3 of Swords

Aoife

Thank you so much to everyone - your comments have been extremely helpful!

Eve
 

Mimers

phirefly said:
i have generally read the three of swords as seeing something you don't want to see. it relates to what others have said about completeness. it's as if everything has fallen into place and what was once hidden is now revealed, and the truth hurts.

I see the 3 of swords the same way. I read something very interesting in my journal about the 3 of swords. My first impressions were, 'sadness because you know too much, but don't for get the rain. Rain washes away pain.' I then wrote a little note to remember how you felt when Grandpa died. My little story is what I think of when I see this card now in a reading.

I was 4 years old and I remember my Mom picking up the phone and bursting into tears. Mom got off the phone and told us girls that Grandpa had gone to heaven. I smiled and clasped my hands together. Heaven was that great place in the sky where people go and get to be happy and be with God! How great for Grandpa! Why is everybody crying? I asked my Mom why are you sad if Grandpa went to Heaven? She told me that she would miss him, because we would never see him for a very long time. What is a long time to a 4yr old? A week.

My Mom was sad and I was not, because she knew what it meant to loose someone close to you. I did not know so I did not feel sorrow because I had no clue how hard it would be not to have him around any more. This is how I see this being a sword card and not a cup card. Emotions don't usually make sense. The swords do make sense.

Hope this helps. I really love these threads that take apart these cards and put them back together!

Lots of Luv,
Mimers
 

LeahG

Francesca said:
Whenever I see the 3 of swords, I figure that there is "another" in the picture somewhere. The other woman or the other man. It doesn't necessarily mean that one has a rival in love, but close. It means that there is a rival and if that rival wins out, you will lose out.

Very close to the traditional meaning and pretty negative I will admit. I use the RW and I have often seen that card come up when I've had a rival for someone's affections.

Francesca

That's interesting Francesca - I too feel that the card signifies a bit of a love triangle in respect to relationships - it has just come up in my "environment" for a spread I did tonight for a relationship - my immediate impression - the 'other' is suffering from some pain - caused by another.....
 

Silverlotus

This has always been one of my favourite cards. I drew it for a grade 8 art project, using the one from the Aquarian Tarot as a model. I was an odd little girl, with actually a cery happy childhood. *shrug*

Anyway, I don't always see the Three of Swords as being about sorrow. Some cards show rain, some only show clouds, most have an angry looking sky (assuming it is the "traditional" image). But after the rain and storm comes sun. So, I see the Three of Swords as a temporary condition. You may be suffering heartbreak or sorrow right now, but you've also learned one big whopping lesson. And that lesson is helping you to recover and hopefully see things is a better light (the sun :) ) soon.

Three is a strong number to me. Maiden, Mother, Crone. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Past, Present, Future. There are all kinds of sets of threes that are important. Three is also the number of mastery and spirituality. So, the Three of Swords can also be a card of seeing spiritual truth. Is it that truth that hurts, or the return to the "real world"? I guess that depends on your point of view. Either way, listen to that little voice inside you, it will help you heal and see the light again.
 

firemaiden

I like the way the card is drawn on the Spiral deck. The woman is walking in the rain, holding a rose over her heart, and a guy is running away in the other direction.

The rain is good. I always loved the rain. It has always been my favorite season, in California where I grew up it didn't rain very often, and more often than not, we were in a drought. The rain also meant long awaited relief from the dreadful edict to "play outside". When the rain came, the air smelled good, and there was a romantic melancholy in the air that was so beautiful.

Growing up "under-traumatized" in dry, history-less California, the rain, like a little sorrow was long-sought contact with something like the soul. ..the rain comes and fills up the reservoirs, we can drink! And when say the heart is "full" we mean, of feeling, it could be happiness, or sadness, sometimes we don't know the difference. Tears give new life and allow the soul to flow again.

How different black anguish of the nine of swords.

The romantic poets, painters and musicians (Tschaikowsky in particular) found beauty in pain, or more precisely in melancholy. When I was six years old, I would run home from school, to put the needle on the record player, and start up "Swan Lake" by Tshaikowsky, and cry. Why? it was so beautiful! !! I couldn't resist. Especially that violin solo in the white pas de deux.

Yes, the swords in the heart are contact! They reach in from the outside. They "cut the bull", "pierce to the heart of the matter". It is something like that lightning bolt of love at first sight, that gaze which pierces through every layer, and melts every resistance. It is that feeling of being emotionally reached, at last, at last.

If the experience is one of sorrow, this sorrow is however the life-giving grief, that only comes to one who has the strength, and the energy to to feel.
 

Dark Eyes

I have also drawn this card many times for friends, and often it signals a three way battle, either in love or family. Quite often, there are three people involved and a lot of pain and heartache too.
I do believe however, on interpreting this card to a client, and depending of course on the surrounding cards, that there is also a sense of peace , or calm after the storm. An inevitable heartbreak, or painful situation must be faced, but will be followed by such peace and rest, that the client must not despair for too long. Also, after the indecision of the two of swords, I feel a sense of tension relieved with the three. Again, it depends on surrounding cards. My mum drew this card once for a friend, they were going through a legal battle,the mother, her daughter, and her daughter's ex husband. It was a legal battle between three people, and it was heartbreaking.The outcome was eventually reached, and peace came at last.
Regards Dark eyes.
 

Cali7772003

I kept getting this card for a long time. It confuses me to for instance one moth it would show up as present then the next month it was past. I have only gotten 3 readings professionally and the card turned up and the Lady said that I put all 3 swords in my heart meyself. I was really upset at the time. I lost my job, my dog died, and life was not happy. She told me I did not clean up my garbage whatever that means that I just threw it all away instead of cleaning it up. I find this an emotional card or a cutting card the last time I got it I had to have a tooth removed. How different is that? Anyway I learned you cannot read the same card the same all the time.

BB,
 

jamesriouxctm

Hello all,

Has anyone got a copy of Michael Crichton's "Travels" handy? About halfway through the book, Crichton is at a retreat and they start working with Tarot cards. He is asked to pick his favorite and least favorite cards just based on the images, and he picks the Magician and the Three of Swords respectively. Then other people help him see the good aspects of the Three and the bad aspects of the Magician. It's an enlightening exercise and a fresh new perspective on both of these cards.

I would quote the passage proper but I don't have the book with me right now. I can find it later today and post the appropriate section, but if someone else has the book and knows what I'm talking about, feel free to beat me to the punch.
 

belly dancer

3 of swords moment...

I had a 3 of swords moment last night and this morning.
This guy I just met until now sounded like he is genuinely interested in me - however last night he made some comments as that he just wanted to keep it simple,having fun and enjoying himself. I really believe that he just wanted to bring it out in the open so I don't get ahead of myself.
The way I felt last night and this morning is like a three of swords.
Not necesarrily a heart break and tears. But someone hurting you feelings with words and thoughts. At the same time it is good that now it is out in the open.It hurts but the healing can start. I just felt really sad and emotionally numb. This morning when I woke up I felt more emotionless,a little sad but thinking clearly - the healing process began, my world didn't change everything is fine, but now I can come up with a plan or whatever.
And it was very cloudy. I thought - even the sun stopped shining.In about an hour the sun came out,still cloudy but bright light. Just like in the card. (rider-waite). behind the heart it's grey with a little light shining thorugh.

So for me this card is not bout the big heart break, all the tears and sorrow, but about the process when you find out something sad (more or less), it hurts but it'a good that you know it.And then the lealing process.
I have similar thoughts about the 10 of swords.