Swords, leaving you empty. It can be painful but in the end it is going to get rid of something that is negative. 

If you get this card as an outcome or it keeps coming out repeatedly and you are not sure why, I would suggest you draw more cards to get clarity. Some examples of what you could ask:

- What do I need to get rid of?

- Who is the 7 of Swords?

- How do I deal with the situation?

- What can help me with this?

Priestess Tarot - A helpful Tarot spread

I met Louise many years ago (gosh) through TABI (Tarot Association of the British Isles). Over the years and thanks to that wonderful thing that is social media, I got to know her even better and see what a caring, wonderful person she is and also a very accurate and compassionate Tarot reader (yes I can confirm this as she has read for me too!). We finally met in person a couple of years ago for the UK Tarot conference and planning another one this year, yay!

Below is her contribution to this blog for me, I have enclosed the link to her website at the end of this blog post should you wish to know more. I am very grateful for her contribution, love ya Louise ;). Enjoy!

When It Hurts : What To Do About It.
Love & life can hurt when it heads south in spectacular fashion. Even if it were done quietly, it’ll hurt.  Situations ending or people leaving our lives often lead us to wonder what the heck happened. We often turn to friends & family to lend us some insight, someone to talk to, verify our thoughts with.
Often, Tarot Readers are approached and often we’re asked: Will X come back? Often, the answer back from the Tarot isn’t the one that people want to hear.
Asking the Tarot such a closed question often isn’t great. The Tarot for me is the tool used to explore feelings, emotions and personal thoughts. 
I asked the Tarot: I’m hurting. What can I do about it?

 Note how the question is phrased: I state what / who I am, then ask what can *I* do about it.  Not what can YOU do about ME feeling bad, but what can *I* do about it. The power is mine to wield, I just need some direction as what are woods & what are the trees, so I can find my path & myself again.
So, the spread I created for this was simple:

1/ Where am I now? 5 of Cups
2/ What negative aspect do I need to explore & heal? Major 4 - Emperor
3/ What positive aspect can I take forwards? Knight of Swords

Where Am I Now? 5 of Cups:  Well, the cards say you’ve had enough emotional nonsense, bereavement & emotional turmoil to do you for quite some time. There’s still hope, you’ve not exhausted all the options before you, but you’ve probably exhausted all the ones that appealed to you.
What negative aspects do I need to explore & heal? The Emperor. One of the strongest cardinal cards in the deck comes out to say: You need to reset your boundaries & work on your control factors. Either you or the significant other got too controlling or took the other for granted. As you can tell, it wasn’t wise but hindsight is 20/20. This is something within you that you need to address. Your Emperor came out and he wasn’t very nice. It’s time to round off his sharp edges a little. Well, okay, a lot!
What positive aspect can I take forwards? Knight of Swords.  The positive thing you can take forwards here is that you can give yourself a good talking to, sort your head out & get on with it. You won’t wallow in the 5 of Cups situation for too long & your Emperor will shrink back with this Knight giving him a piece of his mind. That will work only because the Emperor knows (in this case) that the Knight is right. If you were to swap these two around, you’d have a slightly different interpretation.
Conclusion: The three of these basically suggest that that you build a bridge away from the hurt by addressing the over-controlling aspect that was on display. It’s time to redress the communication balance whilst keeping the Emperor on a short leash.  In a relationship, there has to be two people & the Knight must ensure that both get chance to be heard & listened to.

PRIESTESS TAROT WEBSITE

Reflections on Swords in the Negative: 9 of Swords and clinical depression

So, what best to do on a cheerful sunny day than delve into the dark recesses of grief and pain.
Some keywords for the 9 of Swords:

- Stress
- Anxiety
- Despair
- Delusions
- Paranoia
- Anger issues
- Nastiness
- Mental Imbalance
- Depression
- Calculating and cold

Perhaps this is not a much touched on subject. At least from what I found while doing some research.Often it is said that many (or the majority of) Swords in a spread could signify that the person is going through untold amounts of stress or that there could be a mental imbalance.

