Today we move on to the Nine of Swords, which - in the
system I use - is linked to Mars in Gemini, and the middle ten days of this
sign (31st May to 10th June, approximately).
Just to recap: Gemini is the mutable Air sign, so we’re
concerned with the exchange of knowledge and information through networks,
through language and ideas. It’s about
communication, as well as the market place. Mars brings determination, drive,
assertiveness, perhaps even some aggression into the mix. Fire and Air – that suggests passionate
conversations, curiosity around new ideas, perhaps a suggestion of
open-mindedness. Not the things we
usually associate with the Nine of Swords, though, so what are we missing?
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Nine of Swords
(trimmed):
©Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot
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The Nine of Swords is often called the card of nightmares. It’s
about unfounded fears – not unlike the Eight of Swords, in a way; fears that
aren’t based in reality. Here though, we
have the conflict (Mars) between what we think (Gemini/Air) and what we feel
(the passion of Mars, perhaps) – symbolized in the Sharman-Burke/Caselli image by the
air symbols and red hearts on the quilt.
Notice how the swords don’t touch the girl – just like the Eight of
Swords; the situation is not always as bad as we think or fear it is. There
could also be an element of being uncertain of what it is we want, and the
doubt that comes with that being blown out of proportion by Martian energy – harsh
or cruel words that create a deep wound, for instance, making us feel ashamed
or oppressed for no good reason.
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Nine of Swords
(trimmed):
© Shadowsacpes Tarot
|
There’s a sense of that Mars in the Shadowscapes’ version
too – we see a hunter with a gun in this image.
But he also has wings, a means of heading upwards towards the bright orb
above him – a pinprick of hope - should he choose to. He’s doubting himself, torturing himself
through fear – but there’s a way out of it, if he ‘wakes up’.
The number ‘9’ is thought by some to be magical – it
certainly appears often in many mythologies: the Nine Muses, the Celtic
nine-fold sisterhood, the nine sisters’ rulership of the Fortunate Isles, and
so on). These tie into the concept of choosing to start a new cycle, something
we often consider in tarot – the nine being the penultimate card before the end
of one cycle or phase, and preparation for a new one. In the Swords, this can
represent the sorrow and the mental anguish that comes at the end of something,
be it a separation or bereavement – but it also carries the knowledge that
‘this too shall pass’.
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Nine of Swords (trimmed):
© SDruidCraft Tarot
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I often think of the phrase’ light at the end of the tunnel’
when I look at the Druid Craft’s version of this card. It seems to me that the
head of the bed is bathed in light, and the swords glint as if there’s light
coming in from the left side of the card. As the Swords are associated with
dawn in the Druid Craft (and in other decks), this could be the sun rising.
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Nine of Swords (trimmed):
© Thoth Tarot
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The Thoth version takes this to another level, that of
‘cruelty’ to ourselves. It sees the
passion of Mars becoming revenge, or even martyrdom – a tendency to put
ourselves down in a harsh, critical way.
Gemini is linked to our early childhood, our relationship with siblings
as well as teachers – our formative years. If we remember harsh comments or
criticisms from that time, we may continue to perpetuate these ourselves,
becoming our own worst critic – and probably intensifying the original comment
or criticism (or what we perceived as criticism). The nine swords represent suffering – through
lack of clarity. We no longer have the
ability to see things as they are, because our thoughts have become
‘destructive’ – we’ve lost the ability to make choices. We need to open our minds again, to see and
recognize the reality of the situation.
Beginner’s
Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated
by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections
DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip
Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published
by Connections
Shadowscapes Tarot created
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn
Thoth Tarot
created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris. Published by US
Games Systems Inc.
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