3 of Swords - sharp relief
Offering for the Full Moon occurring on 15 December (AEST) - there is no audio recording this month.
A red heart is floating at the centre of the scene. Three swords pierce the heart downwards from the front through to the back - so that the hilt and pommels and blades sit above, and the points can be seen below. Two of the swords cross each other, while the third pierces down through the middle. Light grey clouds fill the upper third of the scene, sending streaks of rain down through a mid-grey sky.
the 3 of swords from the Rider Waite Smith tarot
Okay … so this full moon-silly season, one of the most stark and simplest images in the tarot is here. One that can immediately evoke a visceral response. Oooo Oww!
What are you immediately noticing as you gaze upon the image? in your body, as sensation? emotion? words?
Traditional meanings of the 3 of swords have obvious associations to being hurt, grief and sorrow.
These are tough human experiences that are connected to loss and deep wounding. So it's a tough card that literally goes directly to the heart of some matter. Please go gently.
How might you tend to a hurt and loss with greater patience and care?
So it’s in this context I’ve always been curious about how this very emotional card sits within the swords suit in the tarot.
Swords belong to the domain of the mind, intellect, and thoughts. Because swords are essentially lethal weapons, it pays to watch how we might use and experience our mental process in a way that is sharp, cutting, and double-edged. Generally, this can make all the messages in the suit of swords tricky to navigate, as they point to the capacity of our mind-matters to evoke strong emotions and mingle with heart-matters - to possibly hurt others or be hurt ourselves.
What are the beliefs or thoughts you have, or the words you express that can be self-harming or wounding to others? Now and historically?
How might you project barbs onto others? or Who might be projecting their hurtful ideas onto you?
I don't want to bypass the difficulty here, as any insight gained from the above can be illuminating - but relief comes through strongly the more I gaze upon the image.
In the Marseille tradition of tarot - threes indicate some sort of breakthrough (I spoke about this before in this full moon article on the 3 or Wands). In the 3 of swords, we see two of the swords as crossed, pointing downward and piercing the heart. When we place this alongside the card before this one - the 2 of swords - we also see 2 crossed swords being held by a blind-folded person. However, their swords point upwards, and their arms cross and cover their heart. In the earlier article, I framed this as struggling with a choice - one to make by listening deeply and removing distractions.
But this full moon, there doesn't seem to be that kind of peace, or space, to arrive at a gentle decision or understanding. The third sword - as a new idea - comes to cut through the crossed blades, disrupting the stalemate and tension of the 2 opposing swords.
So, as painful as it is … is it a relief?
What have you been confused about lately? Something you’ve struggled to understand or make some decision on.
Has something happened to show you a hard truth or a difficult new perspective?
I’ll sometimes hear people say something like “at least now I know”. The rising clouds reveal what was previously obscured. It doesn't make the hurt go away, but perhaps the break in tension allows an ease in pressure in your weather system. The storm breaks so the tears can flow. It can be cathartic.
How can you honour what has been revealed without becoming swept up in the storm?
What are some practices and rituals around grounding and grieving you can enact?
I’ll share this abridged quote from the foreword written by Huston Smith for the mystical 14th century text The Cloud of Unknowing. Smith says:
“To pierce any object, say a block of ice, we need a pick with a sharp point and a heavy mallet to propel it. To attain its sharp point The Cloud advises compressing oceans of words first into short phrases and then by further compression into single syllables [like “love” or “peace” or “God”] … As for the mallet that empowers the mantra, it is love, life's strongest force”.
This suggestion of a love-empowered-word, is a method of contemplative prayer or meditation that is prescribed to bring us closer to experiencing the Divine. Perhaps in this sense, we can transform the third sword to serve the sharp-pointed purpose to be both revelatory and ultimately healing. Delivering a holy word that cuts through old binds, to open up our hearts to a deeper, loving truth.
Mendy xx
Johnston, W. L. (Ed. & Trans.). (2014). The cloud of unknowing and the book of privy counsel. (Image ed.). Random House.