Thursday, August 16, 2007

A TEN OF SWORDS DREAM STORY (poem by Patricia Kelly)

Ten of Swords in The Barbara Walker Tarot (see "Resource" below)


A TEN OF SWORDS DREAM STORY*


Yes, she has survived, made the long swim
to shore, riding out harsh waves
and crossing over deep trenches, the crescents
of her arms like moons rising
and falling, rising
and falling

Yes, she has done all that and more
to stand on this new shore with sea water dripping
like tears from her black robe

Like the tears she harbors for the one
whose landing was not safe:
he who swam through the storms by her side,
the songs they sang to each other above the crash
of waves and thunder their only life line

The songs that told her who she was,
echoing off the skies and sounding the depths
in a shining map of the possible or alive
with the gloriously fantastic

Their singing together that taught
her how to keep on breathing no matter
the gales that would snatch
at their breath

She curls her toes deeply
in the wet sand, claiming through the haze
of her pain a true purchase
on this new shore

She looks toward her burrowing
toes but her belly beneath her black robe
is too hugely round to allow
this grounding sight

The new life she carries there pulses
from her center against the black robe,
once, twice, raising it gently like a heart’s
fluttering as a wind sighs toward her
from the rising sun



* written 1993: a fusion of a dream, and the Ten of Swords that I drew for the dream at random from the Barbara Walker Tarot deck; revised August 2007.

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Resource: Barbara Walker Tarot at themysticeye.com.

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila

[aka: Patricia Kelly]

****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry and Roswila’s Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka).****

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Wednesday, November 01, 2006

THE TEN OF SWORDS

TODAY'S CARD is the Ten of Swords. This version is from The Manga Tarot, published by Llewellyn and LoScarabeo. (See my recent review of this deck.)



For comparison, here's the Ten of Swords in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:



THE TEN OF SWORDS: I chose the Ten of Swords for today because I find myself intrigued by the Manga Tarot version; see below for a meaning I gleaned from it. I have a lot of meanings for the Ten of Swords as years back it used to come up in my personal readings a great deal. But before I go on to share them I want to stress that the Ten of Swords carries not only the traditional possible meaning of "Ruin," but of impending rebirth. Note that the sun is just starting to rise in the RWS version above; the dawn is beginning. And in another deck, the Barbara Walker Tarot, a woman in black who's standing near the sword-pierced figure is clearly pregnant. It is also interesting to note that on the Manga version, of the four seasonal glyphs (see the three ideograms in circles on the card) the one missing is spring. (My review of the Manga Tarot goes into which glyph is which.) To me this implies that spring is just about to arrive, to not lose heart.

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS (i.e. the below is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of this card; a quick google will produce a wider variety of takes should you not be familiar with this card):

Fear of falling out of a good state into ruin.

How a highly intutive and/or psychic person can sometimes experience being around others: invaded and/or overwhelmed.

"Back-stabbing," either real or imagined. Maybe someone who has been actually back-stabbed so much she is almost "spineless" now. (Highly senstive folk tend to be in danger of this, as they are not understood by others very well. See meaning directly above.)

Paranoia.

Meaning I gleaned from the Manga Tarot version above: It is painful to face our fears and wounds. But spring and growth can only come by having the courage to let go of denial.

You can do what you are set on doing, but something else is going to happen and you might do better to be more open to alternative actions.

There are many things motivating you right now. Be still until it is clear which are the right ones to respond to or act on.

Acupuncture.

If the question is about health and/or nutrition: it might be good to eat lightly for a few days. (This card can refer to a feeling of emptiness.)

Don't struggle against the times. The more you go with it all, the better it will go and the sooner things will change for the better.

There is a bottom line beyond which this situation will not go. So it may be hard, but you will survive.


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Resource: The Wander and The Wayfarer, nice introduction to The Tarot, with especially clear section of the general meanings of numbers in The Tarot.

Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep looking to the dawn, and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila

[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 some articles about Tarot.****

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