A Scorpio-heavy sky has me pondering swords cards very often these days, some of which I tend to keep tucked deep in the deck.
The four of swords represents rest. She holds one sword firmly in one hand while three others threaten her into retreat. She is naked in her inactivity, falling gracefully with surrender. This card suggests the effort required in taking rest, and also the circumstances that force rest upon us. It serves simultaneously as a warning and an invitation.
Taking pause to regenerate during fall and winter may be difficult to practice, yet it’s essential to our health. In rest, we rebuild from the inside out. Our cells regenerate, our minds make brilliant new connections, and our souls return to source. Rest in proper doses develops mindfulness, understanding and beauty, all without our having to lift an eyelid. Without retreat we lack insight, which can lead to an irrational view of life.
The five of swords represents a lack of prioritization. This card is a complicated one, usually referring to a situation with weightier details. The number five in Tarot often points to shaken mindfulness and opportunity for maturation across all suits.
Usually, we can see ourselves in both characters in the five of swords. One figure is high in the air, twisting her lunar blade into the back of another. Her legs are blades, referring to the limitations that come from harming others. Should this card arise in a reading, face the broken currents in your relationships with a rested mind.
The King of Swords offers a word of advice as we pass from this season to the next: be mindful of your mind, of which you are the leader and follower. Sharpen your mindfulness as if it were a sacred blade. Be bold in your reflections. Try to see what your soul needs to see in the cards, not just what your ego wants to see.
King of Swords Mindfulness Map:
For moments in which you’ve fallen into a distressed state of mind, a magical map can come in quite handy.
~Write your name with a consecrated pen (bless a pen with intention and/or dress it with sage/rosemary oil) on a clean piece of paper. Underneath, write distressed states of mind across the top of the page, like “hungry,” “angry,” “lonely,” “tired,” “limited,” and/or “rigid.”
~For each word, map out a path of action items that nourish your soul in the case that you feel that way. For example, list foods nourishing comfort foods below “hungry,” list release methods (like smashing old plates or going for a run) beneath “angry,” people or animals you can call on beneath “lonely”, etc.
~Connect the words with colored pencils or pens in hues that relate to the theme of the list. Let your map take twists and turns if you like, as one listed action might also work in another list.
~Dress your map in an empowering oil and keep it in a container or pouch (try hand-sewing one) with a crystal or two. An inspirational stone, like citrine, uplifts and cleanses itself as well as other stones in its midst, preventing cosmic dust from collecting. Black onyx and tourmaline both offer protection and healthful benefits. Use your instincts to select stones for your energetic needs.
~Keep your mindfulness pouch within reach, especially during waning moon days. Reach for it when you feel the need. Open the map and find your way back to a place of peace and empowerment. This pouch serves as an especially powerful spell to remedy moments of mental anguish.
Happy new moon in Scorpio.