Think of Air (the element of Swords) as being in a pressurised container. What would happen if there is no release valve? It blows up of course.
Obviously Swords embody both positive and negative qualities, but I am focusing on the negatives here. Someone presenting negative Swords aspects could be stressed, confused, almost neurotic, but also cold and often deceiving. By the way, in the Thoth deck, the 9 of Swords is known as "The Lord of Cruelty".
The following card, the 10 of Swords really isn't much better. While there is hope in the background, things cannot possibly be getting any worse.
In the 9 we can see someone starting a downward journey. Perhaps they have reached breaking point, perhaps they over think and have high anxiety. But there is no escape, unless this is recognised and addressed.
It could simply be realising and acknowledging that one needs help. And asking for it. Chances are that even with help, things will get worse before getting better. Charming eh?
We live in a culture of "I can do it". Where often recognising that one needs help is considered weak.
Let me tell you. It isn't.
The person emboding the 9 of Swords tends to internalise a lot, if not addressed though, see previous pressurised air example.
Acknowledging the 9 will bring forward a mini Tower experience in the form of the 10 of Swords.
A crisis, after the crisis, to solve the crisis.
What could be an antidote to the 9 in Tarot? I'd say perhaps the 3 of Swords. Emotional Healing. A long journey but possible.
Looking at the other suits, possibly all the 6's, moving forward after conflict and difficulties.
Recurring Swords cards in readings can signify underlying problems, very likely not addressed. Look for repeats and the surrounding cards. I know most readers do not generally read on health issues but, if a real red flag pops up, it could be the case for telling someone in a sensitive way to seek advice.
The 9 of Swords can also represent self-harm. The wish to mask unbearable pain with more pain. Often a very misunderstood (and dangerous) issue. ALL Swords cards in the right context can point to depression.
I would say that if you (or your client) get to the point of self-harm I strongly suggest to seek help and advice. Trust me, help is out there.

Also ask the Tarot for advice. You could, for example ask:
1) What is the main issue to address?
2) How do I address it?
3) What would help?
4) What action should I take
5) Advice

If you get the majority of Swords in the answers then you know it is internal and needs to be brought out and addressed.
And if you need outside help, or someone to talk to and are in the UK, the Samaritans are wonderful and you can call free on

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New Moon Progression Tarot Spread

Well, since it is New Moon in Gemini today I believe, (sometimes I do lose track as I have the attention span of a midget for what regards keeping track of cycles and things...) I thought why not create a spread for advice in moving forward.
When I put "Prison" I was actually thinking of the Monopoly game and getting a get out free ticket and of creating a MANY cards spread....but then worked out that doing a spread that way would have simply taken too long, so I lost attention again of course...But I left "prison" because we so many times cage ourselves up (like in the 8 or 2 of Swords) where all our issues (or mostly) are actually of our own doing.
What do you want to progress with? What are you blocking yourself with? (yes you ;) ) What do you want to be released from and free to let better energies in?
This could also be about your spiritual path and how to progress. However you want to use it I hope it will be of guidance for you :).
And Happy New Moon of course :)

Feedback on how it has worked for you is always welcome :)

Full Moon Manifestation Tarot spread

Since tomorrow is Full Moon I thought...why not make up an easy spread for manifesting. You could use this spread also as part of a Tarot manifestation spell. Simply leave it out with anything else you have used for the ritual.
Candles are always nice to use in this case, depending on what you want to manifest, you would need:

Green: Finances
Red: Love/Passion
Pink: Romance
Black: Clearing/Banishing
Yellow: Career/Creativity

Not dipped candles by the way, but solid colour ones. 

I have added a Lenormand card at the end for extra advice just for fun. If you are not familiar with the Lenormand system feel free to ignore it (or learn it..)

So here goes:

I used my Morgan Greer deck to draw this spread about finances for myself (gulp...)

 1) Knight of Swords - Fast energies, quite likely I need to act on them and be very proactive, but positive forward movement.

2) 3 of Wands - Keep making plans, again I am feeling here the message is don't stop, keep going (stopping?? Who ya kidding?)

3) The Empress - Keep within yourself, taking care of myself and be positive. Putting my needs before others for a little while.

4) The Hanged Man - Be patient (ah well one can always hope...). Planning and reasoning without rushing will win in the end.

Lenormand advice: The Mountain - Blockages are in the way, they will need to be conquered first.

...shuffles off to pay some bills...

A dream, painful needles and the 9 of Swords

I had quite a convoluted and unsettling dream last night. It sounds upsetting but, if you consider that the previous night I dreamed about being tortured and flogged until flesh was coming off my bones, this was a walk in the park I guess :P. So here goes:

"My mum took me to the doctor and it turned out that I needed to go and see a surgeon because there was something wrong with one of my eyes.The surgeon was nice and tells me that I need an operation in order to have full sight again. So my mum then takes me to hospital. But then we leave and go for a walk and my nan (she passed a long time ago) steps up to me to take me back in. I am not happy about the operation because it involves inserting long needles into my right eye and all the way into my brain. Mum takes me to the operating table. Then she texted my dad to let him know. I ask the surgeon for anaesthetic and he says that he cannot give me any as I need to be awake for the procedure. I get strapped onto the operating table. He takes out these loooooong needles and then proceeds to insert them, one by one, into my eye. I felt no pain just some discomfort as I felt like something was poking inside my brain. Afterwards as I get up I can see again." 

