Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

Tag: King of Swords

  • King of Swords | King of Wands

    The King of Swords is a decent sort of a person, but very keen on taking action when his decisions are based on logic, knowledge and common sense.   The King of Wands is a very different animal, preferring to rely on passion and intuition to direct his steps.

    When they are positioned next to each other like this, it looks as though the two Kings are very much engaged with each other.  The King of Swords, by holding his sword in his right hand, appears open to the King of Wands.  The King of Wands is entirely focussed on the King of Swords.

    Elementally they are Air and Fire – a combustible combination.  It could work well to create the most enormous and fabulous fire the world has ever seen (ie brilliant teamwork and co-ordination on a project)

    Swap the cards around and you have a completely different take on the situation.  The King of Wands is looking elsewhere, with his back to the King of Swords.  The King of Swords seems to be listening now to someone else, just out of sight – and of course that sword is now angled towards the King of Wands back!

    Not so much of the brilliant teamwork now, is there? It’s looking as though they are not listening to each other, but to other people outside of their dynamic.

    Perhaps the King of Wands might be looking to the past, or his previous experiences, using them as a reference point, whereas the King of Swords is inclined to the future and new experiences?

    But what would those clouds mean, that his vision of the future is not as crystal clear as he might like to think?

    What do you think of their relationship?

  • Salvador Dali | Tarot in Art | King and Queen of Swords

    I first fell under the spell of Salvador Dali via his magnificent Christ of St John which was bought (amidst great public hooha – petitions and irate letters to the newspapers) for Glasgow City Council’s Kelvingrove Museum in the 1950s.

    I regularly visit the museum to visit the quiet and contemplative little space they have created for the painting.

    From there I was entranced by soft watches that melted like plasticine on a radiator and spindly-legged creatures that roamed fantastical landscapes.  And amidst the hurricane of clever visuals that appealed to children and art collectors alike, he created a set of Tarot cards.

    And no, I don’t own a copy…… *weeps sadly into her morning coffee*

    ……YET *flicks gaze sideways to make sure hubby isn’t listening*

    The deck was published when the artist was 80 years old – a tribute to his wife and muse, Gala .

    I came across these two beauties which were sold at Christies in London back in 2008.  They had been bought from an anonymous seller five years earlier (also at Christies) and were now being sold by the Judith and Abraham Amar Foundation, in aid of charity.  

    Dali’s work is not always actually Dali’s work, but this King and Queen have been authenticated by the late Robert Descharnes and his son Nicolas, both internationally acclaimed experts in Dali’s work.
    The two images are about A4 sized and are gouache and collage on paper.  With their butterfly motifs, these were both intended to be the images for his Tarot deck’s King and Queen of Swords.  However, in the completed Tarot deck, the King has lost his butterfly motif and has been transformed into the King of Cups.
    And their sale price?
    Queen  £12,500
    King £10,625
    You’re going to need more than a paper-round to finance your Tarot in Art addiction 😀
    Ever purchased a bit of Tarot art from an artist that you love?

  • King of Swords | Olympus Tarot | Lo Scarabeo

    It seems only a few days ago that I posted my Queen of Pentacles card. I blame the school holidays – days either drag their heels or fly out of the window, depending on how busy my son is!

    I really enjoyed my Queen of Pentacles moment – I busied myself with my son, travelling to Stirling and Glasgow, enjoying each other’s company rather than me just nagging him to wash dishes/tidy his shoes away etc.

    I’ll miss her….

    But now that the school holidays are ending and my small boy has to face up to the fact that school is looming large on his horizon again, I guess that it’s appropriate that I’ve got the King of Swords.

    This is the King from the Olympus Tarot by Lo Scarabeo, illustrated by Luca Raimondo.  Meet Hercules, son of Zeus, complete with the skin of the Nemean Lion.  The skin of this lion was impervious to damage – to the extent that even when Hercules killed the beast (one of his many Labours of Hercules) it could only be skinned using one of its own claws.

    This is a much more active and dynamic King of Swords than we are usually presented with.  Famed for completing his 12 Labours, set for him by the Gods, Hercules is revered more for his great strength than his brain power.

    Yet this is who is to suffuse me with his energies over the coming weeks.

    Perhaps his DETERMINATION will be of use when Sonshine returns to school next week and homework rears its ugly Hydra head?

    Perhaps I too shall use my connections (he was ably assisted by various Gods – to whom he was related – throughout his Trials) or am I to beseech the deities themselves?  I can see quite a lot of Gods’ names being taken in vain as I try to cope with Sonshine, work, marking homework for TABI and cleaning the house for the imminent return of my own domestic demi-god from 6 weeks at sea.

