Tarot cards

9 Swords

The card: A man is sitting up in bed, hands covering the eyes. His bed-quilt is in yellow and blue, decorated with red flowers and symbols from the Zodiac. On the side of his bed a picture with 2 humanoids are carved in. One is leaning away from the other, holding a torch. The other one leaning towards the first. Behind the man are 9 swords, horizontally put against black.

Interpretation: He has woken up in the night, perhaps from a nightmare. Or he may be having dark thoughts keeping him awake, churning in his mind. In any case, what is troubling him has brought him near the point of despair. He can not stand it any more. His cup is full with 'problems', but are they really problems ?

The cause for his anguish is represented by the 9 swords, either hanging on a wall or suspended in mid air. It's a dark night and he feels alone with his troubles. However, everything is available to him on his bed cover. All the gifts of the 12 signs are trying to signal him: 'Hey we are here, see us, use us !

Prediction: My present situation is causing me great emotional pain, it has to change. Right now I am blinded by my own depression. Which problems do I see in my life ? My tools for change is so near it's hard for me to see them, but I will as soon as I remove my hands from my eyes.

Keywords: The sum of fears, despair, loneliness, worry, unused gifts, change is near.

©2017 Jan Kirk (text only)

8 Swords

The Card: A woman is standing outdoors on the plains, a City or Citadel is seen in the background. At her feet pools of water are mixed with patches of dry land. She is enrobed in Red, but bound with the arms at her sides, and blindfolded. Eight swords are around her, seen on the background of a Gray sky.

Interpretation: She has left the City behind, now she is on her own. But thinking she would be free away from the city, she is still being limited and unable to see clearly. However the ropes are very loose, at any time she can shake them off and remove the cloth from her eyes.

She is in illusion, her beliefs and values no longer serve her well, they are represented by the swords around her. Also the water meddling with dry patches at her feet, shows that her clarity intermittently is broken by the shifting emotions. Her legs are not bound though, she is free to walk out of the water. Only, emotion, old beliefs and old patterns is holding her back.

Prediction: I want to be free, to manage on my own. But right now my success at that hinges on my readiness to free myself from my past. I will be free if I have the courage to let go of old patterns and beliefs, to see that my emotions are not true, they are as always temporary. I need to centre myself and leap now !

Keywords: Search for freedom, illusion, breaking old patterns, letting go of past, self imprisonment fuelled by emotion.

©2017 Jan Kirk (text only)

7 Swords

The card: A man is obviously stealing 5 out of 7 Swords. He is tiptoeing away, trying to get away unnoticed, looking over his shoulder as he does so. Some festivity or celebration is going on, but this man doesn't participate, instead using the opportunity to take what he is not supposed to take.

A group of people is seen in the background. They are gathered around a fire, which is producing smoke. One is holding a staff.

Interpretation: These people may be nomads, or they may be at a celebration. Are the group of people in the background preparing a meal or are they conducting a ritual ? The sky is a beautiful golden, it seems to be morning. But the man in the front is betraying his people. In the process he is not only hurting them, he may also be hurting himself, because he is not seeing where he is going and may be cutting himself on the swords.

Prediction: I may get a temporary benefit if I use other people for my own good. But it will not serve me in the long run, because there are bonds to these people, and my own feeling of guilt will bind me too. My act will blind me, because my brain will be preoccupied, which in turn can cause misfortune. By taking from people I make it more difficult to deal with issues already there, the 2 remaining swords. I ask myself, what is it I am trying to take, and in doing so what am I avoiding ?

Keywords: Betrayal, theft, opportunity, misfortune, scattered mind, unawareness, misuse of relationships, egoism.

6 swords

The Card: What looks to be a mother and her child is being ferried across the water. Maybe the boy is looking ahead whereas the mother's head is bowed in some kind of emotionality. Six swords are standing upright in the boat, very close to the woman, kind of blocking her view. A young man is handling the boat, taking the 2 people across the water, beyond the land is awaiting.

Interpretation: The water signifies emotion, what is hidden, hard to access. In this case the water is being crossed without concern of what is below. The water body is there all around the 2 crossing people, but they are only attentive of where they want to go, not where they are.

If the mother dove into the water she might discover some clues to her present situation, but her mind is filled / blocked by 6 swords of emotion. It seems they are going to an island, the mother doesn't want to be among other people. She finds a period of isolation necessary.

Prediction: I am in troubled times, perhaps unwilling to accept what is happening to me or inside me. Instead I let someone else handle my affairs. I feel unaccepted, better then to be alone than facing my emotions or the judgement of others. If I want to get out of the rut of emotionality I have to face the 6 swords, what do they each mean to me ? Past experiences is dragging me down, now is a good time to deal with them.

Keywords: Sorrow, rejection, block, past, escapism, emotionality, time for contemplation, opportunity for integrating new patterns.

©2017 Jan Kirk (text only)

5 Swords

The card: Three men are standing at a shore, swords are strewn on the ground, as if there has been a fight. One man is turned towards the sea, covering his face as if in sorrow or despair. Another guy is also facing the sea, but he has assumed a relaxed contemplating posture. The 3^rd person is facing us, he has a smirk on the face whilst collecting the swords. The sea is calm, but the sky is torn, with ragged clouds.

Interpretation: How do you react to a fight ?. Some are caught up in emotion, especially if they are on the loosing side, but really in a fight everyone are losers.

Are you disconnected from the fighting, as if it doesn't concern you ? Is it possible not to take sides ?, it may be as long you are not killing or being killed. Or do you enjoy a good fight ? Perhaps merely sparring carries a reward, but do you seek the aggression, or hope to gain from the chaos ?

Prediction: Possibility for a period of imbalance and hurt. A good idea to prepare yourself, for the coming times. In times of strife, the true character of you and the people around you will be revealed.

Keywords: Strife and anguish, opportunity, sorrow, indifference.

©2017 Jan Kirk (text only)