The Wild Unknown Tarot - III Swords

Sulis

There are a couple of cards that I don't particularly care for in this deck and III Swords is one of them (the other one is VIII Cups).
To me, this card is a little one dimensional and I can't figure it out with number and element but I'd love to hear what other people think of it as I think that will help me with it a bit.

3 Swords emerge from the darkness. They are different; each has a different hilt and the outer 2 swords are crossed over the central one. The most striking thing about this card is the way the swords are bound together... Bound around and around them is red cord - blood red cord and red fluid, probably blood drips from the sword tips. The red cord is startling, it almost looks like arteries, veins or sinew; bits of body...
This is a very disturbing image.

To me, 3s relate to The Empress. They are the sum of 1 + 2; the result of the energy presented in the Ace and the decision made in the 2.
The 3 of Swords to me usually represents the idea, the thing that breaks the stalemate of the 2, the decision or the creative thought... Swords represent problems too so sometimes the 3 of Swords shows the result of a disagreement, the hurt or the outlet of hurt that has to happen before healing can occur. The 3 of Swords to me often says that something needs to be said, even if it's painful, the impasse represented by the 2 has to be broken.

In the Conver Marseilles the central sword that cuts through the space between the 2 outer swords has flowers growing from it which to me shows creative thoughts, ideas or just new growth after something hurtful.

And this is why I'm having problems with this card. The swords are bound tightly with lots of bright red cord. There is no breaking of the stalemate... I'm just not sure what to make of it..

Help!
 

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lark

Hi Sulis
I had a party of women I read for yesterday...about 10 women.
This card came up alot...so I got an interesting take on what it is going to mean for me with this deck.
Almost in every case it came up as an unwanted intrusion that ended up being bound to the woman in some way...
An unwanted lover in a husbands life.
An unwanted pregnancy.
An unwanted job duty.
Unwanted puppy.
Unwanted illness.

So I understand those binding red cords...in all of these cases the situation was unwanted, but they realised they were bond to it and had to go forward with it attached to them.
And in all cases it made them sad at the least and devistated at the most.

So as a decision card...I can see it in a sense as a stalemate breaker because in all cases the realization of this being now bound to them made them move forward.

Finally the courage to ask for a divorce.
Finally taking better care of health.
Finally deciding to marry because of the baby coming.
Finally talking to the iresponsible son who droped his puppy on mom.
Finally that long over due talk with the boss.

The movement that resulted might not remove the bonds they might still have to walk this life with them attached and feel the sorrow of the situation, but it did cause a stalemate to be broken.

Anyway that was my experience with this card this weekend I hope it helps.

Love this deck :love:
 

Sulis

Thank you Lark, that makes sense.

To be honest, I haven't actually pulled this card in a reading yet and I think it's only when you get cards in a reading that they start to mean something and I'm really hoping that when this card shows up it will reveal it's meaning to me and those red cords tying the swords together will become clear.

I really like your 'unwanted' interpretation and can completely see that being a breaker of a stalemate too..

I'm loving this deck too :).
 

lark

I just looked it up in the book.
In the book she means for those cords to represent entanglement and confusion in a situation.
So that kind of relates to how I saw it in the readings I did.
There certainly was a feeling of being entangled in something they didn't want to be...and initial confusion on how to procced.

And getting a card in a reading and letting is speak is my favorite way of interpreting a new decks voice...so it will be interesting to see what it says to you when it comes up in a reading.
 

Mi-Shell

To me the red cord means people, who know each other,
love each other,
are bound together by fate:
maybe their job,
but most often family = family bonds.
But these bonds are tangled = different opinions,
different agendas,
different world views...
Miss-communication
a struggle to (force one's sword and mind - words - arguments )to get the "upper hand" in this conflict
The answer lies in un-tangling the bonds that bind.
In my deck I painted each sword a different colour to remind me of this.
 

celticnoodle

just happened upon this thread while searching for some of this decks card threads. I agree with both Lark and Mi-shell in some of their thoughts on this card. For me, I look at this card and the red cords binding the 3 swords are like the blood that runs through my veins and ties me to my family and to other people I hold dear. I see it as a binding too, Mi-shell. A close binding to my heart.

