DruidCraft 3 of Swords

Haunted Wood

The first time I looked at this card I thought that the tree was something of a magic tree, the three notches are where you put the swords, and doing this unlocks the stone heart somehow, like a key in a way. I imagine the stone heart opening up like one of those heart locket necklaces. And that works for me because I personally don't find the 3 of swords to mean heartbreak, I see it as opening up the heart. Sometimes I have seen it as a message that I am being too closed off, that I am my own worst enemy in many ways. That the way I communicate is sending out the wrong impression, that I'm coming across too cold...most likely because of a fear of showing my emotions, of putting myself out there and taking a risk when it comes to affairs of the heart. It's a fear of letting someone see how I really feel and of telling them my innermost thoughts because I'm afraid that they won't understand, or in the case of matters of the heart and love afraid that they won't reciprocate my feelings. A great deal of the time my fears are unfounded. It's my own mind which perpetuates it though, sometimes I talk myself out of taking a chance with something by thinking of all the negative things that could happen as a result. When really, there's just as likely a chance that something positive could happen.
 

Caedryn

I see this as the swords representing what has done the damage to the tree. The tree has been stripped of its bark and wounded. This still weighs heavily on the persons heart (indicated by the 3 swords resting on the stone heart.
The heart in defense has solidified to reduce the weight of 'what weighs heavily on ones heart'...a self-defense mechanism.

So, I still see it as a card of hurt and damage, but with old wounds healing the best they can under the present set of circumstances. I say old wounds, because the tree is not leaking sap, and the wounds look weathered.

~ C
 

coyoteblack

Hello All,

This is one of those cards that always confused me. We have a suit of logic and verbal communication , a number that generally is about synthesis or at the least one meets two and something happens .
But the picture generally shows a broken heart which does not seem to go with the element or number.
After almost a decade with this deck I take it to mean the pointy swords pierce the heart showing the truth . The broken heart comes from the illusion of the perfect someone or something being broken . But because this is a card of logic we can learn and grow out of the knowledge gained here.
 

Starshower

Hi, coyoteblack. YES! I too see the suite as being about reason, logic, communication, verbal articulation; and the number 3 as initial success ... as you say, 1 + 2 & then something new happens.
Here (as in many 3 of Swords cards) I too don't interpret it as just emotional heartbreak.
For me, the 3 Swords represent thought, insight, analysis, wisdom, understanding etc and are an encouragement to THINK about things and 'cut to the chase', as it were.
The heart represents the strong feeling / emotion.
The piercing swords are insightful thoughts & probings that analyse those feelings and get to the point of what is causing them & why.
So I don't see it as negative at all (& I don't believe in literal predictions anyway, since the future isn't set in stone and depends at least to some extent on us - our attitudes, thoughts, words & actions.)
So I see incisive thoughts cutting to the heart of the matter - and hopefully finding wisdom.
In a reading, I see this card as advice to think clearly and analyse the heart of a problem or issue. :)
 

coyoteblack

Starshaower

That was really well said , I have always " stuck up" for the swords suit and generally think the three's are about a good time for all as it is expressed through the element . you definition is really awesome and I shall combine it with my understanding in the future.
 

Starshower

Oh goodie, I'm so glad you understand & agree! I've been fretting about how badly I expressed myself & hoping it didn't seem like utter nonsense. Hooray!

Yes: your 1 + 2 = something new would be:
1 - a feeling / state / situation / emotion / problem presenting itself;
2 - applying the 'sharp' scalpel of clear thoughts to analyse it logically and think it out;
3 - an 'aha!' moment: the new understanding & insight gained.
All definitely 'point' to 'Initial Success' - which is the general positive vibe of the 3s. :) :) :)




ps I love the Swords suite too and 'stick up' for it. Intelligence & soaring Imagination! :)
I've always valued analysis, deep thought, pondering, speculating, imagining things out with all their ramifications over just knee-jerk reactions, which can very occasionally be right, but are usually shallow & just 'conditioned responses' (which people dress up as 'intuition' out of mental laziness) & which most often get us into scrapes! I love the powers of the mind, when controlled & honed, and think this suite is terribly important in the makeup of a whole personality - at least as much as following whims & impulses, asserting one's brute strength or being merely materialistic. We need to develop all 4 faculties / soul qualities equally to function optimally, imo. I struggle with Pents (practicality) & Wands (assertiveness & drive.) lol.
 

celticnoodle

I haven't read through each post in this thread yet, only got to WW post, which sums it up beautifully, imho. Its how I see it and have always seen this card. I will add that trees are seen as wise beings too, and given how large this tree is, it must have been intended to show a very wise and strong old soul here. Whatever 'wound' it sustained from the three swords, it still grew and moved past it, but has also learned a lot from the wound as well.

I love this deck myself, save the fact that the cards are so large and hard for me to use with my small hands. Its a great and expressive deck.

I've had problems figuring out this card too, and "cheat" by going with the usual meanings for it.

But the tree has been wounded, and the knots things remind me of how insects take advantage of wounds in trees, that they invade the tree unless it can ooze sap and it dries to make a protective barrier. So the tree has healed over, but it has left a scar, making it vulnerable to infestation. The three swords are pointed down, to allow the tree to heal, but could be what created the wounds in the first place.

The swords rest on a stone heart, that maybe one has to harden their heart a bit, so the swords can't harm it.

So in one way, wounds heal and leave scars and make you more vulnerable to parasites... allowing them entry will eventually weaken the tree to disease and rot. A stone heart can't be penetrated nor hurt, but it is heavy and grounded, so can't grow or experience anything either.

Funny this card showed up for my daily reading, and here is your entry on it.
 

Thoughtful

l have had this lovely deck sometime now and like most of you l wasn't sure how to interpret the 3 swords at first. Mainly because it is more a practical, communicative suit.

To me it gave the impression of past emotions/ ghosts rising up from the past, the swords are at rest but pointing and resting on the ghostlike images, as if to say, time to put the ghosts of the past to rest, and get back into the world of now, look upwards and to the future. Time to heal the scars of a broken hardened heart.

Another way of reading it maybe that someone is working mentally and with determination to overcome these emotional ghosts of the past. They are laying it all to rest as the swords are not piercing the heart anymore but rather confronting the ghosts.

This may be too simplistic but it's how l have seen it, and even with everyone's explanation of wounded tree, scars etc. which is wonderful, l can't help but see the ghosts they have stuck in my head :)