Libra in the Druidcraft’s court cards

I’m taking a break from the Minor Arcana today. Instead, I’m looking at Libra in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  Generally  (but not always!) these correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Libra is the cardinal Air sign, I’m looking for the Swords court card that’s associated with cardinality. 

Druidcraft Tarot (trimmed)

So what court card does this represent?  If you work with a system that assigns cardinality to the Kings, you’re looking at the King of Swords.  Although the Druidcraft was not created with astrology in mind, I want to look at the King of Swords in this deck to see if I can see any Libran qualities at work.

Here we have the King on his throne, wearing various shades of blue, a colour often linked to the intellect and to the element of Air. He wields a double-edged sword, which could be seen as a Libran symbol, a reminder of the Libran theme of having to cut a way through any tangles in order to make a decision.  As an Air sign, Libra is more interested in maintaining balance and order through words, rather than by physical force.  The pen may be mightier than the sword, but here I think the sword represents the pen!   I could certainly see him as a mediator, able to rise above and see the issues clearly and without prejudice.

The King of Swords is sometimes associated with the legal profession, particularly in terms of truth and social justice.  This King appears calm and in charge of things – everything’s in balance, in order.  

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Libra in the Druidcraft’s Minor Arcana: The Two of Swords

Now let’s turn to the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Libra is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Swords. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Swords, which corresponds to the Moon in Libra. It also corresponds to the first 10 days of Libra – this year, from the 23^rd September to 3^rd October.

Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason.  Libra, as we’ve already seen in previous posts, is also about partnerships of all kinds, but the emphasis isn’t on the passion but rather on the contractual side of things – wanting to ensure equality and fairness within the relationship, be it personal or professional.  Libra, through its rulership by Venus, is the peacemaker, the lover of harmony and refinement.

The Moon is associated with the element of Water, through its rulership of Cancer, and so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  The Moon in Libra, then, will bring sensitivity to what could otherwise be a quite detached, ‘airy’ approach to relationship.  The Moon in Libra will want to protect and nurture those partnerships, and will quite probably be very aware of their partner’s emotions and how they might react to situations. They may also be very vulnerable to their own emotions!

Druidcraft Tarot (detail)

So how might this play out in the Two of Swords? The Druidcraft follows the tradition of the blindfolded woman and the crossed swords, but here she turns her back to us, facing instead into the forest.  Two paths stretch out before her, both leading into the forest - but where they will end up is unclear.

  

The blindfold, I think, serves two purposes.  Is she hiding, and in so doing, protecting herself (the Moon), from the challenges and difficult decisions (Libra) facing her?  The challenges are in front of her but by choosing to cover her eyes, she doesn’t have to face them. She’s at a crossroads – shown by the diverging path but also the crossed swords she holds in front of her. Hiding from reality takes a lot of effort, though, and that effort can’t be maintained indefinitely; those two swords will become too heavy. 

 

The other way to approach this is to see the wearing of the blindfold as a means of shutting out external influences. By drawing on intuition rather than over-protection (using the Moon’s energy in a different way), a way forward can be clearly seen. She senses the right time to make the decision, the right time to take action, to challenge or to mediate.

Either way, we are still dealing with opposition (the Two), two opposing points of view, which need to be reconciled.  The Libran qualities of peace (also connected to the Moon) and harmony (through Venus’ rulership) are required in the form of mediation and/or diplomacy.  If not an actual opposition, it will be a dilemma – a wavering between two options (the Libran ‘indecisiveness’, which I think isn’t really indecisiveness – more that there are so many things to weigh up that time is required). 

We’re asked here to question, to use our mental awareness – the cardinal, airy qualities of Libra as well as the instinct of the Moon – to decide what is just and fair.  In that way, the scales will be balanced, bringing a sense of ‘peace’ and resolution.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections