What is the story with Swords? (RWS)

[teleriprincess]

I was doing an exercise the other day where I went through the suites in order and tried to connect each card to the one before and after it in a "story" because I know the suites and Majors are supposed to represent cycles. I got some perspective on Wands, Cups, and Pentacles, but when it came to Swords I was lost! The cards don't seem to connect to one another very much, especially not in a way resembling a journey leading up to the courts (mastery of that suite). And so many of the Swords cards seem so negative to me, I had a really difficult time putting a positive spin on most of them (3 of Swords, 5 of Swords, 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 of Swords). I just don't see a journey of positive growth in this suite at all, and I'm not feeling super about it.

How should I be looking at these cards?

 

[RiverRunsDeep]

Hmmm, I actually have the opposite view.... I see the Swords as the
ultimate journey of positive growth! It is the darkest times of our lives
that shape our character, that force us to find a way out of the darkness
to be the person we are meant to be.

Rather than labeling the Swords as negative, I see them as challenges,
temporary obstacles, or potential weaknesses in myself or others. I guess
you could call those "negative", but what better way is there to achieve
personal growth than by working your way through challenges?

I also see the Swords as primarily (though not always) descriptive of our
mental and intellectual abilities. Therefore, I see the Swords as opportunities
for mental clarity, for thinking outside the box, and for focusing our thoughts
to discover solutions to our problems.

A couple of examples:

3 of Swords: Heartbreak is devastating, and we all have the right to wallow
in our misery at times, but it is in our power to overcome. How are we
adding to or contributing to our own misery? What steps can we take to
remove those swords and move forward?

9 of Swords: This card usually means I'm being a complete stress-bomb, but
usually with good reason. It makes me realize that excessive worry and
sleepless nights serve no purpose except to make me feel worse and make
me even less equipped to deal with the stressful situation. It makes me
think, "How can I be proactive rather than reactive in this situation?"

So, for me, the focus of the Swords is not necessarily on the "negative"
situation, but on what I'm going to do about it. The Swords are not so much
the manifestation of personal growth, as they are the opportunity for it.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[Thirteen]

You are quite right that RWS Swords, as defined by Waite, are heavily negative. You can base that, in part, on Waite who seemed to feel that there ought to be cards for bad news and gave that to the Swords suit. If you examine the Thoth deck with Crowley's views, you'll find those definitions far more positive. Crowley liked the Swords, while Waite didn't (more or less).

However! To be fair to Waite, Swords are all about the mind and communication. It isn't surprising that they're often tricky, complicated, and lead to worries, issues, etc. You fight with swords, right? And sword fights aren't pleasant; even if you win them, you might still be cut and hurt.

As for the story of the Swords, think of them on-line communication. Ace is the glimmer of some idea you want to express. You post this idea.. 2 is arguments over this idea (like people going off topic), and you get them to stop, temporarily. 3 is betrayal—someone you relied on to be in your corner is not, and you're on your own. 4 is you go off line for a while, to rest your mind and think about it. 5 is back on, but as you express your idea, others pick it apart. Hard lessons, but needed if one is going to succeed. 6 is finally seeing the idea expressed right. 7 is either fighting off others wanting to steal your idea or you talking others into agreeing with your idea. 8 is the fear of stepping on toes and getting bad mouthed, and 9 is worry over your idea succeeding that you're sleepless.

10 and, to quote Shakespeare, the rest is silence. Waite has it that what others will say about it will shut you up. Not a happy end, but it is an end. Best case—you've said all you have to say on it.

Does that help?

 

[bonebeach]

I've been thinking about the swords lately as I've been using a RWS based deck again. I agree that Waite portrays the swords very negatively, but that's never sit quite right with me. Sometimes in life you NEED a sword, you know? So I've been striving to think of them as indicators of useful action. And yeah, sometimes useful action is by definition forceful, if you have significant obstacles to overcome. Taken that way, I think the swords do tell a story of successive mastery, kind of...the swords just take it a little further and become a cautionary tale. OR: they flip perspective.

