Guest Night Shade Posted November 26, 2018 Posted November 26, 2018 This was a tough one, but I managed to come up with a couple of themes for the RWS 5 of Swords that will help to put a positive spin on it if comes up in your reading. The first theme is conquest. Not as in domination over others, but conquering the obstacles in your life. The man in the foreground represents this positive spin. Sure, he looks a little smug, but maybe he has a right to be. Maybe he's conquered an illness, addiction, financial problems, or his own insecurities or negative thinking. His red hair suggests that he's "fired up" and ready to move forward. The second theme is surrender. Sometimes, no matter how much you struggle, you're just fighting a losing battle. Sometimes people even keep fighting for something they don't even want anymore, simply because they don't want to lose. Whether you're fighting for a job, a relationship, or just trying to be something you're not - really anything at all - you have to decide if it's worth all of the time and effort you're putting into it, and all of the resulting stress. If not, if it's just making you miserable and taking its toll on you, then maybe it's best to lay down your sword and surrender. Accept that it's just not meant to be, and feel the sense of relief that comes from letting go. The two men in the background represent two different ways to spin this card's meaning to one of positive surrender. The larger figure seems to have shrugged the whole thing off. He's throwing his coat over his shoulder and sauntering off, with an "oh well, whatever, that's life" attitude. He hasn't let himself get discouraged; he's accepted defeat gracefully, and is moving on to the bigger and better things that come with the 6 of Swords. The smaller figure seems to be weeping profusely. The positive spin here is similar to that of the 9 of Swords. Like the woman on the 9, he's processing his grief and mourning his losses, so he can heal and move on. So while this card may always indicate some kind of troubles, it can also suggest you can overcome them, or let go and move on.
Cookie Posted November 26, 2018 Posted November 26, 2018 This is the dirtiest card in the pack; the man in the foreground is everything that is wrong with our societies. He is the apex predator, the bully, the person who'll pretend to be a friend but stab you in the back; he is the person who''l destroy another person's reputation by spreading nasty rumours around town because he's jealous of them. He is a person you'll never beat because there is no morals & will stoop to any depths. He is the man with the double-smile. However, I like you spin on him, particularly surrender. It's so true about the energy it takes to be someone you're not, or you fight for something & then you realise that even if you keep your job, relationship etc you'll always be fighting for it without any peace. And that release and realisation when you finally walk away goes deep inside & is a major turning point in a persons life. And i'm guessing this card is about pride too, and pride is a huge downfall (isn't it one of the deadly sins) A song has just come into my head that my grandpa used to play by Kenny Rodgers about a gunfighter telling his son to walk away from trouble & and not waste his life on pettiness & pride like he had. Another take on the card is that the man at the shore crying comes back to take back what's his and humiliate his once tormentor in the 7 of swords. Which is true, if a person treats another so badly then they will come back for revenge like the Nazis on the run in south america who were relentlessly pursued, and who were killed or captured & hauled back to Israel for trial and execution
Guest Night Shade Posted November 27, 2018 Posted November 27, 2018 This is the dirtiest card in the pack; the man in the foreground is everything that is wrong with our societies. He is the apex predator, the bully, the person who'll pretend to be a friend but stab you in the back; he is the person who''l destroy another person's reputation by spreading nasty rumours around town because he's jealous of them. He is a person you'll never beat because there is no morals & will stoop to any depths. He is the man with the double-smile. However, I like you spin on him, particularly surrender. It's so true about the energy it takes to be someone you're not, or you fight for something & then you realise that even if you keep your job, relationship etc you'll always be fighting for it without any peace. And that release and realisation when you finally walk away goes deep inside & is a major turning point in a persons life. And i'm guessing this card is about pride too, and pride is a huge downfall (isn't it one of the deadly sins) A song has just come into my head that my grandpa used to play by Kenny Rodgers about a gunfighter telling his son to walk away from trouble & and not waste his life on pettiness & pride like he had. Another take on the card is that the man at the shore crying comes back to take back what's his and humiliate his once tormentor in the 7 of swords. Which is true, if a person treats another so badly then they will come back for revenge like the Nazis on the run in south america who were relentlessly pursued, and who were killed or captured & hauled back to Israel for trial and execution Your take on this card is really powerful, Cookie. To add to your interpretation of the man in the foreground: not only will he stab you in the back, he'll do it with your own sword, and he'll do it just for fun. He's the "mean guy" or "mean girl" who hates themselves deep down inside, so they find a scapegoat to destroy so they can feel superior. I really love your idea about the man at the shore making plans to confront his tormentor. Instead of moving on to better times and a better life in the 6 of Swords, he's moving towards revenge. In a way it's self-sabotage, choosing to to stay in a place of anger and hate instead of letting go and finding peace, but really it is basic human nature. Sometimes your mind and soul won't stop screaming until you've tried to make things right - the trick is to not let justice slide into vengeance. As much as you would like to destroy your tormentors, it would be a tragedy to become just like them.
