Chiriku
The Minors of this deck are of note because the deck has set itself the task of interpreting all four suits through the prism of the element of Fire.
The Ace of Swords features a visually arresting array of cool blues the very shades that appear in the center of a searing-hot flame; this is beautifully apt. Piercing the deep blue night sky is a glowing blue arrow representing the astrological sign of Sagittarius. Below, a huge Ceylon-blue sapphire of uncommon clarity and color saturation "burns" with a scintillating blue fire.
I don't have a scanner so would be much obliged to anyone who can post an image.
The Little White Book (LWB) tells us: "Swords link material strengths to spiritual ones to create as well as to destroy" and "Ace: the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and sapphire. (The Sagittarius is Croto, son of Pan and Euphemia, the wet-nurse of the Muses). The purifying fire, the spiritual drive that leads to the divine. "
The idea of "spiritual fire" and "purifying fire" is an apt one for swords, I think; I recall that the blades of swords are forged in fire, or were at some point in swordsmithing history. To me, that speaks of a certain purity, a burning away of the extraneous matter to produce a sharp, clean object; it is the sharpness and clarity that we hope for in our thoughts.
Mental faculties and clarity, which are traditionally associated with swords in a Rider Waite Smith system, can thus be seen as linked with this purifying "blue fire:" the murky Waters of feelings and the carnality of Earth are "burned" away, revealing the mind's processes.
Air (traditional RWS association with the suit of Swords) also feeds fire, fanning its flames to greater heights.
What other justifications can we find for interpreting Swords with the element of fire? What do you think about the choices the deck creators have made here, conceiving of Swords as a "purifying blue fire?" What do you think about the choice of astrological sign for this card/suit [archer= sword, eh?]
The Ace of Swords features a visually arresting array of cool blues the very shades that appear in the center of a searing-hot flame; this is beautifully apt. Piercing the deep blue night sky is a glowing blue arrow representing the astrological sign of Sagittarius. Below, a huge Ceylon-blue sapphire of uncommon clarity and color saturation "burns" with a scintillating blue fire.
I don't have a scanner so would be much obliged to anyone who can post an image.
The Little White Book (LWB) tells us: "Swords link material strengths to spiritual ones to create as well as to destroy" and "Ace: the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and sapphire. (The Sagittarius is Croto, son of Pan and Euphemia, the wet-nurse of the Muses). The purifying fire, the spiritual drive that leads to the divine. "
The idea of "spiritual fire" and "purifying fire" is an apt one for swords, I think; I recall that the blades of swords are forged in fire, or were at some point in swordsmithing history. To me, that speaks of a certain purity, a burning away of the extraneous matter to produce a sharp, clean object; it is the sharpness and clarity that we hope for in our thoughts.
Mental faculties and clarity, which are traditionally associated with swords in a Rider Waite Smith system, can thus be seen as linked with this purifying "blue fire:" the murky Waters of feelings and the carnality of Earth are "burned" away, revealing the mind's processes.
Air (traditional RWS association with the suit of Swords) also feeds fire, fanning its flames to greater heights.
What other justifications can we find for interpreting Swords with the element of fire? What do you think about the choices the deck creators have made here, conceiving of Swords as a "purifying blue fire?" What do you think about the choice of astrological sign for this card/suit [archer= sword, eh?]
