Aquarius in the DruidCraft Minor Arcana: The Seven of Swords

The Seven of Swords, in the astrological correspondence system I follow, is linked to the Moon in Aquarius - as well as to the final ten days of Aquarius (9^th/10^th-18^th February this year).   We’re still looking at Fixed Air, but now we add some water through Cancer’s rulership of the Moon.  

So if this is the sign of the unconventional and the unorthodox, the reformer and revolutionary, how is it affected by the Moon?  Well, the Moon is about emotional needs and about the way we react to things automatically, instinctively.  So an Aquarian Moon could react unpredictably, perhaps, and with a sense of detachment.  Being free to express ideas, especially ones that don’t conform to the ‘norm’, and to be innovative might give this Moon a sense of security.

But how does this fit with the Seven of Swords? This card is often linked to being stealthy – one of my tarot friends, Alison Cross, calls it the ‘Sneaky Pete’ card.  Some say it’s about making a sly escape, but I like Juliet Sharman-Burke’s description – “tact rather than aggression”.  There’s something about thinking things through and making plans for the future (Aquarius) but taking great care with those plans. Remember the Moon is ruled by Cancer, so there’s likely to be an element of protectiveness involved – possibly to the point of being underhanded.  Aquarius brings the detachment, the clarity of vision, so that any protectiveness or nurturing quality to the action is not going be based on emotional needs.  We often warn against being too free and open about what we intend to do when we see this card – that’s the Moon’s caution acting on an Aquarian desire to spread knowledge within the community.

 

Seven of Swords (trimmed):
DruidCraft Tarot

But can we see this at work in the DruidCraft, a deck not designed with astrology in mind?  I can see the Aquarian at work here, the person working with ideas, with words, with concepts – and the man in the image looks as though he’s taking great pains with his plans.  The stealthiness is less obvious, I think, but the deck’s creators, Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, write about the potential need to meet a challenge with cunning and manipulation, as well as being bold and daring – the more Aquarian approach - in the accompanying book.  The Moon representing the creation of illusion through cunning, perhaps, shining through the window?

The authors also write about another interpretation: “new ideas challenge old assumptions, insights and fresh ideas spring up, and great progress is made”.  I love the use of the word “spring” here – in the northern hemisphere, at least, the first stirrings of spring fall in Aquarius!  

DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections 2004