By Sarah Taylor
Air being held by earth. This is the collective quality of the three cards in today’s reading. It describes the idea of something that issues from the mind being grounded by, well, ground — or, more exactly, the grounded nature of your body when you feel its connection to the earth around and beneath it.
Appropriately, Swords are considered the sharpest suit in tarot, seeming to hold a higher-than-average number of cards that are deemed negative. Try to find a ‘positive’ Swords card, and you realise that the pickings are slim. Why is this?
My feeling is that this is because Swords represent thought, which is Mercurial in nature, much like a blade: fast, sharp, and prone to changing direction with nary a second’s notice. Just as quickly as you have a thought, you can turn it on others, and you can turn it on yourself. There’s something to be said about the many schools of thought that encourage us not to identify ourselves fully with the mind: if we aren’t practised at working our sword with skill, dexterity and integrity, we are as a neophyte with a sabre, swinging it mind-lessly (where the mind is not grounded). Ouch, ouch, ouch!
This is where “earth” comes in. When you ground yourself, by moving into your body, experiencing your world through your senses and feeling your connection to the steadiness within, your mind sinks into a calmer state. It quietens; the wisdom behind any redundant movement comes through. The sword becomes a blade that cuts cleanly, paring everything away that doesn’t matter. It is then that you gain insight.
The Four of Swords is also named “Truce” in the Röhrig Tarot. It is mental time-out. You are like the soldier on the battlefield (of the mind) who is feeling the blows of attack and fending them off, and who chooses to seek respite in order to restore mind, body and soul. It isn’t compulsory, but there is the implication that if you don’t take the opportunity, then there will come an experience in the not-too-distant future where you will have no choice but to surrender (the Nine and Ten of Swords).
So here you are. In time-out. And whether you know it or not, you are the one who issued the original order for that inner truce that you are currently experiencing. Now look around. What is holding you? The answer lies to your left and your right. The Queen of Disks and the Eight of Disks.
The Queen of Disks is the feminine wisdom of embodiment. She is Earth Mother, but in human form. Most likely an aspect of you, but she could also be someone who has that influence in your life, or both. The words that adorn her card describe what you experience from the Queen of Disks: “FRUITFULNESS,” “nourishment.”
How do your nourish yourself? How do you mother yourself? How do you honour your connection to the earth? How do you hold yourself through the razor-barbs of belief that sting when you feel wronged, attacked, stared down on the battlefield? Can you feel that there is truth, although it might be a distant concept that is masked by activity frenetic enough to block your full perception of it?
At the heart of the Four of Swords — while the battle rages elsewhere — there is “Quietness,” “Clarity.” Drawing inward to a nurturing centre that lies outside the range of the mind enables the mind to shine through its wisdom. Because it does have wisdom — it’s just that it’s a wisdom grounded in our core connection to everything that is, and not solely in our heads. The mind, as important as it can be, forgets that.
From this sense of quietness there grows something beautiful — the otherworldly ‘tree’ in the Eight of Disks. It is fragile yet strong — a light-infused, exquisite, intricate living framework constructed by a mind that is wholly connected to the earth, to natural wisdom, to others. This beauty comes from your mind, but not completely. It is what you discover you can create when you envelop yourself in what calls from the depths of you.
It is what you can see ahead of you, when you have called a truce on all the other thoughts that have directed their blades anywhere other than the Truth.
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Queen of Disks (the watery aspect of earth), Four of Swords (Jupiter in Libra), Eight of Disks (Sun in Virgo)
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
Dear Sarah I often find myself resisting reading your readings as they confront me with something I’ve been happy to hide! I then berate myself thinking it was fear of moving on as they are so accurate – finally having faced the Truth – have allowed mySelf to read your (amazingly insightful & accurate – as always) article/spread/reading and realised it is the Ego & thoughts thereof that has prevented this body mind organism from going to places (&reading your articles!) where I know there is Truth and a bright reflection to allow a deeper journey towards Knowing it.
The sword has pared away all that is irrelevant in one swift swipe – such a positive, useful aspect of the sword which I shall encompass in my understanding and brandish ‘mindfully’.
Like the sword of Damacles – the swords in the past brought a reminder of fear – they shall now represent & ‘fight for’ [perhaps defend is a better term] for the clearing of The Way and its sharp point can represent the focus that all thoughts will now be focused … powerful stuff!
I shall now go and find a patch of sunlight to sit in & plant my feet on the ground.
Thank you for your Wisdom
Sincere Love & Gratitude
Racquel
This is a wonderful, relevant reading for me! I tend to be very hard on myself (too many swords?) – regretful thoughts intrude, go ’round & ’round…
Like you, Christine, I took some time on Sunday, an unusually warm September day where I live, & just sat in the sun, wiggled bare feet in the grass, lay flat & basked for a while. I have begun a more conscious practice of gratitude, & that seems to help calm the sword-thoughts. It has been a difficult year, & the cold & isolation of the prairie winter are not far away, but I am determined to give the gifts of my attention to the seasonal changes, to the people in my life, the creatures I care for, & to my Self.
It’s a busy season, with much to do by way of preparation. Harvesting, prepping, canning, clearing the garden can all be meditations, upon seasons, cycles, abundance, & always, gratitude.
Bette
This weekend three moments occurred. Stopping and looking around me, sensing self and hearing go deeper. Sunday it was so important for me to lie on a patch of green grass where I could breath with the earth, feeling. Nurturing myself with food…really taking time out.
As I read this, these moments in time are more understood… Thank you.
for sure, i am seeing this play out in my life — and in such simple ways i might easily overlook in terms of their “importance” in the grand scheme of things:
the “pauses” that late-summer brings, as the frenetic social pace begins to slow, the days begin to shorten, the air (sadly, to me) begins to cool; allowing the feeling, sensate body to inform the mind, rather than vice versa
the “nourishment” i offer myself and receive nearly without thought: dancing (alone in the darkness on the grass, or in a light-filled, music-filled room with my community); a late-afternoon swim in a quiet pond and reading in the still-warm sun; sharing the garden’s bounty with family and friends
the “tree” growing within: setting down roots of gratitude and joy within myself, and then extending those branches out into the world, sharing them through words and inclusion and smiles and hugs; drawing in the offerings of community and then sending the sprouting tendrils back out to those i encounter…
Wow! Thank you. Gives me some clarity about the present small hiatus I am experiencing. Helpful direction for my assessment/thinking/planning. Stop. Rest. Let it flow. :} <3