Baroque Bohemian Cat Tarot

Weekly Card 3 of Swords

This post is part of a Tarot Blog Hop.  You can find the previous blog here, the master list here, and the next blog here.

150501 3 of Swords RWS
Rider Waite Smith tarot

Oh, we so don’t love to see these kinds of cards . . . the “sad” ones, the “bad” ones. We’ve had a couple of encounters before, here and here.

And here, at the 3 of Swords, we’re encountering sorrow at a very personal level. How much more clear an illustration of heartache can we get?  Since we can’t spit it out, how do we deal with this distasteful card?

Look back to the heartaches in your life. What brought them on? Loss of a love? Loss of social standing? Loss of a cherished pet? Loss all around, isn’t it?   Nothing we would have asked for.

Then again, when have you heard yourself say “he certainly asked for that one”? We could look at any situation and see how the ending had its seeds in the beginning. Heartless as it is, I’ve had people tell me that I was just asking for trouble by living in an hurricane evacuation zone.

And there’s the opportunity in the 3 of Swords. We’re putting our mind – the mental world of the swords – into our hearts. Rather than dissociating our thoughts from our humanity, we come to a deeper understanding of why it’s worth making connections regardless of the inevitability of endings.

For a writer or an artist, this can be a brilliant opportunity, this meeting of intellect with emotion. What needs to be expressed? Is there a story to tell? Is there a sorrow to be danced, painted or composed?

For the rest of us, the lemonade out of lemons involves developing compassion. For ourselves. For others who’ve travelled a similar path. And that requires taking heart in the positive sense: courage. Courage to believe in a life that continues. Courage to look outside ourselves again.

150501 3 of Swords Baroque Bohemian Cats
Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot
150501 3 of Swords Haindl
Haindl Tarot

But how do we deal with the pain? You’ve got lots of clues in the multiple images for the 3 of Swords. The sad grey puss in the Baroque Bohemian Cat image finds the pain too difficult to take in. She has her angel holding the pierced heart. It’s still close at paw, but she’s got assistance. Who are your angels?

The Haindl Tarot image speaks to the isolation that pain can bring. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Time alone to mourn the loss, to replace what’s no longer there with tears, is a healing action. Recognize where your paradise has come to an end and grieve. It’s not necessarily fun, but healthy grief helps us move forward, back into life and connectedness.

150501 3 of Swords Gilded
Ciro Marchetti‘s Gilded Tarot
150501 3 of Swords Contemplative
Contemplative Tarot

By getting to the heart of our sorrow, by understanding what happened and who we’re becoming as a result of our loss, the Gilded Tarot image offers us the possibility of enlightenment. Our old way of thinking, our old way of expressing ourselves has cut us to the heart. As we recognize the old ways, we can move into the light of the new.

But not too quickly, says the Contemplative Tarot image. Life is possible, says the vine around the bleeding heart – and life with love, says the heart shape in the vine. It’s even going on around us. But so is the fish out of water, belly up in the cloudy sky. It speaks to the discomfort of no longer being the self we recognize. Allow the new life of connection to grow out of the wounded self, in its own time.

In your own life this week, what has pierced you right at the quick? How can you use your mind to get to the heart of the matter? And how can you express yourself about it all?

Let your mind and heart work together to keep compassion in the foreground this week.

 

This post is part of a Tarot Blog Hop.  You can find the previous blog here, the master list here, and the next blog here.

Weekly Card Riding with the Knight of Cups

150402 Knight of Cups Baroque Bohemian Cats
Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot

We’ve had a pretty thorough look at the Knight of Cups before (as one of his aliases: Prince of Cups). Since he follows his heart in and out of our lives, let’s take a look at a few more of his possible faces.

One of my favourites is his appearance as a white glamour puss on his proud black mount, from the Baroque Bohemian Cat deck. This Knight obviously loves the finer things in life. When he rides into town, it means you’d better put on the dog to have a chance with him. It’s nights at the theatre and five-star dining. The minute you want to run through the sprinkler in your undies or crash on the sofa, he’ll be back on his horse in search of his next peak experience.

150402 Knight of Cups Renaissance Williams
Brian Williams’ Renaissance Tarot

Brian Williams’ Knight of Cups from his Renaissance Tarot seems more accessible, perhaps even more interested in being of service. He’s awfully placid atop his feisty and substantial steed. This Knight promises growth and healing (his green garments and the corner reference to the Archangel Raphael) if we drink from the cup he offers.   But his horse has all the ferocity and bite of the transient and truncated sexual encounters (Scorpio’s sting is in there, after all – the astrological correspondence for Knight of Cups) that the Knight of Cups is famous for.

150402 Prince of Cups Thoth
Aleister Crowley Frieda Harris Thoth Tarot

Finally, we have the Aleister Crowley- Frieda Harris Thoth Tarot (another Prince of Cups). Frankly, a whole lot more scary Scorpio and less hopeful romantic. His sights are still set firm on his desires (the serpent rising from the cup), but he wears and rides the eagle aspect of Scorpio (the “evolved” scorpion) and carries a lotus blossom.   This Prince (Knight) may still tear through with romance, but he’s putting the transformative aspect right out front.

So, what kind of emotional mindset do you need to get on the horse – or eagle – with any of these Knights, even for a short ride? Can you visit the elite artistic heights with the Baroque Bohemian Cat? Are you seduced by the gentle healing promise of Williams’ Renaissance Knight, despite his high-spirited horse? Are you brave enough to join Crowley’s Knight for a transformative flight?

What about the transient romances in your own life? Have you been the “victim” of a Knight of Cups or two . . . or three or . . . ? Were you able to let go after the encounter to let it be healing? (Or did you, like many of us!, kick and scream in resistance to the ending?) Are you still lost in romantic fantasies of bygone desires and wishes?

Or have you been the Knight of Cups, highly creative and innovative, intimate with whomever you fancy? Commitment? Of course you’re committed: to love, to creativity, to beauty and truth. Are you guilty about your Knightly self or have you learnt transformative acceptance?

Be in touch with your desires this week and make a commitment to their source. Spontaneity and creativity are required in your ride . . . the scenery will change, after all.  Above all . . .

 Commit to the ride!

 




When the ride gets a little wild or confusing, a tarot session with a professional can help you find your course.  And here‘s where you can find one.

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