ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STUDY GROUP - 4 Swords

rwcarter

Four soldiers sit in the sand, talking of the past. Sand suggests that which is unstable or impermanent. It also may be tiny irritants that annoy when they rub against the skin.

Each soldier's sword is stuck in the ground behind them so that it's readily available if needed. Behind the group, an army marches through the gates of a walled city. The army marching through the walls of the city suggests an obstacle that has been overcome, a barrier that has been breached or old patterns, emotions or belief systems that have been challenged and possibly shattered. It can also represent any threshold that's been crossed.

"To bear arms" is to be ready for battle. Although the soldiers don't bear arms, their arms are bare, suggesting that they feel exposed.

The soldiers look bored and unhappy, as if they don't know what to do with themselves if they're not fighting. Alternatively, they may feel that whatever they were fighting for was more important than peace. Either way, their body language isn't suggestive of a happy or light-hearted conversation.

In the background of the card, there appears to be some kind of commander on a chariot and a warrior with his shield at the ready. Between them is a figure holding the same kind of standard with streamers that each of the army battalions carries. It may just be a trick of the light, but the streamers on his standard seem to form a white flag of surrender.

Rodney