By Sarah Taylor
In the beginning was the word, the unborn word. Then the word was born. Before its birth, the world was silent; then came the first spark of life, the divine “One,” the first breath, the first thought. The divine was the first existence, the father and mother of all subsequent numbers.
— Francesca Marzano-Fritz, from “The Rohrig-Tarot Book”
The first card I drew today was again at centre: the Three of Swords, or “Sorrow.” This is the main energy at play — or, to put it another way, the central matter that’s up for consideration, whether in the world around you or closer to home.
On the card, a figure, head bowed, faces what looks like the lower part of a large door that is closed in front of him. Three swords are painted on an upper panel that seems to be ‘tacked on’ to the door itself, two swords travelling one way, the third the other, as if countering their movement.
Swords refer to thoughts and words, and the beliefs that stem from them. The implication is divisiveness in the realm of thought, word or belief. Yet the emphasis is subtle: it is not the situation itself that causes the conflict, but how the mind reacts — to the situation, to the words that are spoken around it, and to beliefs that meet each other head-on.
Instead of a meeting of minds there is a sharp point of differentiation that causes a sense of split allegiances. In the card, we see “Doubt,” “NOT CLEAR.” How can we hold to our point of view when the other holds equally to theirs — and still have a meeting of minds? Is there a third way?