Deirdre of the Sorrows - Seven of Swords

shadowdancer

quite often this is the card we draw when asked to be on our guard about something. Quite often decks portray one character who usually has a shifty disposition about them. Therefore it is interesting to see this card has two characters, each showing a very different focus.

CHARACTER TO THE LEFT
Before discussing him, it is worth noting that there is a line of swords separating the two competitors. This does bring to mind how the two competitors in a jousting tournament are separated by a barrier. It appears as though they have been well matched in the race they have been running until this point. It is as if we have been watching a film which has been frozen with this frame now telling the story. How it ends will be down to us to visualise accordingly. He has stopped to pick up a rather nice looking gold lamp. Will this suffice instead of the winning prize I wonder. I did have this card once appear in a reading where my instinct took me in a different direction. I saw it that this character was actually planting the lamp, as if to try and distract his opponent, but may have left his actions too late. It is questionable whether this technique will be successful, but it did fit that particular reading. Deirdre has interestingly given another slant – that the person in the lead has left the lamp for his competitor to see. In this case it appears the distractive action has been successful, assuming the finishing line is not too far in the distance.
If this is the case, you may be reminded that you need to maintain your focus and not allow yourself to be distracted. The short term benefits may be appealing, but you need to weigh them up against the possible long term benefits.

CHARACTER TO THE RIGHT
It is easy to see that he is the more focussed and determined of the two runners. As long as he can ensure his feet and legs do not trip over one of the swords, he has a good chance of reaching his goal. However, the other guy is still in the picture, so he is not quite in the clear as yet. If you were watching this scene as a still from the film, what warning would you want to be shouting to the guy in the lead? What makes you think this would be appropriate?
There could also be another issue that could apply. Has the lead person been so narrowly focussed he has actually gone sailing past the prize, only for the person behind to take advantage of this oversight?


OTHER FOR CONSIDERATION
We do see there are a couple of pieces of jigsaw puzzle in view. There is a lot of the puzzle missing. How could this correlate with your situation? What pieces may be missing – what would you need in order to complete/see the whole picture?
In the background we see a group surrounding a camp fire which is well and truly ablaze. They seem to be playing no part in the foreground scene. What do they signify?