By Sarah Taylor
An interesting shift from last week’s reading where we had The Hermit, Two of Cups and Knight of Disks. That reading was about emerging from a state of inner contemplation in order to encounter the other while resting in the knowledge of who you are. This week, we move deeper into the new territory to which it introduced us.
In today’s reading, two cards have ‘moved down’ a single gear, while one has shifted up. The Hermit, ninth card in the major arcana, has given way to Strength, the eighth; the Knight of Disks — Disks being the final suit — has given way to Swords, the penultimate suit; while the Two of Cups — Love — has moved into the Three of Cups — Abundance.
My first observation is that this is not a regression to a less-evolved state. It is torque. It is the transition into a lower gear in order to control an acceleration. This feels like it is tied into the influence of Mercury Retrograde, where we revisit old territory in new ways as a precursor to effecting change. Just how this works lies somewhat beyond my knowledge of astrology, but I do feel it is a very personal experience for each person approaching this reading.
Another observation: the Knight of Swords (the King in other decks) carries the lion of the Strength card in his beard. He is the lion, being, as he is, “the fiery aspect of air” described by Gerd Ziegler in Tarot: Mirror of the Soul. His back is to Strength: he has integrated the maiden and the beast, the gentle and the wild, what is nurturing and what holds the killer instinct so that both can find expression without disarming or destroying the other. Yet his outer appearance is more leonine: like all of the Knights, his mode is active. While his back is to Strength (and Strength has his back), his focus is directed to the card to his right. And what a combination!