My first thought upon waking is that the dream is subconsciously telling me that there is something I am not seeing, and it is close to me. I half expected to draw the 4 of Cups as a daily card. But no, I drew the 9 of Swords. This is about worry, repeated thoughts and of course can also be be about being so focused on something that we lose sight of everything else. My sight is restored so this is temporary. I have to say I am over tired so perhaps this was a factor in it too. A friend suggested this is about perspective, what we see (or do not see) with our own eyes is not necessarily how it is.

So I did a reading on it as in:

• What do I need to know about this dream?
• What is the message it tries to convey?
• What action do I need to take? 

 1) The Lovers 

It is telling me that this is about choice, I can choose to see or not to see. I am not blind, I just need help. A little twist of the needle and the sight is restored. I have a feeling that this is literally telling me to love myself and understand beauty around me.

2) Justice

A Karmic card, this of course is a subconscious message about balance. Right and Left, Above and Below, the message is to restore this balance to the right level. Perhaps also to try and analyze the symbols in a logic manner.

3) Ace of Swords

Well what more of an action could be a card that is itself the start of an action? This is clarity, again I am seeing the suggestion to analyze the dream from a logic point of view. Not an emotional one. Thinking of it the needle itself could be the Ace of Swords, injecting clarity in what was once confusion.


I also feel this was bringing up issues from the past, with all my family present. But, to be honest, I'll probably get some more insights as the days go by :). 
(deck used: Morgan Greer)

Hacking the Celtic Cross spread (Because life is short...)

Those that already know me would know that I have no patience for long and convoluted, over complicated spreads. In fact I like it short and sweet and 3 cards is my spread of choice, naming positions of course.
Clarifiers can always be drawn if needed but, generally, I never end up with a massive amount of cards.

So, you want a quick answer but don't usually do short spreads...but life is hectic, the children need to be fed (and so does the poor dog) and...you still need an answer.
So why not hack away and take what you need from the spread? This is the first of my ideas for #tarothacks.
I have other spreads that I want to work with this way and many other ideas too, but I am starting with the Celtic Cross because it is the one I dislike the most, I hardly ever use it and it seems to be that, if you do not use it or know it, you are not a worthy Tarot reader.
Let's look at the general CC positions:

1. Covers you;
2. Crosses you;
3. Root of the matter;
4. Past;
5. Possible outcome (near future);
6. Future;
7. Your influence in the situation;
8. Environment and family;
9. Hopes and fears;
10. Outcome.

Of course there are plenty of versions but, generally, I would say this is a standard one.
Let's hack it. You can do this with 3 cards, I have chosen 5, 6, and 10 like so:

Say for example the question here was you wanting to know how a job interview went, 5/6/10 could happily give you the whole answer with the outcome.
And, of course, you could shuffle the 3 cards for more insight, asking which one is the most important?
Use the positions in the original spread that are the most apt for the questions you are asking. The Cross is very general but other spreads are much more specific in their positioning.
Now I am off and leave you with this...happy hacking :)

Solar Return Tarot Spread

Since it is my birthday next week I have decided to create a  Tarot spread for myself. I have tried others but, since a good friend of mine recently showed me and interpreted for me my Solar Returns since 2011, I decided I wanted to create one as an insight on what is to come and what needs to be left behind.

Of course, as usual, nothing is set in stone so you can always draw more cards to clarify or use 2 different decks, or even a Tarot deck and an Oracle deck. 

Enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated if you do try it :).

 

Valentine Blues

So, Valentine day is approaching once more. May be you want a date, or a relationship. Or may be neither. You are kind of stuck in that middle ground where you are damned if you want and damned if you want not.
At times either we are giving off the wrong energy about us and end up attracting the wrong people, or simply we are in the wrong place for wanting a relationship. It can be a bit like an addiction, if you 'need' it then, most likely, it is not going to be healthy for you.
Empower and love yourself first, therefore enabling others to see you for who you are and also love you for who you are. Tarot of course can help you with the usual straightforward and wise advice. So here is a short spread for you to get going,  a happy Valentine to yourself first!.

 

A simple New Year insight Tarot spread

The below spread is one of many that I have made up for insight and advice as the New Year enters. This is really a quick and simple one if you have not got the time to do a more in depth one. Of course you can always draw more cards if you need clarification at any point. 
I am going to try and put together all the ones I have created over the years and post them here. No mean feat, as some of them go back many years.  And, since organization does not become me, I have to find them from various journals scattered all over. 
But one has to start from somewhere so here it is:




You can add an outcome card too if you wish, or an advice card. The known and unknown can also be "Light" and "Shadow", so do feel free to adapt it as you wish.
Also of course you could always change the captions depending on your needs, for example:

"What I need to leave behind"
"What I need to let in"
"Advice"
"What is beneficial for me"
"What is a negative influence"
"Possible Outcome"

The possibilities are endless...