TITLE OF CARD IN RW DECK: Seven of Swords

ALTERNATE NAMES: Lord of Unstable Effort, Futility

RW DESCRIPTION: A man with a strange hat and matching boots tiptoes off carrying five swords, while two more swords are stuck in the ground behind him on the side of his path. The man looks back over his left shoulder, apparently at a group of pavilions. There are silhouettes of people in the background to his right--maybe around a campfire. (Is that smoke?)
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: His sneakiness; and how weird that fur-lined hat looks over his curly hair.

UPRIGHT MEANINGS: Design, attempt, wish, hope, confidence; also quarrelling, a plan that may fail, annoyance. The design is uncertain in its import, because the significations are widely at variance with each other.--A.E. Waite
Thief, con artist, swindler, untrustworthy character, sneaky, unstable, unreliable, dishonest, aloof, secretive, two-faced, poser. Ends do not justify means, desire for instant gratification, unwilling to pay the price for what one wants, accumulating bad credit and/or debt, shoplifting, kleptomania. Maneuvering behind someone's back, creeping around or away, hiding one's true plans or intentions, subterfuge, cunning, craftiness, deception, secrecy, lying and stealing, exploitation, victimization, crime, manipulation, scheming, gossip and backstabbing, politics, espionage and sabotage. Research, gathering facts, strategic planning, collecting data from diverse sources, grasping someone else's ideas, hoarding information. Distraction, trying to do too many things at one time, something steals your attention, robbed/robbing of peace of mind, unexpected intrusion. Futility, inconstancy, unstable effort, partial success, an impulsive act when a careful plan is required, an underhanded plan has flaws and/or will only partially succeed, yielding when victory is within grasp.
ALSO: Gloomy subconscious expectations muddy your insight.--Gerd Ziegler Values or ideals of the past being challenged.  A daring act or coup which takes the sting out of the opposition.--Rachel Pollack

REVERSED MEANINGS: Good advice, counsel, instruction, slander, babbling. Good advice, probably neglected.--A.E. Waite
Return to the scene of the crime, thief caught, partial recovery of stolen goods, surrender, confession, public recantation and/or apology, indiscreet speech, secrets revealed, dishonesty or deception uncovered, facade falls. Reaping consequences of bad planning or impulsive behavior, inability to keep or use what one has acquired, schemes backfire, slipping on one's own banana peel, fumble, comeuppance, bills come due, repossession, impeachment.
ALSO: Shifting the blame (it wasn't me)

BIBLICAL: Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. Judges 21:20-21
MYTHOLOGICAL: Georgie Porgie; Tom the Piper's Son; Jack of Hearts
HISTORICAL: ???

ANIMAL: fox, magpie, kuckoo
PLANTS/FLOWERS: Venus flytrap?
TIME/SEASON: late fall

MUSIC/FILM/BOOK: I'm sure there are many! But it's not a favorite genre of mine, so I can't think of any. Something along the lines of a great diamond heist, armored car robbery, or James Bond flick.
PUBLIC PEOPLE OR EVENTS: What's that guy's name . . . Cooper . . . G.T.? B.D.?
OCCUPATIONS: thief, con artist, repo man
QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES: Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.--Samuel Butler.

SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: While working on this page, I had to explain to my daughter during her goodnight story what the phrase "behind one's back" means. I also spoke with her kindergarten teacher about distraction.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS: This card also represents marketing and media--coming into your house and stealing your time and attention.
THIS CARD/PERSON IN MY LIFE: This card had significance for me in readings when a nasty neighbor was robbing me of my peace of mind.

FAVORITE REPRESENTATION: Maat
COMPARISONS TO OTHER CARDS: I was looking through the RW deck to see if anyone else walked in a style similar to the 7S fellow. I found the Fool. And neither one of them is looking where they are going. Hmm.
I've been occupied the past week or so with the theme of distraction, and this combination really rounds it out. The cards show two nuances of distraction--idle and busy--that have been issues at my house. I think the Fool's type of distraction is apparent--spacing out, occupied with your own thoughts, flights of fancy, what my dad used to call "contemplating your navel." But the 7 of Swords covers the busy types of distraction, such as the type created by thieves and heroes, or something that diverts, intrudes on or troubles your mind; steals your attention.

COMPARISONS TO OTHER DECKS:

Halloween Tarot Seven of Bats

by Kipling West

ISBN 0-88079-965-X

Description: A vegetable man departs with a sackful of bats. Two are already escaping and--if they are not like crabs--the rest will be leaving soon. The veggie man looks back over his shoulder either at the bats or at the array of pavilions behind him. Similar to the RW, he is smiling and sneaking on tiptoes.

What stands out for me about this image is that there is a hole in the sack. It doesn't seem intentional, since the figure hold the sack's opening closed with one hand. Maybe the bats chewed their way out? Maybe he's with PETA, smiling because he had planned to let the bats go anyway. In a reading I would say an underhanded plan has flaws and/or will only partially succeed. Or, don't let the bat out of the bag.

 

Ancestral Path Seven of Swords

by Julie Cuccia-Watts

ISBN 0-88079-141-1

Description: A Japanese man in the foreground carries six swords. He is heavily tattooed, and smiling. Behind him, a woman holds another sword, while speaking with another man. There's a pavilion and a crowd in the background, but I can't really see what's going on back there.

What's most obvious is that the main figure is in possession of something(s) not his. This could give a range of meanings from a thief to a servant, a teacher, someone with a facade, someone using someone else's ideas, or time. Because she holds the other sword, the woman behind him seems connected to the main figure, as helper or accomplice. (Or he's her pimp.) At first glance, the one I felt the most distrustful of was the man talking to her. Thought he might be trying to schmooze on someone else's girl. But he could be an eager victim, drawn aside from the crowd.

This is a card that is so dependent on perspective (like the 5S). In a reading, I would ask the client who they are drawn to or repelled from in this image. For a work-related situation, it looks as if an employee is working up his resume behind his employer's back (and probably doing it on company time); while the boss, meanwhile, is trying to hire his replacement behind *his* back; or some such.

Just read the companion book and found out they *all* want something, whether they have to bargain or steal for it. Make sure you are being honorable in your handling of others' possessions. Make sure those around you are being so too.

voice	distraction	vision
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This page contains excerpts from my original contributions to an online Tarot discussion. The Comparative Tarot list is made possible by Valerie Sim and Yahoo! groups.
Seven of Swords IMHO page created January 2007.
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