Smith-waite Four of Swords Narrative ?

[iofthebeholder]

recently the four of swords has made several appearances which reminded me how the typical description and meaning most authors ascribe to this card has never seemed satisfactory to me in consideration of the actual image. pretty much all the materials i've read describe this as an image of a man or knight "resting" in a serene, protected place, implying ideas related to the positive aspects of of inactivity, renewing energies through rest, recuperation from illness, et cetera.

 

waite's own pictoral key describes the figure as an effigy on a tomb, but it has always seemed to me the lid doesn't look fully installed, clearly one corner is intentionally offset to the left and back of center revealing dark shadows inside. to me this seems to imply the sepulcher is empty, either it's intended occupant has yet to die or has somehow been resurrected or someone looted the tomb. haven't read much of waite's own writings but always heard he was known to offer superficial glosses on purpose to fulfill certain secrecy oaths. etteilla's deck which influenced waite gives "solitude" upright and "savings" reversed. 

 

almost any possible interpretation of an open tomb seems to suggest a much more complex storyline offering a richer set of potential meanings than simply "rest", perhaps something more in line with the general intensity of the swords suit like the idea of almost dying of something to the point your tomb has already been prepared but defying expectations by surviving, or someone entombed alive who escaped, or faking death to gain some advantage, and so on. none of those actually sound restful and if you look there's only a narrow bit of opening so even if a person wanted to use the sepulcher for a relaxing nap getting in and out looks kinda tricky. so i'm left feeling like my thinking on this card has wandered pretty far off the standard interpretation, but i like it : )

 

any thoughts?

 

[Carla]

Fours offer stability or stasis. To a sword, standing still means death. That may be sword's opinion, but we know 5 comes next, so it's not Death. It's just a rest. 

[Grizabella]

I've read that the Knights would lie in their coffins meditating on their survival of battles when they got home from war and that that's what could be indicated by this card.

 

Coming before the 5 of Swords in the deck could also mean taking a time of quiet and contemplation before a battle. Or that you should take special care to keep yourself centered and strong because there will be a strong challenge coming next for you in some area that will require you to be at your best and most stable under whatever the circumstances are.

 

I just looked on both my RWS and my Universal Waite and I see the black strip around the sarcophagus but I've always thought that was part of the decoration on the coffin. It might be something one could interpret as indicating a condition like we now know can be found in a sensory deprivation tank where the mind is shut off from almost everything but itself which gives insights not able to be gained with all the senses being stimulated by light and sound and other sensations.

[Fallyn]

I've also recently had a spate of the four of swords turning up a lot.      As for the imagery on the cards, it seems I read somewhere that it's the pause in the midst of a war,  the lull between battles.    You bury your dead, bandage wounds,  replenish your equipment,  mend your armor,  prepare for the next battle.    It is rest and recovery, but not pleasurable.   Necessary.  There's a kind of buzz around the four of swords,  like,  keeping an eye out for what's coming next.    Take your rest where you can,  for you never know what tomorrow brings.

 

edit-  I was just thinking about it reversed.  Which is how it's shown up a lot for me lately.  That there's no time for recovery,  You just have to hold yourself together the best you can and fight the next battle with your resources depleted,  there's no time to process or recuperate.     Don't let down your defenses,  there's no time for that.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Fallyn
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