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Tarot Swords and Core Value Honesty

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In the interviews I conduct for my YouTube podcast “The Viewpoint Zone” I ask my guests three questions: 1) name one core value/principle that informs your personal life philosophy; 2) how do you handle challenges and difficult situations and 3) what gets you out of bed in the morning? i.e. how do you find meaning and purpose in your life? This is meant to test the notion that experience is the great teacher and show that we develop our life philosophy and earn wisdom through the experiences we have in our lives. The questions work well to flesh out each individual’s life philosophy and I’m discovering that the core value very much informs the answers to the other questions thereby serving as a lodestar guiding the individual through their life. It truly is the cornerstone around which the individual’s personal life philosophy is built.

One of my recent guests, Ava Eisenson, named “honesty” as her core value. Being emotionally honest with herself and with others is extremely important to Ava and she tries very hard to “meet the moment” as it presents itself stripped of judgment and narrative. She noted the paradox  of having a core value of honesty while working as an actress in the art of make believe. Upon further discussion, however, we realized that storytelling of any kind revolves around someone’s truth and for an actress that truth would be the truth of the character/role she’s playing at a given time. So the core value remains a steadfast anchor in the many environs of Ava’s life.

Our conversation turned to the uncomfortable aspects of living with honesty as a core value. Honesty can sometimes be delivered harshly, hurting the feelings of others. Ava referred to a quote attributed to the actress Kristin Bell’s therapist—“Honesty without tact is cruelty.” Truth for truth’s sake without consideration of how it is delivered can be counterproductive. The information is not heard when delivered without tact. There are also times when honest feedback is not appreciated; folks don’t want to hear it, much less accept it. It was at this point of the interview that my mind went to tarot cards. Strange leap, I know. But bear with me while I attempt to show the intersection of tarot and Ava’s wisdom. I’ll begin with a brief history and explanation of the tarot.

The tarot originated in Europe in the mid-15th century as a deck of playing cards. In the late 18th century they began to be used for divination purposes. Today tarot cards are used for divination, self-transformation, and many manners of seeking answers and insights into a range of questions from the everyday to the deeply spiritual. The tarot deck consists of 78 cards, 22 are a grouping called the Major Arcana which follow the Fool’s journey through the stages of life. The remaining cards are divided into 4 suits (like playing cards but different denominations in tarot)—wands, cups, swords and pentacles each suit representing an element and aspect of personality: wands for fire and passion, cups for water and emotions, swords for air and mental activity (thoughts and communication), pentacles for earth and the physical world. Ok back to Ava and honesty. 

This dual nature of honesty—the clarity of vision and the hurtful force of blunt expression brought to mind the Queen of Swords (pictured above as the 1st card on the left in the line of 4).  In the card we see a stern-looking queen sitting in profile on a throne adorned with angels and butterflies, symbols of divine love and transformation. Her left hand is gesturing towards someone and her right hand holds a sword upright signifying upcoming praise or punishment…we do not know. Swords in tarot represent the element of air which translates into mental activity, thoughts, words, communication. The sword is doubled-edged as truth can be constructive or destructive depending on how it’s meted out. This queen is a visionary, she’s facing right (the future) and she is known for her mental clarity, ability to see through BS and tough love. Some might call her harsh but her aim is not to be cruel but rather constructive. She cuts through the unnecessary to focus on the reality at hand which corresponds to Ava’s core value of honesty and its link to the acceptance of reality “as it is.”

Continuing onto the second question of dealing with challenges and difficult situations, Ava revealed her tendency to “catastrophize,” i.e. envision the worst that could happen. She pointed to the popular professor/podcaster Brené Brown who calls this behavior “dress rehearsal tragedy.” A protective mechanism probably harkening back to the days of fight or flight survival, it has some merit to be sure (the world can be a dangerous place) but is problematic when it becomes habitual behavior that leads to “analysis paralysis.” If you believe that your thoughts create your reality then the tendency to “catastrophize” will keep your nervous system on high alert, an uncomfortable and unhealthy reality. 