I think most people usually read the ten of swords while identifying with the corpse, if that makes sense. "Ruin," according to Waite, right? Here you are, betrayed and at the lowest point.

But what if instead we're on the other side of that card, metaphorically? Then the ten of swords becomes a warning that maybe we're being too forceful in some way, and that our actions might hurt others.

And then AGAIN, I could see a situation where I read the ten of swords as "good news, you have totally slain that problem that you had." Like: you just decisively overcame that addiction, or that unemployment slump (because now you have a great job!), or you finally moved on past that toxic relationship you had with your crazy ex.

It's kind of like the Death card, maybe. Ten of swords--SOMETHING is slain. That doesn't mean it's you, and that doesn't have to be "bad."

Just my take on things. I'm quite sure that's not what Waite had in mind, buuut...

edited to add: I agree with RiverRunsDeep about the nine of swords, as well. I read it as an indication that my INTERNAL state is off, and I need to actively do something to change my thinking because it's self destructive. And that's sometimes very different than having something bad happen, because we are human beings and we can stress bomb about anything at all.

 

[teleriprincess]

I've been thinking about the swords lately as I've been using a RWS based deck again. I agree that Waite portrays the swords very negatively, but that's never sit quite right with me. Sometimes in life you NEED a sword, you know? So I've been striving to think of them as indicators of useful action. And yeah, sometimes useful action is by definition forceful, if you have significant obstacles to overcome. Taken that way, I think the swords do tell a story of successive mastery, kind of...the swords just take it a little further and become a cautionary tale. OR: they flip perspective.

I think most people usually read the ten of swords while identifying with the corpse, if that makes sense. "Ruin," according to Waite, right? Here you are, betrayed and at the lowest point.

But what if instead we're on the other side of that card, metaphorically? Then the ten of swords becomes a warning that maybe we're being too forceful in some way, and that our actions might hurt others.

And then AGAIN, I could see a situation where I read the ten of swords as "good news, you have totally slain that problem that you had." Like: you just decisively overcame that addiction, or that unemployment slump (because now you have a great job!), or you finally moved on past that toxic relationship you had with your crazy ex.

It's kind of like the Death card, maybe. Ten of swords--SOMETHING is slain. That doesn't mean it's you, and that doesn't have to be "bad."

Just my take on things. I'm quite sure that's not what Waite had in mind, buuut...

edited to add: I agree with RiverRunsDeep about the nine of swords, as well. I read it as an indication that my INTERNAL state is off, and I need to actively do something to change my thinking because it's self destructive. And that's sometimes very different than having something bad happen, because we are human beings and we can stress bomb about anything at all.

Your view of the 10 of Swords is very helpful! I actually always think of Death as a really positive card when it shows up (perhaps because I feel like I have difficulties in letting things go), so that comparison really works for me! Thank you!

 

[Zephyros]

The cards should be looked at in context, not just as a set of disparate images. Something like the Ten of Swords isn't "just" a corpse, but a corpse with ten symbols relating to the mind stuck into it, and so should one look at all the images in the Minors. Perhaps the best example is the Nine of Swords, the "nightmare" card, but the Ten is what comes after, the complete breakdown of the mind, total annihilation. I myself have gotten in when I was urged to go to bed and wasn't getting any work done.

While the swords may look negative, seen in context they relate to states of the mind which can be devastating, but they needn't necessarily have "real world" connotations. Sometimes, of course, they do, and they don't always relate solely to the mind, just as Cups can be about money and Discs about feelings, but that's the general direction of the Swords. The Six, for example, may seem like a mournful card, but when looked at through the lens of Swords one can see simple empirical deduction, in essence, something didn't work and one is moving on to something else.

