Pearls of Wisdom - 9 of Swords

Marli

This card has been calling out to me for a couple days now, and try as I might, I have finally caved in and decided to write on it...

Here we see 2 women in what looks like a tower or a dungeoun... However these women are complete opposites...

The dominant figure is the lady in the front, she wears a long pink dress, pearls in her ears, around her neck as well as draped around the hilt of her sword, she is barefoot with pearls and flowers scattered all over the ground around her. She holds a candle in her hand, concentrating on the way forward.. maybe she has not seen the stairs as yet?!, however, she pays no attention to the woman in the background. The little light there is available (coming from her candle and the moon) is only where she is, even the stairs to her left, have air coming in, seemingly calling to her, trying to show her the way out...

The other figure in the background is another woman, but all we can see of her is that she sits in a defeated position.. even her flowers that she holds seem defeated or dying as well, she sits on a ledge, surrounded by swords and rope, 3 on top and 3 below, the rope is wrapped around the swords linking them together, but they are not her only companion.. for she also has darkness as her companion, even the tiny window above her, the moon as it hits the crystals, shine in the opposite direction to where she is, towards the other woman.

To the left of the staircase there is what seems to be a window, that has 2 more swords balancing in it. On the borders of this card, both the bottom left and right sides have 3 swords each, wrapped in pearls, 2 standing straight in the front and 1 leaning towards the scene in this card in the background almost imperceptable... Mimicking to the central figures of the card. A rose adorns the centre of each side, the one on the left upside down and the one on the right, is facing up. There are 2 runes symbols above the flowers, the one on the left is :

Kano: regeneration, an opening into the light,

the rune on the right side is:

Perth: Questioning, initiation, the powers of nature and a spirit at work, secret forces

And completing the card at the top we have a sword in each corner and one in the centre, all connected by a string of pearls.

And for the interpretation of this card... I will give you Roxi's words....

Hexi said:
Every card has a way out... for example the 9 of Swords shows that you can hang on to your depression, (the dead white roses) as the woman wallowing in the shadows does, or you can drop them, and follow your "own light", your own Pearls of Wisdom. Even though, in the painting, the pearls are broken and scattered on the floor, they lead you to the stairs going up... and out.



Roxi/Hexi
 

Rede Seeker

Thank you, Marli

I've been sick for some time and finding it difficult to get back to my usual life. The Nine of Swords is the perfect image for breaking with the old and sick and moving on to the next adventure.

I see the woman in the back corner of the card as a husk, a shriveled, abandoned casing - all her life force has been spent. The woman in pink is freshly born (the pinkness of her gown), armed with wisdom and the ability to use it (her pearl belt, jewelry and sword).

I love how such a little candle can reveal so much. We see the alcove and stairway lit by it, but oddly enough, there is no hint of light flickering back to the dark corner.

I find the two swords in the alcove interesting. The pink lady has a sword in her belt. The other sword groups in this card are in groups of three. When the pink lady finds the alcove and stairway, she will complete a grouping of three swords. The math tells a tale - the dried husk woman has six swords pointing towards her. Six is the number of Kenaz, the Rune on the left column - regeneration; what dies is reborn in another form. The remaining three swords - or what will be three swords when the pink lady finds her way - three indicates a complete and functioning process (ref. Thorsson, Runelore, page 162). Joined, these three sets of three swords form nine, a number that transforms all that it touches - and let's not forget the Witchs' formula of 'three times three' . Nine is a powerful transformer. Here we see most of that transformation (6 of nine swords) keeping old habits or thoughts in their place (or imprisoned?) while the remaining three lead to freedom and life.

The broken strand of pearls also represents the need to break from what you've known, the things that hold you back. Here we have a reminder that not all Pearls of Wisdom lead to enlightenment. Sometimes, the string that binds them has outlived it's usefulness. Time to set them free. You can pick the individual pearls up and restring them - another reflection of the Kenaz Rune - to dissolve and reform.

What do you rede into the whisps of fog/vapor? To me they look like tendrils attempting to draw the pink woman in their direction. Interesting that those whisps aren't affecting the candle's flame. The woman's hair is gently flowing behind her indicating the direction of her movement.

The Rune Perthro is my personal 'Leap of Faith' Rune. You don't know what is ahead of you, only what is behind. So, do you stay with what you know or take a chance and move forward?
 

Marli

Rede Seeker said:
. Nine is a powerful transformer. Here we see most of that transformation (6 of nine swords) keeping old habits or thoughts in their place (or imprisoned?) while the remaining three lead to freedom and life.

The broken strand of pearls also represents the need to break from what you've known, the things that hold you back. Here we have a reminder that not all Pearls of Wisdom lead to enlightenment. Sometimes, the string that binds them has outlived it's usefulness. Time to set them free. You can pick the individual pearls up and restring them - another reflection of the Kenaz Rune - to dissolve and reform.

