This is such a refreshing change from RWS images... it brings the 7 into more focus I think... using your head to achieve success.
It makes me think of burning the candle at both ends or burning the midnight oil... late nights spent in thought and planning... using all available knowledge to establish a point perhaps, getting it all in writing. Maybe that is what the knotwork carved into the desk is about, tying things up in knots... or feeling bound by thoughts, etc.
I like that the 4 swords are pointing downward, resting on the table and the 3 Swords lay on it... that past issues are put to rest... or are on the table to see... that this is a time of contemplative action and putting things to the test. That makes me think of agenda being "tabled" for later action after further review... old business that still needs to be addresses and taken care of at another time.
The crescent moon in the window... that maybe things have been unclear, the issues that have clouded illumination are clearing, this is transitional, a phase, and with the passage of time, what is unclear will be revealed. There is wisdom to be found, or the wisdom that comes from the accumulation of experience and knowledge... to plan wisely and carefully, that it takes time and effort and much consideration. The sky is not the deep dark of night, but lightening up... as if this long night is about over.
The fact that he is in a tower made of stone... protection... of sorts... something that is between him and the elements or the outside... a boundary, limitation as well as a shield sort of. Then again the window maybe one of opportunity as well as being open to other views and inspirations... not being entirely closed off.
His thoughts come from deep withing and I think partially from intuition, his fingers of his left hand support his head and press his "third" eye area... the frontal lobe... the area of intellect and higher thought.
Diplomacy, legalities... using intellect to pass through a difficult or tricky situations still fit... it just isn't that sneaky, stealing thing we are used to seeing. It could be he is drafting his will or memoirs... writing history or a treatiese... it could be anything, from philosophy to a simple letter. But with all the scrolls and parchments and the concentration ... something that is very meaningful and could factor in as being the key to success in the future. So to me it brings a much more positive way of looking at this card and how to read it in different situations.