May 3, 2010 - Five of Swords

I asked what challenge I would come up against today, and this is the card that came.  The Five of Swords is a card about self-interest, discord, and open dishonor.  The figure on the card is gathering swords.  He's got a slight, sly smile on his face which makes you wonder if he's stealing them.  The Five of Swords is about just that, setting aside the concerns of others and looking out for number one, you.  Now sometimes, we have to think of ourselves, especially when we are hurting or in danger.  Also, too, if we have given and given, depleted ourselves so much, we must take some time for ourselves to heal.  But sometimes, we want what we want and we don't really care who it hurts and how.  We forget that "we" is not just this body we inhabit, not just those we love, but all the world.  We are all connected and what hurts one, hurts all.

This is also a card of experiencing discord.  This can range from finding yourself in a hostile environment, to creating a hostile environment.  You can feel people are set against one another or you yourself can have an "us versus them" mentality.  Either way, you are experiencing conflict.

Finally, the Five of Swords can be about witnessing open dishonor.  You may have lost your moral compass, persuaded yourself that the ends justify the means,  Maybe you have sacrificed your integrity, lost sight of what is right.  Whatever victory comes this way is a dubious one.  Do I want to win at any cost?  Oh I want what I want, but I won't hurt someone else to get it.

In the Jane Austen Tarot, the Five of swords is depicted by a scene from the novel Emma.  A group has gone strawberry picking.  In the afternoon, resting, conversing, something hurtful is said by Emma.  It is clever but it is unkind, and it hurts a woman who has lost her social standing in the town, someone Emma has known all her life.  Emma is called to the worst in herself by Frank Churchill, a young man who is clever and calculating, or can be.  Emma brings out the worst in him.  They are two who should never be matched.  Luckily, they have other loves to settle them, ground them, help them move beyond their own selfishness.

It's an interesting card, determined to make one think if s/he has been on the receiving end or the giving end of verbal assaults.  Not sure what it means specifically, but I suspect I'll find out.  I'll keep you posted.