By Katrina Rasbold
“Tarot Talk” is a once-a-week reading with a deep exploration of the card we pull. What are some aspects of the card (as per the original Pamela Colman Smith artwork) that add extra dimensions to the interpretation? How does that tell us what to focus on in the coming week? This week’s card is…
THE THREE OF SWORDS
The Three of Swords is one of those cards you don’t usually get excited about seeing in your reading. Three swords plunge into a heart with raining clouds in the background.
A Deeper Look:
Unlike most of the other Pamela Colman Smith cards, there is little embellishment in this card, just the stark symbolism of a rainy day and a wounded heart.
Like the Devil, the 10 of Swords, and the Tower, it is challenging to soften the blow of this card or put a positive spin on it. The pain it identifies is right out there on full display.
It is inevitable that “into each life, some rain must fall” and that pain and grief will find us. The 3 of Swords tell us that it is our turn to endure loss and feel the sorrow of losing loved ones.
Although there are many variations on the theme set up by PCS, in her card, there is no blood shown. The heart is stabbed, but not bleeding. The wounds have contained boundaries and the rest of the heart looks healthy, indicating that while there is grief and sorrow, it is only part of the equation and part of what is going on.
What to Focus On This Week:
This card looks painful and it is. It typically represents the pain of separation or the loss of a loved one. This can be through relocation, the natural end of relationships, death, or quarreling that causes estrangement.
The 3 of Swords indicates both the instigating loss and the pain of grief that rolls out afterward, which means you may have recently suffered a loss and you are now processing the grief from that loss, or the loss is upcoming. You may have some sense that a loved one is about to pass or that a relationship is ending. This card tells you to prepare your heart and keep breathing.
If you are already grieving a loss, be gracious and compassionate with yourself. Get plenty of rest. Eat healthy foods to support your immune system. Drink water. Give your feelings room to flow and find safe people who can support you in the process.
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Katrina Rasbold is a professional Witch, published author, priestess, and editor of Green Egg Magazine. She and her husband, Eric, are the creators of the CUSP spiritual path and owners of Crossroads Occult. She is the author of Tarot For Real People. You can reach her through www.katrinarasbold.com.