Oh wow! you're interpretation and description, were amazing, thank you for that, I think I only saw the obvious meaning for the card... what I found the most intresting and was able to learn the most from, was what I quoted above. Great to have you back!!

And as for the whisps of air, yes, I also thought they were calling her towards the way out
 

jcwirish

My first thought on this card was that it was the woman's nightmare. She looks somewhat scared to me. I sort of thought the dark figure was her sleeping self or her body, while her soul or dreaming self is wandering about a scary dark hall. That was just the very first impression I got of it, but I see many other things now.
 

emmsma

I must have read here, before seeing the card. I cannot think what my first impression was.

This is a strong woman, the pearled woman in pink. She does not let her imprisonment defeat her. She is on her feet searching for her way. She has the light of her candle and her Pearls to lead the way.

She is meant to find the stairs and move on - she has help and guidance. The light of the moon through the crystals the breezes coming down the stairs, that trail of pearls. All were brought here at this time to help her progress.

The shrivelled figure in the dark is too far gone to see these signs, to heed the call of these guides and she will be lost forever.

A warning perhaps, to not remain idle, to not wallow in our misery. In doing so, we may miss the opportunity to move past the darkness.
 

jcwirish

emmsma said:
I must have read here, before seeing the card. I cannot think what my first impression was.

This is a strong woman, the pearled woman in pink. She does not let her imprisonment defeat her. She is on her feet searching for her way. She has the light of her candle and her Pearls to lead the way.

She is meant to find the stairs and move on - she has help and guidance. The light of the moon through the crystals the breezes coming down the stairs, that trail of pearls. All were brought here at this time to help her progress.

The shrivelled figure in the dark is too far gone to see these signs, to heed the call of these guides and she will be lost forever.

A warning perhaps, to not remain idle, to not wallow in our misery. In doing so, we may miss the opportunity to move past the darkness.

Yes, I see what you're saying here. She does seem to be looking for a way out of the darkness. I think her expression looks scared, but she is brave and will forge ahead anyway. She wants to find her freedom. I do see how her pearls and the moon are guiding her as well. The mist seems to be pulling her in the right direction.

So, is this a card about facing our fears, because the consequence of not doing so is worse than even our worst fears? Despite our suffering or anxiety, we do hold the power to overcome and find the light, but we have to make the move. We have to act.
 

emmsma

jcwirish said:
Yes, I see what you're saying here. She does seem to be looking for a way out of the darkness. I think her expression looks scared, but she is brave and will forge ahead anyway. She wants to find her freedom. I do see how her pearls and the moon are guiding her as well. The mist seems to be pulling her in the right direction.

So, is this a card about facing our fears, because the consequence of not doing so is worse than even our worst fears? Despite our suffering or anxiety, we do hold the power to overcome and find the light, but we have to make the move. We have to act.

Something that I often had to tell myself - remind myself over the years. Its ok to be afraid. Some things are just scary. But its not ok to let those fears keep you from acting. Fear must not be allowed to hold you back.

If we allow fear to control our lives, we end up as the shrivelled woman, alone in a dark cell, clutching our dead flowers - the withered remains of hope and promise.
 

jcwirish

emmsma said:
Something that I often had to tell myself - remind myself over the years. Its ok to be afraid. Some things are just scary. But its not ok to let those fears keep you from acting. Fear must not be allowed to hold you back.

If we allow fear to control our lives, we end up as the shrivelled woman, alone in a dark cell, clutching our dead flowers - the withered remains of hope and promise.

Yes, this is so true. I know I've been there myself. You get to the place where the fear of regret is so much bigger than facing the fears and just getting through it.

The LWB says this card is a strong initiation, and that the figure knows she must endure great pain. I find this to be a very powerful card. It's very blunt and honest.
 

emmsma

I see that. The fear on her face. The hand plucking at her pearls - for reassurance, comfort, security. Yet she moves on, as she knows she must.

Wonderfully powerful card.
 

jcwirish

Don't know if I should be looking at the LWB, but I'm intrigued by the words, "the pearls of wisdom break, scattering her knowledge of who she is and where she is going."

It also mentions that the past is very close, but starting to recede. I am wondering if that dark figure is her past, a painful past that she needs to move further away from.

There are so many emotions in this card that are conveyed through the images. It does have a nightmarish feel to me.

I'm reminded of the stories you hear about people trying to survive in harsh environments, or those stranded at sea. Some choose to give up an they perish, others with no more reason to survive, make it because they keep fighting and don't give up. This is a "get busy living or get busy dying" kind of card. Maybe that's overly dramatic, but it's what comes to mind.