Tea-break Tarot School

I am late to class today, rushing in after the bell, papers flying around me.  This is due to procrastination on my part.  How to begin this next part of the journey?  Too much time in my head, pondering.  Which is, of course, very “swords”.

Let’s turn to our cards and see what we notice.  Several of the decks I am working with today feature a single sword, in the air.  One is crowned with gold, energy radiating out into the sky.  One is watched closely by a mouse clinging on to a dandelion as dandelion seeds float up into the sky.  One shows a bare tree, stark and full of edges, with a nest in its branches, holding a single egg.

The images speak to me of something sharp, something which cuts, which can be uncomfortable, but which also inspires.  Swords are images of strength and power, they can cut away the old; when we do energetic cord-cutting work, we often visualise a sword cutting the links we no longer need.  A sword bestows knighthood, it is an emblem of authority. In Arthurian legend it is the sword which shows the true king.  The associated images in my cards – seeds, eggs – show the creative potential of this ace.

This to me is the flash of inspiration, the powerful idea which captures our imagination and spurs us on.  It might be a political or environmental cause, an idea for business, or a realisation about our own self-development or circumstances.

Whatever it is it will change us and take us out of our comfort zone.

Exercise 50

Some journal prompts and a small practical exercise:

• What do swords mean to you?  Are they emblems of death, power, or works of art, showing the skill of the smith, who forges and balances the blade?
• What does this mean for your work with swords?
• Where could you use sword energy to clear out old mental habits and create space?
• When in your life have you had an “ace of swords” moment, a flash of inspiration or realisation, which changed everything?
• We have dandelion clocks in abundance in the U.K at the moment.  If you can find one take it and blow the seeds into the ether to mark the start of your journey with the swords…