Nine of Swords § Seven of Swords § Knight of Swords
The Nine of Swords supports us when our mental endurance is strained by cruelty. She provides the right bed even when we can’t sleep and the right cup of steaming broth even when we can’t eat. The Nine of Swords is a spirit from the blackest corner of the night sky who tends to us in our darkest hours, absorbing every shadowy minute of our despair to carry home with her where they belong. The Nine of Swords is here to address even our smallest hurts with care because there is cause for her to do so. The human nervous system has a finite capacity for stress, anguish, and general dread. If we are to sustain our energy and well-being over the course of time, we must tend to ourselves. If we do not, we risk losing our cool at the worst possible time and increase the chances that we fail to notice when our coping mechanisms have tipped into addiction. The Nine of Swords will point out where you need soothing—listen to her and take action.
The Seven of Swords can see through even the smallest of lies, because she is a trickster herself. She is the sly fox who uses her cunning to alter the world until she gets what she is after. A head-on approach is fine for negotiating, but there are times when only the deployment of amusing games will open the doors we need to see opened. She advises us to conserve our energy and focus our minds on the task in our hands. The Seven of Swords snatches our attention away from managing the feelings and perceptions of other people. She says we can have it back when we come up with something better to do with it. We will not always get to feel the way we hope to feel but that does not necessarily mean we were somehow cheated, and the Seven of Swords says the quicker we slip the trap of our own hurt feelings the sooner we can get back to the thrill of wreaking havoc where havoc is needed.
The Knight of Swords does her brave work under conditions of great stress, which means her own physical senses become more heightened to some stimulus and desensitized to others. She is dependent on qualified counsel from comrades invested in both her and her mission. Naturally, she develops strong bonds with her cohorts and a staunch trust that can cloud her vision, too. If she becomes overly protective of one person, committee, or piece of philosophy her decision-making can become compromised. This is a fine and tedious line but it is one that she must walk. The Knight of Swords knows her limits and she knows humility must rule her mind, which is the exact reason she requires a finely-tuned ally to act in tandem with her goals. She advises us to sharpen and organize our tools and to ask only those we know will be straight with us what they think, and then actually listen to what they tell us. Get perspective on yourself and your inner life before undertaking your next moves because this is exactly what the most effective people throughout history have always done. May our trickery have teeth.
reading by Michelle Embree | michelleembree.com
illustration by Gurleen Rai | zimteemo.com
