Hello again, It does seem we will be continuing our exploration of the Swords Cards.

If you ponder Melanie's card for a few moments, she has done some interesting and subtle things with the image. We have a lone figure walking down a lonely trail. The figure seems to be in the depths of a woods, and the shadows are long, it is early in the morning, or (more likely) late in the day. The figure is rather ethereal, we cannot see her clearly, and we can see though her in places. While the swords pierce her shadow, which lies naturally enough on the path she is walking. I don't think however that I am being too clever to say, the shadow represents our attachment to the earth and the material, and this is why the swords pierce the shadow and not the figure. Mel is making it clear, that our attachment to the material, attaches us to our pain. I think the rabbi was speaking to this when he said: "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. Mark 7:15

I think the rabbi is warning us, for the pain of the material world too mark our souls, we must allow it to mark our souls. I think however we must be careful when considering this line of thought, it is one matter when an adult is suffering, it is another when we are dealing with the suffering of a child. A child lacks the knowledge, experience, and philosophy if you will, to deal with the X of Swords. A child can be damaged from without, and having lived in a children's home myself 2 years, I have no doubt of that reality.

For an adult however, the Lord of Anguish, does bring with him an opportunity. That opportunity is echoed in the butterflies, and the number 10 itself, a number of new beginnings. The 10 of Swords offers us the opportunity to break one of the chains tying us to this world, and the karmic wheel. 10's as Janina points out in her book, are also about cycles and multi-generational issues. So it is important, I think to reflect on the X of Swords. To sieze the oppertunity to make a new beginning, vs, start another trip around the wheel. Whether the Tarot is communicationing something about your/my own life, or the inheritance we hand down to our kids.

Two weeks ago when I did my birthday reading, the X of Swords came up as my influence on the situation card. Now that might make some of you uneasy, but I must say I understood it immediately. As I have mentioned in previous essays, I have been blessed by not living a sheltered life. So when I saw this card, I knew, my experience, my history, would be my trump in the coming days. Days I feel hold a lot of promise. After all my final outcome card was the Star. So I feel overall, I am looking at an opportunity to move closer to the Intent. As Don Juan put it, to clear my connection to the Intent. I do not look forward to more Anguish, but I don't think that is my connection with the card at this time. I have been doing some Neural Linguistics, and I am hopeful that this card, indicates that I will succeed in raising my own energies. That the time has come to put aside the Lie that one must learn through pain.

Perhaps that has been the ultimate lesson of my life. Reflecting on the last 20 or so years, with all the joy's and pain that go into a life. It seems clear to me, that almost all the pain in that time, has been in my life, because I allowed it to be in my life. When I look ahead, I feel that is my challange, to shed the sources of pain in my life. In the past, I justified allowing pain to remain in my life, as part of sacrifices I felt I was obligated to make at that time, but that time is done. I feel now I have to learn somethng new for me, to persue happiness, and not just survival, to become something more like my best self. Like I said, I feel the coming months hold alot of promise.

Blessed Be All, BB

Divination:Affliction, Mental Anguish, Recurring problems, Cycles of Conflict, Disappointment, Misfortune.

Reversed: Benifit, Improvement, Momentary Advantage.
That which does not kill me, leaves me stronger.