Tarot - Five of Swords (First Posted Oct. 13, 2010)

To know severity in the suit of swords – which is the “realm of air” and, by another name, the “world of thought” – is to know when not to tolerate any arguments in your mind.

The time to visit the place of severity, in the suit of swords, is the time when you need to dig in and buckle down and keep your thoughts under your command.  You will know when this time has come because it will be a time when there is something you need to accomplish – something that requires you to not waste your time and energy on thoughts which will only serve to distract you from your goal.

In other words, there are times when your mind has to be completely made up and all your thoughts MUST be in accordance with each other.  No dissenters.  No “ifs, “ands” or “buts” about it.  Your thoughts must be tight, cohesive and focussed.  This is even truer when others around you are caving in and letting their thoughts scatter to the four winds – tempting you to do the same.

At the end of the day, the biggest difference between yourself and others (when it comes to achieving a goal) is your ability to accept and endure the severity of thought it takes to keep moving forward when everyone else has given up.

Without the place of severity in the world of thought there would be insufficient mental focus to drill through the obstacles that stand in your way when you are trying to do something extraordinary – something that requires your utmost – something that requires your full and unwavering attention.

PLEASE NOTE:  This interpretation is based purely on the feelings I experience when I  focus on, and merge with, the images in the card combined with how I understand the Minor Arcana of the Rider-Waite deck dovetails with the Tree of Life in the Qabalah (as taught by Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone, co-founders of The Tarot School in New York City, NY).