Today’s card is painful to look at if you pay attention to it. Traditionally this is the card of the battle we go through that can lose us friends. But here it is a very different image.
Look at him hanging there. His hands are bleeding, for goodness sake. Doesn’t he know when to just let go? What is so important that he must cling so tenaciously?
Do you see the similarities to the Christ avatar here? Bleeding palms, head to the side. An almost peaceful look as though he knows what must come? Stevee Postman’s Cosmic Tribe Tarot has many cards that make me really dig in and think.
But why must that come? He’s not getting in, is he? He needs to let go of these thoughts that are hurting him. He must let go so he can heal.
What do we hold on to like this? What thought patterns are so embedded that, even though we know they are hurting more than helping, we still hold on to them?
Not a fun thought, is it? When I am real with myself, I realize that there are thoughts I hold on to that I must let go of. Some of them are “If I do that, I’ll fail” or “I can’t lose weight so I’ll just have another cookie” or “They’ll never choose me so I won’t try harder.”
Ick! Replace those sharp-edged thoughts with ones that don’t cut! Let’s try “If I do that, I’ll fly” and “I can lose weight because I make healthy choices” and “I get better every day because I’m an awesome person.”
Let go of the swords, darlings. You’re dripping on yourself. Need some physical reminders about better thoughts to hold on to? Check here. And let me know if you have anything else you would like to see there.
5 of Swords, Cosmic Tribe Tarot
Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on.
Thanks Arwen. This card / reading great reminder to ease our grip and let go of attachments.
That’s important…the easing of the grip! 😀
Great post. I definitely needed to read this one today. Thanks so much, Arwen.
Melissa, Thank you for stopping by and commenting. It’s appreciated.
This post really sums up a lot of what the ‘negative’ imagery in the Swords suit is all of about for me. And always a useful reminder too!
Jane, I think there is negative and positive in nearly every card in the deck (I can even show you positive in the Tower and the Devil). 😀
Wow. I’ve been writing a good deal about surrender, and here it is again. I finally learned that once you let go, all you need to do is hold on. I didn’t say I’d mastered the lesson, only that I now understand it. What powerful confirmation for me reading this…evidence that I am on the right path. Thank you.
Peace and good.
Chelle, I love how things show up to remind us of our own work. It happens to me all the time. I think of it as confirmation that I am on the right path as well. 😀
It’s always sort of stunning to me how much the Swords cards can be about anxiety and the thoughts that attack us. Everyone talks about what a negative suit it is, but the negativity really comes from within, and that’s a huge empowering lesson.
Love the shop! I need one of those Seek Joy mugs sometime.
Kim, so true! We hold one end of the sword. Blunt end or pointy end? It’s our choice.
I’d never thought of negative thoughts as swords I’m holding onto before – great imagery Arwen! x
Glad it resonated with you, Donna! 😀
So lovely, Arwen. Reminds me of “She Let Go”, I think Holmes is the author?
Thank you.
CJ, thank you! http://phoenixgateway.com.au/she-let-go-poem-by-ernest-holmes/ is a gorgeous piece of writing!
As a newbie Tarot reader (I only read for myself), I always wince a little when I turn up a sword … but the self-determinism of this way of looking at them makes it a lot more encouraging.
As Donna said, the idea of a negative thought being like holding a sword is great imagery and sooo empowering.
Thanks for the education, goddess
Jacqui, have fun on your Tarot journey. Remember to trust your gut.
Great interpretation of the imagery in this card, Arwen! It’s a tie for me between the 5 and 7 of Swords for the card that creates the most tension in my body when it shows up. Reminding myself to let go of painful thoughts is helpful… Breathing out the tension, breathing in the peace 🙂
Lisa, thank you. The 9 of Swords is my biggest bugbear of the Swords.
I’m with you on the Nine of Swords, Arwen! Sleep and the mind are not my friends 🙁 Ah well…
As for this Five of Swords, my eye keeps returning to the beautiful sky reflected in the swords. Our thoughts can reflect beauty as well as pain, the choice is in which way we face.
I love the examples you gave of ways to positively reframe painful thoughts. An excellent reminder!
L&L, Kerry
How marvelous that you picked up on that sky reflection! I think that’s key in this card,Kerry. 🙂