    Perhaps the blend of brains and physicality are key.  I do a lot of sitting around *gestures to self sitting at keyboard* and I really should be more active.  I *know* this, but I don’t do it.

    Time for a change, methinks!

    What does Hercules as the King of Swords mean for you?

  • Farewell to the King of Swords!

    Did you miss me?  I took myself (and family) off to Blackpool for a few days so that my son had a better memory of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee than just a day off school.

    Ever diligent, I took my laptop with me, but when your hotel overlooks Blackpool Pleasure Beach and this is the view from your bedroom window, blogging kinda goes OUT the window!

    You’re probably thinking ‘Jeez, what a shit view!’ but, dear reader, I REQUESTED a bedroom with a view over the rollercoasters because I LOVE listening to their thunder and rattle (and the excited screaming!).  I feel happy when I hear it.  Odd?

    I did take my Tarot stuff with me because, like I say, I’m trying to be diligent! And as we walked back to the hotel from the Pleasure Beach after the Queen’s Jubilee Party late on Monday night, I saw the full moon glowing above the deserted streets and remembered that I had to select a card to show the energies that will recede as the moon wanes to darkness.  So, who appeared from the deck for me this time?

    The card drawn was the Mary El King of Swords.

    With his fingers thrumming the string of his bow and his other hand holding a white feather (check out that inky black tip!), the King of Swords looks beyond us.  He has no sword to wield – but his weapons are ink-dipped quills and his thoughts. He looks oriental with that beard and his bald head (and with that huge dragon tattoo that consumes his back!)   The sky, clouds and feathers remind me that Swords are airy, cerebral, truth-valuers.

    Around the outline of his body snakes script, almost echoing the curved dragon – I cannot read the script and there is no mention of it in his description in the LWB *note to self: You need stronger specs*  I choose to interpret these words as acting like a protective shield around him – words are his weapon and his defence.

    I am very fond of the King of Swords in any deck and I am loathe to part with his good qualities….so I hope that his negative qualities are on the wane over the coming weeks.  This will mean that I will no longer let my (or other people’s!) thoughts, doubts or fears harm me nor hold me back.

    *sharpens quill and unscrews top from ink bottle*

    I’m ready.  Are you?  What does this King of Swords mean to you? Do you like him?!

    If you like this image, and want to see more, check out Marie White’s website: www.mary-el.com.  The deck is published by Schiffer.
  • Court Couples | King and Queen of Swords

    Court Couples | King and Queen of Swords

    The Fey Tarot published by Lo Scarabeo is one of my favourites, even though it’s jam-packed with fairies, I confess.  I find that it’s a great deck to read with, especially if you’re a RWS devotee.

    Today I’m presenting the King and Queen of Swords to you *sweeps a long, low bow*…..

    I’m a little bit in love with this King of Swords, if I’m honest.

    Even though the wind buffets him relentlessly, blowing the autumnal leaves hither and thither, he remains at his post.  The scars of battle (life? love?) have marked him and even on his throne he is clad for conflict.

    His hands are encased in armour- even his finger tips – can he no longer feel anything (emotionally? physically?)  Does he need to remember that you don’t need your armour at all times, that sometimes it’s safe to let yourself be exposed? Even if it leads to more wounds?

    His consort is the Queen of Swords.  Her hair tumbles around her face and shoulders like water and she gazes out at us with a serious demeanor.  Unlike the king who is in some desolate wilderness, she is in a built-up area – civilisation.   And indeed this Queen is erudite, witty, clever and – I suspect – an excellent dancer and chess player.

    If the eyes are windows to the soul, what are the windows in this card? The eyes of the soul?  Although she is beautiful, her blue lips and skin tone make her chilly-looking – ‘Noli Mi Tangere‘

    Does she look like the sort of woman that the King needs to cuddle up to?!

    Maybe her sword, emblazoned onto her third eye, cuts her off from the King.  Introspective and thoughtful, I can imagine the verbal traps that she could set for him (‘what do you mean my bum doesn’t look big in THIS? Are you saying that it looks big in other things?’)

    Even when you switch the King and Queen around, there’s not much change in the tension between them, is there?

    The Fey Tarot has colours allocated to the suits and Swords are allocated red – something that I associate more with Wands, to be honest.  The passion of red doesn’t really suit the cerebral approach of the Swords family – but here, I think it works on these two cards.  I think their love of order and of duty – doing The Right Thing, just because it IS the right thing – doesn’t mean that they don’t have strong passions – far from it.  And the red border reminds me that they are passionate people.