Cookie Posted November 27, 2018 Posted November 27, 2018 This is the dirtiest card in the pack; the man in the foreground is everything that is wrong with our societies. He is the apex predator, the bully, the person who'll pretend to be a friend but stab you in the back; he is the person who''l destroy another person's reputation by spreading nasty rumours around town because he's jealous of them. He is a person you'll never beat because there is no morals & will stoop to any depths. He is the man with the double-smile. However, I like you spin on him, particularly surrender. It's so true about the energy it takes to be someone you're not, or you fight for something & then you realise that even if you keep your job, relationship etc you'll always be fighting for it without any peace. And that release and realisation when you finally walk away goes deep inside & is a major turning point in a persons life. And i'm guessing this card is about pride too, and pride is a huge downfall (isn't it one of the deadly sins) A song has just come into my head that my grandpa used to play by Kenny Rodgers about a gunfighter telling his son to walk away from trouble & and not waste his life on pettiness & pride like he had. Another take on the card is that the man at the shore crying comes back to take back what's his and humiliate his once tormentor in the 7 of swords. Which is true, if a person treats another so badly then they will come back for revenge like the Nazis on the run in south america who were relentlessly pursued, and who were killed or captured & hauled back to Israel for trial and execution Your take on this card is really powerful, Cookie. To add to your interpretation of the man in the foreground: not only will he stab you in the back, he'll do it with your own sword, and he'll do it just for fun. He's the "mean guy" or "mean girl" who hates themselves deep down inside, so they find a scapegoat to destroy so they can feel superior. I really love your idea about the man at the shore making plans to confront his tormentor. Instead of moving on to better times and a better life in the 6 of Swords, he's moving towards revenge. In a way it's self-sabotage, choosing to to stay in a place of anger and hate instead of letting go and finding peace, but really it is basic human nature. Sometimes your mind and soul won't stop screaming until you've tried to make things right - the trick is to not let justice slide into vengeance. As much as you would like to destroy your tormentors, it would be a tragedy to become just like them. Oh I love that ..."killed with your own sword" ...that's like the ultimate obscene destroyer. Yes, i guess the moving on & forgiveness would be a person who is abused all their life but instead of hatred (and all the self-loathing that it brings) is to help other people who have been abused in the same way through counselling & the like. That would be moving onto 6 of swords. But talking about giving up one's life for revenge: My mum's friend used to work for a Human Rights Organisation in Palestine, ... I was only small when she showed me this video of two young brothers who were PLO fighters who'd killed an Israel soldier and some settlers and were in court to get life sentences. THey didn't care ...they raised their fists and shouted pro-liberation & anti-Israeli slogans & laughed at the sentences even though they'd been in solitary for 6 months and were going to spend the rest of their lives in prison. I will never forget the looks on their faces ... it was pure liberation & joy and hatred all at the same time. Then my mum's friend told me their whole family had been wiped out by an Israeli missile at the ages of 8 & 9, and they witnessed it. Hatred can be an incredible energy. Anyway, on a lighter note i really enjoy your posts on the brighter side of the more difficult cards ... it really makes me think about them
Guest Night Shade Posted November 27, 2018 Posted November 27, 2018 Oh I love that ..."killed with your own sword" ...that's like the ultimate obscene destroyer. Yes, i guess the moving on & forgiveness would be a person who is abused all their life but instead of hatred (and all the self-loathing that it brings) is to help other people who have been abused in the same way through counselling & the like. That would be moving onto 6 of swords. But talking about giving up one's life for revenge: My mum's friend used to work for a Human Rights Organisation in Palestine, ... I was only small when she showed me this video of two young brothers who were PLO fighters who'd killed an Israel soldier and some settlers and were in court to get life sentences. THey didn't care ...they raised their fists and shouted pro-liberation & anti-Israeli slogans & laughed at the sentences even though they'd been in solitary for 6 months and were going to spend the rest of their lives in prison. I will never forget the looks on their faces ... it was pure liberation & joy and hatred all at the same time. Then my mum's friend told me their whole family had been wiped out by an Israeli missile at the ages of 8 & 9, and they witnessed it. Hatred can be an incredible energy. Anyway, on a lighter note i really enjoy your posts on the brighter side of the more difficult cards ... it really makes me think about them Wow - I don't even know what to say about that story, except that it's extremely tragic all around. I think that when you reach that level of despair joy and hatred become intimately connected, because the only joy you have is hating your enemies. It's easy to talk about moving on and forgiveness (and I do think that, when possible, it's the best path to take, if only for your own peace of mind), but so hard to put into practice when your world has been destroyed, or your self-worth has been ripped to shreds. Well, as you said, on a lighter note. I'm glad you enjoy these posts, Cookie[/member] , thank you. I'm trying to figure out which card to work on next. Do you have any requests?
Cookie Posted November 27, 2018 Posted November 27, 2018 Yes, I have! my request is the 5 of pentacles. It is a very interesting card for me. The imagery is very Dickensian, and as we're nearly at that time of year ... Scrooge, Oliver Twist & that.... it would be a good card to do I think. I'll look forward to it !
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