Mary El Tarot - Seven of Swords

Bat Chicken

http://www.mary-el.com/swords2.html

And so here is the raven, holding an emerald (see Seven of Wands). The eyes of the white serpent and black raven almost make a Yin/Yang symbol. On the aforementioned thread, Marie states that the 7’s are all influenced by Plato’s allegory of the Soul – the Chariot, that each card is an aspect, the wolves are the horses and the 7 of Swords is Reason.

From the image itself, I am reminded of the West Coast Indian legend of how Raven Stole the Sun for Man – a very Promethean legend:

Wikipedia said:
Raven steals the sun

This is an ancient story told on the Queen Charlotte Islands and includes how Raven helped to bring the Sun, Moon, Stars, Fresh Water, and Fire to the world.[1]

Long ago, near the beginning of the world, Gray Eagle was the guardian of the Sun, Moon and Stars, of fresh water, and of fire. Gray Eagle hated people so much that he kept these things hidden. People lived in darkness, without fire and without fresh water.

Gray Eagle had a beautiful daughter, and Raven fell in love with her. In the beginning, Raven was a snow-white bird, and as a such, he pleased Gray Eagle's daughter. She invited him to her father's longhouse.

When Raven saw the Sun, Moon and stars, and fresh water hanging on the sides of Eagle's lodge, he knew what he should do. He watched for his chance to seize them when no one was looking. He stole all of them, and a brand of fire also, and flew out of the longhouse through the smoke hole. As soon as Raven got outside he hung the Sun up in the sky. It made so much light that he was able to fly far out to an island in the middle of the ocean. When the Sun set, he fastened the Moon up in the sky and hung the stars around in different places. By this new light he kept on flying, carrying with him the fresh water and the brand of fire he had stolen.

He flew back over the land. When he had reached the right place, he dropped all the water he had stolen. It fell to the ground and there became the source of all the fresh-water streams and lakes in the world. Then Raven flew on, holding the brand of fire in his bill. The smoke from the fire blew back over his white feathers and made them black. When his bill began to burn, he had to drop the firebrand. It struck rocks and hid itself within them. That is why, if you strike two stones together, sparks of fire will drop out.

Raven's feathers never became white again after they were blackened by the smoke from the firebrand. That is why Raven is now a black bird.

Thoughts?
 

missy

Seven of Swords

Two beings, one light and one dark, struggle. Or two beings, both of nature, both natural enemies, struggle. The raven is the natural enemy of the snake. The raven has a pretty bauble in its mouth, an emerald. But in order to fight the snake, it must let go of the emerald. If it does not let go of the emerald, the snake will strangle the raven. I think the raven will not let go of the emerald ... because it is in the raven's nature to love shiny baubles, and the raven cannot let go of the shiny bauble. So the snake will win the fight.