    But I wonder where that leaves them?

    Perhaps if I got into full Queen of Wands mode, I could persuade him to come down from that throne and step out of his armour?!

    The Fey Tarot is published by Lo Scarabeo,  accompanying book by Riccardo Minetti, artwork by Maria Agham.

    King | Queen | Swords | Fey Tarot | Tarot Thrones

  • Meet the Swords!

    So far we’ve met the Wands family and today it’s the turn of the Swords – which is entirely appropriate given the recent Spring Equinox.  As with the Wands, I find that taking a look at the rest of the Swords realm gives me good clues as to what I can expect from the ruling family.

    Decision, Frustration, self-limiting beliefs, grief, thought, mental agility, drama queen behaviour, honesty

    In my system, Swords are associated with:

    Air
    Spring Equinox
    Dawn
    Mental faculties/communication
    East

    Other systems are available, so just find one that works for you and stick with it!

                   

    The first thing that I notice about these two cards is the wind lifting their clothing and hair.  Their thrones are quite plain – which suits them, they’re plain-speaking sort of people. Behind them both we have a sky unfolding into a bright, but cloudy dawn.  The landscape that they sit in is harsh, with little in the way of greenery to take the hard edge off.  The Queen at least sits by a distant tree – but it looks gnarled by the wind at best or bonsai-ed to tiny, clipped perfection by the Queen’s blade.

    Neither of the two of them looks much like fun.

    The King engages with us, looking out directly, but the Queen faces off to the right, her eyes downcast, focusing on the blade in her hand.  She is barefoot – on stone – her feet will be cold; she feels austere, distant.  She looks self-contained.  What do you think her positioning with her back to her Consort means.  Even if you place them the other way around, she is still not engaged with him, her gaze is elsewhere.

    The King of Swords is Fire of Air – a productive mingling of elements that means he is well-suited to his Kingly role – able to take action, but more importantly, able to think through the ramifications of his actions before he steps away from his throne. But left unattended – air and fire can rage out of hand! He’s not got great emotional input into what he does – he’s hard on others, and hard on himself too.

    The Queen is Water of Air – another blending of elements that show that her emotional base and her thoughts are quite congruent (think of air and water coming together to make bubbles!) Although she doesn’t look it, there IS an effervescence about the Queen of Swords.  Witty and clued-up, she’s ideal company at a party.  Just watch out that she doesn’t get too handy with that little blade though – her honesty can be cutting.

    Traditionally, she is associated with a woman on her own.  Not necessarily a widow or divorcee.  One can be married and feel quite alone too.

    They both seem older than the Wands – the King with his high forehead (receding hair?!) and the Queen with her beautiful grey locks.

    What about the Juniors?

    The Prince of Swords is not on a hilltop like his parents – therefore he’s not got the same breadth of vision as they do.  Look at the Wind in this card!  The grass is blown flat, his cloak flies out behind him.  This character is Air of Air – with no other elements to moderate him.  He’s someone whose thoughts are still being formed and as a result, he flies about – latching on to one thing only to discard it when he learns something else.  Consistency is not his strong point!

    Although his parents have their swords drawn, neither of the two of them look much like they are going to give you a jab.  Not so the Prince of Swords – shield up, sword out, riding to the attack.  He has much in common with the Prince of Wands – both rattle into action at the drop of a hat – but whereas the Prince of Wands is motivated by the thrill of the chase, the Prince of Swords is motivated by what he believes is right or wrong.  Trouble is, he’s not always right about what he thinks is wrong!

    The most junior member of the clan is the Princess of Swords.  Again, a lot of wind in this card! The Princess’s robes are whipped almost to shreds by the wind blowing around her.  Like her mother, she stands barefoot, but unlike her mother, her stony surroundings are tempered into softness by the beauty of spring blossom.

    As far as elemental associations go, the Princess of Swords has the most trouble – she’s Earth of Air.  Look how she winds a green ribbon (earth) around her blade (air).  That’s just going to get ripped to bits!  Still, she’s got to learn…..also, she might want to think about how she’s holding her sword – that’s going to be a lot worse than a paper cut!

    Blessed with a quick mind, The Princess is also shackled to a slow experiential curve.  She’s keen to learn a lot of things, but it will take time to put them into practise – this can manifest as frustration, bad temper, and a tendancy to gossip…and shredded ribbons 🙂

    What do you think about the Swords?

    The Sword family are provided courtesy of the DruidCraft Tarot.  Published by Eddison Sadd (Connections). Artwork Will Worthington and words by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm.