Sunday, July 20th 2014

Today's Tarot card is...

Three of Swords

A large heart looms against a stormy sky, pierced by three swords. Clearly this is heartbreak very dramatically and tragically expressed. Consider the image carefully. The sun, representing the self, is centered on the heart. The ego is identifying entirely with the emotional distress, making it bigger than it should be. The swords embedded in the heart indicate that a way of looking at a situation is faulty. Removing the focus from the emotion allows a glimpse of the bigger picture. A proper perspective allows more clarity. In this instance, The Empress, Major Arcana III, can provide the nurturing and healing that will help transcend the heartbreak.

Meaning: You have experienced a heartbreak. However, you are not seeing the effects of this heartbreak clearly. Although it is hard to end a relationship, it does not mean the end of your life... which is probably how you are feeling. Seek a realistic perspective.

Be aware of the lure of the role of the tragically broken-hearted lover. It gives the lover a reason to pine and mourn and never move forward. It is a sham, an excuse to avoid life.

The Three of Swords represents rejection, sadness, loneliness, heartbreak, betrayal, separation and grief. Such events feel so painful because they are unexpected. However, the Three of Swords often serves as a warning sign to show when one or more of these are possible. By preparing for this difficult event, the emotional blow can be minimised or even prevented entirely.

That said, pain, sorrow and grief are often a necessity in the journey of life. Without pain, there would be no challenge and no lessons learned. Pain can be a great motivator because it encourages you to surmount obstacles and ultimately learn from your mistakes. Each challenge you encounter creates that initial pain, which is inevitably turned into an opportunity to grow stronger and to change the direction of your life as a result of the lessons learned. While the pain may cloud your vision for a certain period, it will eventually allow you to see clearly and to put the past behind you. Though life seems meaningless at the time, recovery can and will occur. It takes faith, self-love, forgiveness and time. Count your blessings.

The Three of Swords therefore serves as a reminder that if you can start to see pain as a learning opportunity, life will suddenly become less painful. You need to really get in touch with pain and sorrow. Challenges remain but once they are no longer perceived as negative or ‘bad’, they lose a lot of their impact. This card is therefore encouraging you that you have the ability to conquer any pain that comes your way. Understand how the pain can help you grow. If someone has betrayed you and you do not think you can ever love again, challenge that belief. Do not be surprised when your heart emerges from darkness, capable of loving even more than before.

Similarly, the Three of Swords speaks of loss and difficulty, of sacrifice and broken relationships. It follows the difficult decision required in the Two of Swords, where you may be avoiding the necessity of making a tough choice. In the Three of Swords, the choice has been made, and you are now experiencing the consequences of our action. Often the choices make involve choosing one good over another, or one evil over another, and thus when you have finally made your decision, you are still left with the pain of losing the option you have not chosen. Often, however, the pain of losing something you once valued (such as a ‘comfortable’ relationship in which you are no longer growing) is necessary in order to prepare you for a more fulfilling experience in the future.

The Three of Swords is also about release. When you have suffered a major setback, or loss, it is a good time to have a good cry, which is all part of the cleansing process. Expressing your sadness and letting it all out will then help you to move on to better times. However, it is also important that you continue to focus on the future path ahead. There can be a risk that you may become overly absorbed in the loss and the surrounding emotions that you lose sight of the need to just let go and move on. The loss becomes your focus rather than the recovery. It is time to accept the loss and then move forward with your life.