Once again the tarot cards sprang into my mind. I pictured the 8 and 9 of swords (#2 and #3 in the picture above), two tarot cards showing people trapped in circumstances by their own limiting and negative thoughts. The 8 of swords shows a woman blindfolded and bound encircled (seemingly) by a row of swords struck in the ground around her. If she lifted the blindfold she could see the binding is rather loose and there is a way out of her circumstance to the lovely castle on the hill behind her. The 9 of swords shows a person jolted awake from a nightmare with head in hands. Nine swords hang ominously over the bed representing the anxious thoughts that trap this person in turmoil. So caught up in the anxiety of their making they are unable to see a symbol of the truly harmless reality in front of them—a lovely coverlet embroidered with beautiful flowers on the bed. These cards show the perils of negative thoughts and serve as cautionary tales for those of us with active (busy) minds.

These days in order to break her habit of “catastrophizing” Ava adopts a mindfulness practice which seeks to strip reality of all the add-ons of a busy mind in order to create an empty space where solutions can manifest. She fully understands that changing habitual behavior is not accomplished overnight but she is committed to the process for her mental health and the well-being of others in her life. My guest described how she has adopted a practice of seeing reality “as it is” without the narrative, judgment, hope for the best/prepare for the worst thought patterns. Adopting a new modality, in this instance, of seeing and accepting the present “as it is” has become a a faith-based practice. She might not always succeed but she has a belief that it is the right way to go and so she will continue the practice.

As we near the end of our discussion here and meet the third question we can see that In essence we are talking about taming the busy mind and learning how to accept what is without fabricating what you want it to be or what you fear it could be. For Ava, the practice of presence is her pathway to finding meaning and purpose in life. Of course she wants to do good works, leave the planet better off than she found it. She is one of the most thoughtful and conscientious people I know. But sometimes, on those days when the minutia can be overwhelming, she notes somewhat facetiously that a simple checklist is a welcome tool. The act of writing down the “to dos” and checking them off once they are done provides the stability to embrace a larger perspective of right action. It’s a matter of clearing away the minutia in order to delve into the bigger things. 

Enter the tarot card of the Ace of Swords (4th and final card in the line of 4 above) which shows a hand appearing out of the clouds (heavens/divine) holding a beautiful shiny sword upright on top of which sits a crown encircled with a wreath signifying intellect, success and victory. The mountains in the background indicate challenges but clear vision and mental clarity are the tools of resilience to win the day. Honesty, presence, checklists, right action—these are the elements of Ava’s personal life philosophy and very much a part of the collective consciousness as revealed through the wisdom of the tarot cards.

New Year Tarot Reading

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What follows is a sample reading of the following New Year Tarot Spread from Biddy Tarot.

2022 was a year of collaboration, working with other people, appreciating the group effort. No one is an island and the value of other people’s input makes the thing better and a success. There was general peace and harmony throughout the year with some celebration as we were coming out of Covid. This all makes for a feeling of stability and security. 

The next twelve months will be a time for truth-seeking and practical mindedness. Getting down to the essence, not accepting flimsy reasons and setting good personal boundaries with a sharp clear focus. It will be time to let people know what you want and how you want it. Clarify what you mean in all instances. You will be bold in this endeavor and sometimes a bit impulsive. You might get some blowback from others who don’t expect this new position from you. Stay true to your meaning and don’t let self-doubt or fear of change dull your aspiration to set your position. i.e. don’t let your mind or old programs sabotage yourself. You are in control of your thoughts. You and only you.

You will bring passion and optimism to your relationships. Get ready for some adventures! Your health and well-being will be good with perhaps a tendency to over-indulge in the good life. But generally speaking you will be in good health and that will reflect on your outlook and your generosity to others. 

You will spend time growing your spiritual energy and inner fulfillment. There is an abundance in this area and a fertile space for deepening and sharing. You are coming into a fullness here with a growing love and acceptance which manifests for the good of others. Nurture this area and allow it to grow your being.

