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Consider Meditation to turn Old Habits into New Beginnings
Linda Moore shares some wise thoughts about the Seven of Swords.
“Everything begins in the mind. If you want to see clearly, you need clear vision.”
Images from Legacy of the Divine Tarot ©Ciro Marchetti, 2009. Used with permission of Llewellyn Worldwide, New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit, http://www.llewellyn.com/
I recently went to my tarot cards to answer a question that began, “What do I need to know about…?” The subject of my query wasn’t as important as the answer I received from of the most challenging cards in tarot for me to interpret. Seven of Swords.
I chose to spend 15 minutes meditating with the card. As a taroist you may think it is an unlikely card to meditate on; but if this was the message I received from the universe, then it needed attention.
I settled in to breath, relax, feel, watch and allow. Below are the random thoughts which came to me, as well as added introspection from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – aphorisms and texts of Raja Yoga. (The Yoga Sutras are also commonly known as Raja Yoga, the Royal Yoga. They earned this noble status because they present spirituality as a holistic science, universally applicable to people of all faith traditions.)
When you see the Seven of Swords consider delving deeply into the thoughts that are stirring and trying to take hold in your mind. Are they stealing you away from your truth?
Sutras 2.15 – 2.17 of the Yoga Sutras of Sri Patanjali teach about causes of suffering that are the result of samskara, a Sanskrit work meaning habit. You suffer when you knowingly or unknowingly repeat patterns or behaviors that don’t serve you or that cause you harm. Prevent the suffering that is to come by beginning to change your perspective and envision the future you want to live in. Use the challenges you face on your journey to your goals as opportunities to begin a process of inquiry and self-connection to guide you to right action, compassion and avoid suffering.
Where can you release old habits in order to create new beginnings?
“Meditation allows us to remain intimate with the flow of our moment-to-moment inner experience. Ride the Wave and use the compassionate witness to resist the tendency to censor uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.”
Take care when listening to your mind, it can trick you into a false sense of beliefs.
What are you reaching for or focusing on that is taking you away from the realities of your daily life? If you can’t see, touch, feel, smell, or taste it, does it really exist?
How, when and where do you spend time focusing on things that don’t serve your goals?
Why have you turned your back on your True Nature? Why have you chosen to deceive yourself by not accepting yourself as a perfect being just as you are?
Why have you chosen to turn away from what you need most to be aware of or take care of in your life?
In what ways have your fears (produced in your mind as random thoughts connected to must have’s and wants) conned you into believing more is better? What if more is “bitter”; because you have not taken the time to envision and plan for what needs to happen next (today, tomorrow, next week, next month) to be “pain” free and avoid needless suffering.
Karmic actions will unfold out of today’s inaction and lack of focus.
In what ways have you been dis-honest with yourself?
How can you reset, relax and calm your wandering busy mind to find the clarity you need?
“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Paraphrasing from Inside the Yoga Sutras, Reverend Jaganath Carrera
Being Honest about the Seven of Swords
The Seven of Swords is traditionally known as the “Thieves’ Card.” The Seven of Swords is likely to show up when there is cheating or lying going on.
The Seven of Swords can be tricky to interpret. Sometimes it’s obvious who is lying, who is cheating, and who can’t be trusted. But if those things aren’t immediately apparent, you can’t really ask, “Is someone lying to you?” You also don’t want to make an assumption that might create undue anxiety, or cause problems in an otherwise healthy relationship.
Sometimes, when I see the Seven of Swords, its energy seems to permeate the whole reading. It’s easy to simply say something like this. “I see a situation where you are having some trust issues. Is there someone behaving in an untrustworthy manner, or a situation or person who lacks integrity?”
The thing is, the Seven of Swords, like the thief it represents, is slippery. The client might not be suspicious of dishonesty around her, and therefore make no connection with the card. In this case it is up to the reader to look further. You may need to pull more cards or interpret your spread to include specific information to discover the area of life the Seven of Swords is referencing.
I think many readers would agree that sometimes there are cards in a reading to which you don’t pay much attention. Perhaps you only have a few minutes to give the reading and there is a more pressing issue.
There are some cards, however, that should never be ignored, regardless of the focus or limitations of the reading. I think the Seven of Swords is such a card. When you see it, you need to be able to explain with some certainty its presence in the reading. You need to be able to do this without falsely accusing someone of something heinous, or causing or feeding paranoia.
We are all familiar with the Seven of Swords* indicating the “fox in the chicken coop.” This is the employee with his hand in the till, the addict who swears he’ll never touch the stuff again, the kid who didn’t do his homework and the cheating spouse.
The Seven of Swords can also indicate a general lack of integrity in an organization; that is, corruption, unfair policies and the like.
The Seven of Swords can suggest that the querent himself is keeping a secret, or in a position of feeling the need to lie.
The Seven of Swords can indicate the feeling of not knowing what to trust in general, or with regard to a specific issue.
The Seven of Swords can remind us to be creative in problem solving. Sometimes we have to be crafty, maybe even sneaky, to solve a problem.
Those are all relatively common interpretations for the Seven of Swords. Here are two more you might not have considered.
On a very few but memorable occasions I have seen the Seven of Swords indicate cancer. It makes sense if you think about it; cancer often comes like a silent thief. Obviously, be careful about how you present the possibility of a health issue. Give a referral to a competent medical professional.
I have also seen the Seven of Swords indicate a lack of confidence. Sometimes we feel like we aren’t up to the task at hand. The Seven of Swords may say the querent isn’t trusting herself or her abilities.
No matter the context, it seems two key concepts for the Seven of Swords are “lack of trust” and “something hidden.”
Given the delicate nature of the Seven of Swords, it’s very important to give this card careful consideration when it appears in a reading.
* Typo corrected 7/22/2015 Thanks to Donnaleigh de la Rose for finding that I had inadvertently typed "Wands" instead of "Swords".
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