I can relate this to people I hold dear to my heart--my co-workers (when I was working), my dear friends, my family members. and the blood dripping from it makes me feel like a very harsh and real hard decision to make about these 'blood ties'.

something that just stabs at the heart of the matter--and the descriptions that Lark give are but a few goodies--
An unwanted lover in a husbands life.
An unwanted pregnancy.
An unwanted job duty.
Unwanted puppy.
Unwanted illness.

Things like the above are extremely difficult trials we all face at one point or another in our lives. Where we need to make a very hard decision about it, and it's pulling at us. killing us that we have to make this decision. A damned if we do and damned if we don't kind of situation. One that requires us to make a choice that is almost un-choose-able-if you get my drift.

I love this cards symbolism! It truly speaks to me of this feeling. I also like how the 3 swords are very different from each other, but tied together. It tells me its like 3 different people--all tied together by this cord--but a decision needing to be made that will break one of these swords away from the others.

It truly holds the dark sense of dread in it, with the 3 swords tied together, (bound together) and the blood dripping from each at the tip.

Mi-shell, interesting that you painted each sword different colors to remind you of this. I really do not plan to color my deck, but I see why you would do this. I sort of play with the idea of buying a 2nd deck and coloring it--but the cost of doing so just holds me back. :p however, I would really LOVE to see what this particular card looks like that you colored. I know you posted a few of your colored cards, was this one of them, and if so, can you direct me to it, please?
 

Mi-Shell

I will have to photograph it tomorrow in daylight....
 

flying black kat

My thoughts

My feelings about the 3 of Swords.

I don’t read for people any more. What I would say about the 3 of swords in any other deck is not how I feel about the 3 of swords in The Wild Unknown.

In a RWS type deck the placement of the swords in a heart represents, to me, a real heart and real swords. In a real heart the only way to get the swords out without further and future damage is straight up. When the RWS deck was created, there was still sword fighting (fencing) around. Depending on what cards are around the 3 of swords and the question asked this could represent a living hell.

With the strings or threads, wool, embroidery floss, even marine grade tie downs they can still be cut. They can be cut by the swords themselves. Just push them apart. Break the bindings with what binds them. The only difference between them is the time it takes to cut them. Believing that, this version of the 3 of swords offers more hope for a better life. More encouragement that the situation can be only tempary. More of a reason to continue towards the “light at the end of the tunnel”.

A card of devastation and hope.

E of P
 

Mi-Shell

Mi-shell, interesting that you painted each sword different colours to remind you of this. :p however, I would really LOVE to see what this particular card looks like that you coloured. I know you posted a few of your coloured cards, was this one of them, and if so, can you direct me to it, please?

The 3 of Swords:
in my deck each sword has a different colour and a different coloured grip/ hilt:
so it goes: 1—2--3--
Sword 1: it is blue = MY truth versus your truth versus THE TRUTH and the Fear and life force someone sets behind that.
The hilt is flesh coloured and bound by yellow – my colour for “danger”
= base instincts, insecurities, primitive knee-jerk responses to conflict, feeling everything is a personal attack – lashing out, preventative attacks, verbal outbursts, fights
Sword 2 in the middle: light blue, = truth mixed with uncertainty, timid, passive,( maybe passive aggressive,) repressed feelings, hilt = light green= based in a strong sense of right versus wrong, but basically striving towards learning to deal with the situation and seeing it as a challenge towards personal growth
Sword 3: purple = for many the colour of “impeccability = “I am ALWAYS right” – “my way or the highway”, “we have always done it like this and no need to change now....” patriarchal, patronizing
hilt = orange and brown = rooted in tradition (moulds of behaviour deemed successful on precious occasions = got away with that kind of thing ) but fearful of loosing the upper hand in conflicts, throwing his/her weight around,warning what might happen if his/ her method/ way are not followed in spite of discord and of a sense that the times are changing – as indicated by the slight pink....

If these 3 or similarly conflicting versions of personalities are wrapped up in a conflict only skilled, gentle and patient intervention can prevail.
The card like this reminds me of having to use all my skills as a psychotherapist and as a visionary shamanic practitioner to untangle a conflict or situation and give all parties opportunities to grow.
 

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celticnoodle

very well thought out, Mi-shell AND very nicely done too! :thumbsup:

thanks for going to the trouble of posting the picture and describing it and why you chose all the colors.