The Eight obviously relates to restrictions, but the figure is hemmed in by its own thoughts, not external influences. Taken further, the Eight "becomes" the Nine when things get worse (suffering from depression, for example, or circuitous thought cycles, which leads to anxiety, nightmares, and so on to the Ten).

The Seven would seem to indicate a lack of information or mental cohesion. The Six, as discussed previously, is the ideal of every suit, and shows a balanced use of mental energy.

And so on. Always look at the suit, it can't be ignored and sheds much light on each image.

 

[LeFou]

The Swords story shows "progress" in descending order, rather than ascending.

 

[bonebeach]

Your view of the 10 of Swords is very helpful! I actually always think of Death as a really positive card when it shows up (perhaps because I feel like I have difficulties in letting things go), so that comparison really works for me! Thank you!

Thank you! I'm so glad I could help, and like I said, this was timely since I've been contemplating the swords as well. I really do feel swords = bad and cups = good is far too simplistic of a system for me to work with, so I've been trying to flesh the minors out further in my head.

And I'm also one of those people who thinks of Death as a positive card, so I'm glad that comparison in particular worked for you.

 

[Teheuti]

when it came to Swords I was lost! The cards don't seem to connect to one another very much, especially not in a way resembling a journey leading up to the courts (mastery of that suite). And so many of the Swords cards seem so negative to me, I had a really difficult time putting a positive spin on most of them (3 of Swords, 5 of Swords, 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 of Swords). I just don't see a journey of positive growth in this suite at all, and I'm not feeling super about it.

Historically the suit of Swords took on many of the characteristics of the suit of Spades (Espadas/Swords) in cartomancy, which has always been seen as the suit of pain and difficulties in the French, Italian and English systems. Etteilla reinforced this in his books on both cartomancy and Tarot, and many of Waite's meanings (as well as those of the Golden Dawn) came directly from Etteilla. So we find in Swords a progression of difficulties to their logical conclusion.

Modern Tarot readers tend to see each card as portraying a range of meanings and, therefore. more positive possibilities for the Swords are sought. I like to look at the 3 of Swords as "creative heartbreak" - the kind that leads to beautiful art, poetry and country-western lyrics (taking a cue from 3-Empress). The 9 of Swords can be deep shadow-work - daring to look at what terrifies us. Physically take the position of the RWS 10 of Swords and most people find that they let go and relax because they don't have to struggle against the odds anymore (others suggest it represents an accupuncture session).

Waite may have asked Pixie Smith to illustrate the Masonic story of the death of Hiram Abiff, architect of Solomon's Temple, as its account in the Master Mason ritual matches the card sequence closely and several illustrations appearing in Master Mason texts contain elements found in the cards. For Waite this epitomized a spiritual loss (because of the loss of the architect the Temple could not be rebuilt) whose restitution was found in the Major Arcana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Abiff

 

[Thirteen]

Waite may have asked Pixie Smith to illustrate the Masonic story of the death of Hiram Abiff, architect of Solomon's Temple, as its account in the Master Mason ritual matches the card sequence closely and several illustrations appearing in Master Mason texts contain elements found in the cards. For Waite this epitomized a spiritual loss (because of the loss of the architect the Temple could not be rebuilt) whose restitution was found in the Major Arcana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Abiff

Wonderful historical info, Teheuti! I did not know that. Thank you!

It puts a very different spin on the 10/Swords. Instead of the man being murdered to "shut him up" he's cut down because he won't reveal important secrets. This ennobles the card. The ideas developed from Ace on up, the ones agonized over and such, become important. So much so that by the end, the person holding them would rather die than revel them to anyone unworthy. The aim (and lesson learned) being to better the world by offering up valuable knowledge to those who can better the world with it—the ones who will use it to build something wonderful. This instead of telling it to those who will use it selfishly and badly—to destroy.

Thus, the person who, at the start, would tell anyone and everyone their thoughts, ends up determined to speaks his/her thoughts only to the worthy, to those who will understand and make good use of such. No matter what.