by Sasha Graham
Waite teases readers with an esoteric hint, saying, “The picture offers the material side only, but there are other aspects.” The number nine on the Tree of Life is the Hebrew word Yesod, meaning “foundation.” It is the place where intangible becomes manifest in the material world. Foundation is the gateway, the doorway through which anything becomes “real.” Because cups reflect invisible qualities (as do swords and wands) like emotions, feelings, and creativity, cups will manifest themselves in the form of something wished. The wish comes true in a tangible way. A romantic partner appears. You find the house of your dreams. The trip is booked. Something longed, wished, and worked for stands in front of you in its final form.
Waite describes “physical bien-être,” the French term for “well-being.” Pamela is clever in her illustration. She chooses not to display a character who languishes in delight, like the Nine of Pentacles or the Ten of Cups. Instead, she involves the viewer directly, using an excellent intuitive trick. The genie seems to speak and directly engage the viewer. The reader becomes an active participant in the deck. The card immediately asks you, begs you to answer the questions, “What do you want? What is your desire? If you could wish for anything, what would it be?”
The card also reminds the reader to be careful what they wish for. Why should a person exercise care? Wish fulfillment often arrives with unforeseen consequences. The old saying is true, the grass is often greener on the other side. We think something else will be better while the real thing stands before us all along.
A final contemplation of this card comes in the form of the ninth position of the Celtic Cross spread, which reflects hopes and fears. How can a hope and a fear be two sides of the same coin? If we hope for something, why do we not already have it? The card becomes the marker for the ultimate spiritual and human evolution and a job very well done when we work through fear and deep desires are met.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Concord, contentment, physical bien-être; also victory, success, advantage; satisfaction for the Querent or person for whom the consultation is made.
Reversed: Truth, loyalty, liberty; but the readings vary and include mistakes, imperfections, etc.
Ten of Cups
Lord of Perfected Success—Mars in Pisces—Stage Card
In the house where I was born
Vivid light of rose and gold,
Permeating vast and fair
Vaulted heights of heavy air,
Held netted sunbeams there.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
The dazzling Ten of Cups is the “happily ever after” card. The cycle of cups reaches its finale. A frolicking family appears beneath an old-fashioned and dazzling rainbow of color. The rainbow evokes feelings of heart and harmony. The dream comes true and a treasure of fairy gold appears. A quaint homestead stands beside a wandering river. The couple gestures to the sky as if they have summoned or are presenting the rainbow. It is the cherry on the cake of their story, the perfect last act.
The Ten of Cups reflects the typical nuclear family. It is the only card in the RWS deck to hold all four positions and stations of the court card family: king/father, queen/mother, knight/teen, page/child. The four figures represent the tetragrammaton (the fourfold name of the Hebrew deity). The female figures, adorned in blue, symbolize the element of water. The male figures, adorned in red, symbolize fire.
The reader should examine the relationship between Two of Cups next to the Ten of Cups. A narrative culmination runs in every minor arcana suit of the deck. The couple has grown and matured into adults with a family of their own. The same house with red thatched roof stands, and trees have grown right alongside their children. Pamela illustrated many books of fairy tales in her career, including her own set of Jamaican folk tales. The Ten of Cups is similar to her illustrations in The Book of Friendly Giants. She calls upon familiar mythic landscapes. Always true to her theatrical background, the Ten of Cups denotes the feeling of finality held in the breathtaking moments before the curtain falls and the crack of final applause ripples through the audience.
The rainbow is a celestial bridge linking the spirit to the sky. The three colors of the rainbow recall the three aspects of divinity. Waite describes the scene and states that the rainbow is “contemplated in wonder and ecstasy by a man and woman below, evidently husband and
wife.” The odd formation of his statement supports the idea that Pamela presented an original illustration, free from his direction. It is as if Waite is describing something he has just seen for the first time, rather than describing a card he envisioned for his artist. He points out the children, noting, “The two children dancing near them have not observed the prodigy but are happy after their own manner.” His uses the word prodigy in the sense of “archetype” or something amazing. Perhaps the children do not notice the particular magic of the rainbow because children see everything through the eyes of enchantment and wonder.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Contentment, repose of the entire heart; the perfection of that state; also perfection of human love and friendship; if with several picture-cards, a person who is taking charge of the Querent’s interests; also the town, village or country inhabited by the Querent.
Reversed: Repose of the false heart, indignation, violence.
Ace of Swords
Kether in Yetzirah—Root of the Powers of Air
We have pass’d through the region of omen,
and enter’d a land of sight.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
The Ace of Swords is the essence of the mind. The Ace of Swords, with swift, clever execution, represents an excellent idea, intellectual instincts, and mental acuity. The Ace of Swords advises the individual to follow their first instinct. It suggests a moment of complete clarity. A problem is worked out. It is known to be true. It happens before others weigh in to convince us otherwise or allow circumstances to influence us. Setting clear intentions each and every day helps to place the Ace of Swords firmly in hand. It directs the will and focuses the consciousness. Intentions, inherited or purposeful, inform everything in life.
