THE THREE OF SWORDS and WABI-SABI

The Three of Swords in the Witches Tarot

After proofreading the daily post to my dreams and poetry blog today it hit me that what I was saying about the Japanese term “wabi-sabi,” is another way to view the Three of Swords (3S) in The Tarot.

Here’s what I quoted in that post (from Wikipedia): “...if an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi. [Wabi-sabi] nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." [emphasis mine]

This to me captures an aspect of the 3S I had not seen before, at least not so clearly. I looked at a lot of different versions of this card to find one that might lend itself more to this interpretation than the traditional heart pierced by three swords. I chose the one from the Witches Tarot posted above.

For comparison, here's a more traditional 3S (from the Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot):


And, as always with The Tarot, this new connection to wabi-sabi is very timely. I’d been wondering more and more about my increasing tendency to sadness -- as distinct from depression. I’ve been struggling with personal issues, but have also been becoming more and more aware of and even beginning at times to embrace those “three simple realities.” Or in terms of the image at the top of this post, more willing to walk on accepting that everything is impermanent, incomplete, and imperfect.

If you'd like to see my earlier explorations of the 3S, click here and here.

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‘til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot,

[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila’s Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems.****