Sulis
I think that apart from decks that show pure pips on the Minor Arcana, this has to be my favourite depiction of the 7 Swords in all the decks I own.
There's no colour on this card.
At the top of the card are 6 horizontal swords, their hilts to the left, their blades pointing to the right... All of these swords are different.
At the bottom of the card, below the swords is a fox, curled up and with one eye open, peeping out from the brush of his / her tail. The fox is lying on another, seventh horizontal sword, this one is facing the opposite way to the rest though.
The 7 Swords has never been a card of deception to me. I can see that interpretation in it but it's certainly not the only one and not the main one either.
Sevens relate to The Chariot - 7 is a very mystical, magical number and it's usually about going deeper, challenging oneself, looking within, moving forward. It comes after the harmony and balance of the 6s and is the challenge that we give ourselves to move forward from the comfort of the 6s towards the harvest of the 8s..
Sevens are about overcoming obstacles and the 7 Swords to me is usually about using wit, strategy and intellect to do that - hence the depiction of the guy sneaking off with the swords in most versions of this card that give that very narrow interpretation of 'thief' or 'deception'..
This card says to me that something isn't being shown, something is being held back. The querant (the fox) is using his brain to get around a problem and that may mean showing a different face to the World, it may mean keeping some information just for himself and not telling something.
He's keeping his cards close to his chest because that's the best strategy right now.
I'm not sure at all of the significance of the sword that the fox is lying on facing the other direction to the rest but that's because I've only just noticed that and it hasn't been apparent in any readings that this card has shown up in so far.
There's no colour on this card.
At the top of the card are 6 horizontal swords, their hilts to the left, their blades pointing to the right... All of these swords are different.
At the bottom of the card, below the swords is a fox, curled up and with one eye open, peeping out from the brush of his / her tail. The fox is lying on another, seventh horizontal sword, this one is facing the opposite way to the rest though.
The 7 Swords has never been a card of deception to me. I can see that interpretation in it but it's certainly not the only one and not the main one either.
Sevens relate to The Chariot - 7 is a very mystical, magical number and it's usually about going deeper, challenging oneself, looking within, moving forward. It comes after the harmony and balance of the 6s and is the challenge that we give ourselves to move forward from the comfort of the 6s towards the harvest of the 8s..
Sevens are about overcoming obstacles and the 7 Swords to me is usually about using wit, strategy and intellect to do that - hence the depiction of the guy sneaking off with the swords in most versions of this card that give that very narrow interpretation of 'thief' or 'deception'..
This card says to me that something isn't being shown, something is being held back. The querant (the fox) is using his brain to get around a problem and that may mean showing a different face to the World, it may mean keeping some information just for himself and not telling something.
He's keeping his cards close to his chest because that's the best strategy right now.
I'm not sure at all of the significance of the sword that the fox is lying on facing the other direction to the rest but that's because I've only just noticed that and it hasn't been apparent in any readings that this card has shown up in so far.