Examine this card as if it is a Caesar thumb. Upright, the gladiator lives; down, he dies. The Ace of Swords will appear to tell you if an idea is good or bad or if the surrounding energy is flowing or blocked. Alternatively, upright is a thumbs-down and down, you’ve totally nailed it. It will advise you to proceed or give the matter more thought. The suit of swords is tricky, and it is no accident that swords are the scariest cards in the deck. Swords and the element of air reflect the mind. Our entire experience of the world takes place in our mind. Anais Nin famously said, “We don’t see the world how it is, we see it as we are.” Events play out in our lives and we construct narratives around it. This is how two people experience the exact same event in entirely different ways. Two brothers grow up in a family with little money. One views himself as a victim of poverty and resigns himself to it. The other brother is inspired by his financial challenge and uses it as a call to action. He becomes highly successful and reinvents his life as an adult.
Swords are tools at our disposal. Those lucky to possess a sound mind, without chemical imbalance or mental illness, have the ability to choose their thoughts. Choosing thoughts allows destructive emotions or distracting ideas to float away without reacting to them. Attention is like a laser beam: what we focus on receives power. The Ace of Swords reminds us we already have ownership over life’s most transformational tool.
Waite explains only, “A hand issues from a cloud, grasping a sword, the point of which is encircled by a crown.” The Book T’s instructions are followed carefully. It states, “A WHITE Radiating Angelic Hand, issuing from clouds, and grasping the hilt of a sword…” Pamela crafts a faithful representation. The stark whiteness of the hand is apparent. The whiteness, as pale as a blank sheet of paper, marks a stark contrast to the skin color of every other character in the deck. A spiky
electrical field glows around the fist and wrist, depicting additional radiance. All other ace hands match in color and display radiant qualities. The hilt of a sword is the handle of a sword or dagger that remains visible when the weapon is plunged into enemy flesh.
The Book T goes on to describe how the sword “supports a White Radiant Celestial Crown; from which depend, on the right, the olive branch of peace; and on the left, the palm branch of suffering.” The second half of this sentence holds rich figurative symbols. “Crown” is the Hebrew name for the first Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. The first Sephiroth appears like an ace, where something appears out of nothing or “no thing.” An olive branch, hanging to the right of the crown, is a symbol of conciliation and goodwill. The palm branch, hanging to the left of the crown, is a cross-cultural symbol of victory and triumph. The Book T likely describes it as the “palm branch of suffering” because in Christianity it reflects the victory of the soul over the flesh. Ancient Christian tombs decorated with palm symbols meant a martyr was buried beneath. A martyr is an individual murdered in the name of their religion via crucifixion, stoning, stake burning, or some other horrific way.
The Book T describes how “six Vaus fall from its point.” Vau is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it means hook or peg, which is associated with the suit of swords. A sword can be used to pierce anything. There are six images of the sixth letter. Hooks were once used by ancient nomadic peoples to secure their tents as they traveled. Through mental acuity we protect ourselves in the physical world, and the idea of a hook may be used to connect our thoughts to higher realms. Swords are the mental process providing an understanding of the sacred patterns laid before us and our ability to make sense of them.
The Book T goes on to say, “It symbolizes ‘Invoked,’ as contrasted with Natural Force: for it is the Invocation of the Sword.” This statement of invoked force is in direct opposition to the Ace of Wands, which is described as a “natural” force. What is the difference between a natural and an invoked force? What is the difference between air and fire? Between swords and wands? The difference is consciousness and mental acuity. Primal fire is a natural instinct. Procreation is instinctual to all living things. It happens without thought. To “invoke” means that one is aware of one’s actions. It is the awakening of consciousness. Man posits himself above all other creatures due to his ability to discriminate and intellectualize. Right or wrong, mental ability is what makes up the entire essence of the suit of swords. It is what makes us who we are.
The Book T gives us a clue to the Justice card within its description of the Ace of Swords by claiming, “It is the affirmation of Justice upholding Divine Authority…” The Justice card holds an upright sword in the right hand. It reminds us of the divine authority of the sword. It goes on to offer grave warnings about the nature of the Ace of Swords, echoing the truth of the human condition. “Raised upward, it invokes the Divine crown of Spiritual Brightness, but reversed it is the Invocation of Demonic Force; and becomes a fearfully evil symbol. It represents, therefore, very great power for good or evil.” We can remove the moral implications of Spiritual Brightness and Demonic Force and simply look at the destructive or expansive nature of human thought as expressed by the suit of swords.
To harness the “very great power” of the Ace of Swords, we need only to grasp control of the mind. Controlling the mind means we choose which thoughts we focus on and which thoughts we allow to slip away. This is the work of Zen masters. The opportunity exists every moment, every day, even right now. Gaining control over the mind, we run the computer rather than allowing the computer to run us.
