astrological correspondence

Weekly Card 7 of Swords Revisited

January 23, 2014
140130 Herbal 7 of Swords
The Herbal Tarot

We’ve come full cycle: we’re back to the new moon.

Today, western Tropical astrology has the moon in Aquarius, which corresponds to 7 of Swords.

(Just to add to your connection to the moon, there are three other tarot cards with moon correspondences:  6 of Pentacles, which corresponds to moon in Taurus; 4 of Cups, corresponding to moon in Cancer; and 9 of Wands, corresponding to moon in Sagittarius.)

We’ve looked at 7 of Swords before, so let’s deepen with a look at the connection between tarot and astrology.

Very briefly – and very superficially — remember that each suit is connected with an element: Pentacles with earth, Cups with water, Swords with air, and Wands with fire.  And remember that the 12 signs of the zodiac all have elemental correspondences:  Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are the fire signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the earth signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are the air signs, and Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are the water signs.  So, Pentacles will have cards associated with Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, Cups will have cards associated with the 3 water signs, and likewise for Swords and the air signs, and Wands and the fire signs.

Let’s check:  Swords are associated with air signs.  Yup, Aquarius is an air sign.

Air and Aquarius have a cool, impersonal, um, air about them.  And you can think of the quality of freedom associated with them both.  Imagine air getting into pretty much anywhere it likes.  If you’ve ever tried to close up all the drafts in your home, you’ve been up against the difficulties of containing air.  Just as difficult as containing your thoughts: the monkey mind that spiritual disciplines talk about.  Oops, more air: spirit, speech.

The moon is an old friend by now.  We know about the changes in appearance from night to night.  And we know that, as a symbol for our intuition, it leads us into breakthroughs.

Play with the concepts of Air/Aquarius and the moon and see what kinds of combinations you come up with.  See how they fit with what you’ve learned about 7 of Swords to deepen your understanding of the image.

Then consider the side of you that you keep hidden from the public, and let your mind wander.  See if you can discover your hidden intentions this week.

To step it up a notch, choose one to build on.  How can you make that intention into something your public can see  by the next full moon?

I double dog dare you to show your hidden face!

Weekly Card 2 of Swords Revisited

December 30, 2013
140123 2 of Swords Blake
William Blake Tarot

Since the moon’s in Libra for most of the day today, according to Western Tropical Astrology, let’s revisit the 2 of Swords.

Huh, what?!

What does astrology have to do with tarot and moon . . . Libra . . . 2 of Swords . . . what???

There are correspondences between tarot and astrology and another cousin, numerology.  There is more than one system of correspondence, and the one I use is the one I most often run across: the one credited to Aleister Crowley.  In that system, 2 of Swords corresponds to the moon in Libra (and also to 56/11 in numerology).

If you know nothing about astrology or numerology, you can file the idea of correspondences exactly where it best suits you.  And if you do have some understanding of those systems, you can use what you know to enrich tarot.

Lets look at the images on the 2 of Science in the William Blake Tarot by Ed Buryn.

(Okay, I know I just confused you with all that information about correspondences.  I’m about to do more: Buryn’s Blake Tarot uses Science for Swords, Painting for Pentacles, Music for Cups and Poetry for Wands.   Remember, we’re under the influence of the moon, where mystery – and often confusion – is a given.)

We’ve got a child standing in supplication by an open door guarded by a howling dog.  Could this be innocence at the entry to experience?  It’s in our imaginations that we speculate on potentials and possibilities. And there we can get hung up in that famously Libran inability to choose.  There’s the rub: 2 of Swords is all about choice without external interference.

Rider Waite Smith Tarot
Rider Waite Smith Tarot

There’s a story in the Rider Waite Smith tarot that progresses from the 10 of Swords to the Ace of Swords.  At the 2 of Swords point in the story, the widow of a slain warrior is in mourning.  Those swords she holds are the swords of defiance.  She’s blinded to the way of peace and is seeking revenge.  Yet she does not move.  Here we have experience, with the potential of an entry to renewed innocence.

Now, with the moon in Libra, you can look to the areas of conflict in your life, to the circumstances that lead you to inner turmoil.  Where are you seeking vengeance?   Can you find your way from there to Blake’s resolution . . . . .

innocence into a new experience

 

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