Wisdom through pain - Margarete Petersen’s Three of Feathers

Whenever I see the Three of Swords – or in this case, Feathers – I always think of the phrase “through sorrow comes joy”…the wisdom or knowledge that’s gained through grief.

Three of Feathers (trimmed): ©Margarete Petersen Tarot

Swords are double-edged – as are feathers. All three feathers here have been through the wars – their edges are ruffled and tatty, and feather has broken in two. Blood drips from them, but tears (or perhaps rain drops) fall from above, mixing with the blood and diluting it.  In the same way, pain – be it anger,  jealousy, grief…wherever it emanates from –  loses its intensity, eventually, over time.  The familiar sphere is behind them, emanating a sense of calm. 

Margarete Petersen writes of memories trying to tie us to old patterns in terms of the way we experience and think about things.  “Just as the blood on the feathers is not real but only red paint, repetitive memories of past hurts are also without reality or substance.”   By cutting through that pain, we can free ourselves from feelings – old fears and anxieties - that no longer serve us.

Consumed by anger,

Fear, jealousy… remember: 
From sorrow comes joy.


Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004