In the year ahead your focus should be on manifesting through your gifts and talents to create a solid base for yourself in order to contribute to the benefit of others. You are a natural nurturer but you must know that your cup needs to be overflowing before you can share with others. Take good care of yourself in body, mind and spirit and you will happily help others to feel secure, loved and able to manifest for themselves.

To be responsible and accountable for oneself requires courage and perseverance. Once you have found your truth you must protect it and never give it away or fall victim to other people’s censure. There may be those who do not accept your new strength happily or they may be jealous and want to take you down. Draw upon your self-confidence, self-belief and know that you can overcome these tests.

Now is not the time to be apathetic or disheartened in any way. The task at hand is clear and the year ahead is filled with strengthening of self which will lead towards greater self-love and love for all. 

Holiday Cactus and Death Card

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Pink blooms of a holiday cactus push out of green leaves. One bloom is on its way out and hanging tenuously onto its stem. For aesthetic sake I could pluck it off but I keep it there as I like to ponder the inevitability of passing.

In this picture I’ve paired the cactus with Catrin Welz-Stein depiction of the Death Card from her magical Tarot of Mystical Moments deck. In the card we see a woman with a skeletal deathlike chest. However, beautiful flowers, mostly lilies signifying innocence, purity and rebirth, spring from the boney carcass. A butterfly, the ultimate motif of transformation, alights on a lily holding the gaze of our female in transit.

It’s difficult to accept the inevitability of death when you’re living. It’s like young people never think they’re going to die and old people fear death because that’s all they think about. My grandmother always used to say she’d come back as a strawberry in her next life. She loved strawberries. I do think it is soothing to accept that death will come but that’s not all there is. Curiosity will give ballast to the journey beyond.

I suppose when it is time the bloom from my holiday cactus will fall to the ground. I don’t need to hurry it along. I do wonder at the cycles of life, how so much depends on mixture, taking in, letting go, finding the right balance between the two and then trusting the process of creation that the universe guarantees.

Weekly Tarot Card – 5 of Pentacles

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Fives in Tarot signify conflict and change. They are midway between the ace and number ten, therefore halfway in the arc of the suit’s journey. Here we are midway in the journey of pentacles: material wealth, resources, earthly values.

A destitute couple trudge barefoot in a snowstorm. The man is on crutches and looks up to the heavens in defiance. The woman is bundled in rags and huddled over, eyes downcast. They are so caught up in their despair they don’t notice the illuminated pentacles in the stained glass window of the church at their side. Help is at hand if only they would lift their eyes from their despair to notice it.

When problems come they tend to take over our entire perspective and we get caught in a negative mindset. We go over the problem, how it started, how awful it is, how impossible it is to solve and we become closed off to any chance of awakening to a possible solution. If we don’t believe a problem can be solved then how can we ever be receptive to a solution?

These unfortunate souls in this picture remind us of the pitfalls of a scarcity consciousness. Times may be difficult and challenging. But sure as the Wheel of Fortune goes up and down, nothing lasts forever, there is always change, and even in the darkest night there is the light of the stars.

Weekly Tarot Card – 7 of Swords

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A fellow steals away from a battlefield encampment. He is carrying five swords and leaving behind two. He seems very pleased with himself by the smirk on his face. Clearly he feels he’s getting away with something.

Many feel this is the card of betrayal. There’s trickery afoot. The question then becomes are you the one who feels betrayed or are you the fellow in this picture who has betrayed? Time to come to terms with this and make amends or let it go, depending on your position.

Others, like myself, see this as the card of strategy since swords in Tarot have to do with thoughts, the workings of the mind and stratagems. Notice the fellow is bringing five swords and leaving two behind. He knows what to take with him and what to let go of. He is thinking strategically.

Is there an area in your life where you need to re-assess and keep what’s working while leaving behind what isn’t? Think strategically, be a boss, and make the tough decisions. Clear thinking cuts through any ounce of sentimentality. You’ll be glad you did.