The palm’s grip on the sword is tight. Aces forcefully hold the masculine elements of fire (wands) and air (swords). This is viewed in opposition for the feminine elements of earth (pentacles) and water (cups), where the pentacle rests gently in a receptive palm.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Triumph, the excessive degree in everything, conquest, triumph of force. It is a card of great force, in love as well as in hatred. The crown may carry a much higher significance than comes usually within the sphere of fortune-telling.
Reversed: The same, but the results are disastrous; another account says—conception, childbirth, augmentation, multiplicity.
Two of Swords
Lord of Peace Restored—Moon in Libra—Stage Card
And sweet incense, each exhaling
From a thurible, ascends,
Drifts, a dim enchanted veiling,
Eastward as the dew descends:
Hence concealed in all that seems,
Truly human nature teems.
Arthur Waite, Collected Poems
The Two of Swords reflects stillness and calm. A female figure wears a white gown and sits on a cement cube. Her feet rest flat on the floor. Her arms criss-cross across her chest and heart chakra. Her hands hold dual silver swords pointing to each corner of the card. She wears a white blindfold. A crescent moon, yellowed with reflected light, hangs at the top right. An inlet of water is painted on the scrim behind her.
The Two of Swords suggests blocking out the outer world and holding all intrusive things at bay. It is the card of blotting out distractions, chores, annoying parents, houses full of children, responsibilities, and needy coworkers, bosses, or clients. It reflects a helpful spiritual practice of extreme focus during a problem-solving moment. Alternatively, the Two of Swords can be understood as the card of denial, a refusal to look at obvious facts that are staring you right in the face. Like the Hanged Man, the Two of Swords is a suspended moment in time where events, feelings, and observations are digested.
The duality of the card reflects the ability to hold two opposing thoughts at the same time. It suggests a broad range of thinking and the intellectual advantage of understanding essential truths of human nature. It reflects the empathy of putting yourself in another’s place. It suggests the understanding of the existence of a gray area, that no issue is black-and-white but rather shades between. Rising above the situation gives you a bird’s-eye view.
Intuitive reactions to this card vary. Some viewers are unnerved by the image. Others find it peaceful. The former feel the fear of danger or bondage as they observe her blindfold and swords. The latter feel she takes a protective stance. They see an individual who has voluntarily blindfolded herself to blot out the outer world like a sleeping mask. She focuses on her internal life and meditation like the yogi who quietly centers herself at the beginning of her practice and sets her intention.
The secret of the Two of Swords is its revelation of initiation into a secret magical society or enlightened way of thinking. The esoteric meaning of a blindfold applies to the Eight of Swords card as well. Blindfolding initiates is a cross-cultural device used in many organizations, from fraternities to Freemasons. Masons call it “hoodwinking.” Blindfolds are a highly transformative symbol. The individual is temporarily blinded. The initiate symbolically moves from darkness (incomprehension) to light (enlightenment). The Two and Eight of Swords each reflect moments of intense internal transformation and unique moments in time. It is a purposeful and willing transformation. They are cards of choice and silliness. It is not a reflection of a random circumstance like losing a job or a loved one unexpectedly. The implied transformation is acutely desired by the subject and embraced. The Two and Eight of Swords cards imply acts of personal power, choice, and a willingness to change.
The esoteric title for the card is “The Lord of Peace Restored,”and Pamela perfectly illustrates this sentiment with her graphically elegant card. It is highly symbolic, not literal, as no human could hold swords of such length and weight with such perfect symmetry. The two swords point upward. It is the energetic opposite of the Three of Swords’ downward-facing crossed swords. The Two of Swords additionally resembles a stripped-down High Priestess card whose esoteric function of “silence” perfectly aligns with “peace restored.” The background of each card
is almost identical. The veil, pillars, and all decorative elements have been removed from the High Priestess. It looks as if the priestess has become the initiate and vice versa. We see the High Priestess in her youth, moving through the early stage of initiation.
Astrologically, the moon is in the first decan of Libra. Libra rules the Justice card. The Two of Swords resembles the traditional blindfolded Justice. Justice’s blindfold reflects impartiality and fairness, although the Justice card in the RWS deck wears none. The two swords imply balance, like Justice’s scales. The two cards mirror one another. The Book T uses the word justice in its description of this card. A moon appears as a fingernail crescent on the Two of Swords. In the northern hemisphere, the moon waxes and grows toward full, from right to left. Pamela’s crescent moon reflects the first decan, the first approximate ten days of any astrological sign, further aligning it with the moon in Libra. The water on the scrim reflects a mild agitation from the wind (recall that swords represent elemental air), enough to ripple the water. This suggests an active, changeable, and moving energy toward the situation.
Waite writes a single lonely sentence to describe the Two of Swords: “A hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders.” His comment is a digression from the image Pamela created. Her figure is not balancing the implements on her shoulders but holding one in each hand. Once again, the illustration and Waite’s description do not entirely match up.
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings: Conformity and the equipoise which it suggests, courage, friendship, concord in a state of arms; another reading gives tenderness, affection, intimacy. The suggestion of harmony and other favorable readings must be considered in a qualified manner, as Swords generally are not symbolical of beneficent forces in human affairs.