I find the Seven of Swords to be a very interesting card. The traditional meaning is ‘thief’. Corrine Kenner in “Tarot for Writers” describes it thus: “The Seven of Swords depicts the proverbial thief in the night. He has stolen into his enemy’s camp, and he’s making off with the weapons left unguarded. The enemies are oblivious to the fact that they have been invaded.” So, yes, this is the usual interpretation of this card and I often warn clients to take extra care of purses and wallets if it appears in a reading.
However, if I apply my ‘moving pictures‘ technique then the card can appear in a whole new light. Pull away from the card; zoom out. Doesn’t this version (the Mary Hanson-Roberts recolouration of the RWS) look as though the figure is an actor on a stage? His movements are exaggerated and his enjoyment is undisguised. He is almost relaxed as he prances off with his trophies. And look at it this way, aren’t all stage performances attempting to deceive the audience in some way? Albeit with the audience’s willingness to participate in the deception.
When the Seven of Swords appears in a reading, as well as mentioning, the ‘take care of your wallet’ mantra, I begin to wonder what is the querent deliberately overlooking? What ‘game’ is s/he participating in? Is the client ‘practising to deceive’ or are they allowing someone else to deceive them?
I also try to look at the situation in a positive way… after all this guy is happy; this may not be a bad thing. How about if this card means that the client is in the process of reclaiming something that belongs to them? It might not be a physical object – it might be their reputation, their confidence, their self-belief, their talent or even their faith. Perhaps they allowed someone to humiliate them or denigrate them and this is their version of revenge – they simply stop believing that that person can hurt them any more.
I like this card.
Read more about ‘Moving Pictures‘.
Posted in Reading, Squidoo, Tarot
Tags: Seven of Swords, tarot moving pictures, the ragged edge, troi