RWS Tarot 101: Three of Swords

PAMUYA

Three of Swords

When I look into the Three of Swords I see a heart being pierced by three swords. A very sad card indeed. I feel loneliness, heart break, rejection sadness and grief. Some may feel it is a fate worse than death itself, but life will always go on, no matter how bleak it feels. Three swords an imbalance, perhaps a coming together, integration, or growth will come out of this situation. Pain is a great motivator, teaching you lessions, having you grow stronger, drawing from your logic to return things back into balance. Once you accept the pain as opportunity for growth, life will be less painful.

“…three imparts a promise of growth. Without pain, there can be no pleasure,... Emotional anguish presents unique potential to learn from errors and eventually grow wiser.... Even honesty can slice into fragile human emotions... Brutal dialogue, physical rejection or an uncaring attitude wound as deeply as swords…”

Direct: conflict, loss, breakup, sorrow, unhappy, broken romance, broken heart, tears, love not returned (love rejected)...

Reversed: Less sadness, feeling a bit better, loneness, not wanting a divorce, wanting a divorce but not willing to follow through, ending of conflict.

More threads on the Three of Swords:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11581 Three of Swords
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=11581&page=3&pp=10 Three of Swords (in a reading)
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=34304&page=6&pp=10 3of Swords & P. Smiths artwork discussed
 

rcb30872

In all honesty, I sort of see it as a continuation of what I wrote for Two of Swords: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=102313

In which case, for Two of Swords, you would have a person that refuses to see the truth, but in the Three of Swords, they finally see the truth of the matter. So, say if they are in a situation where they are under delusions or illusions created by their conscious mind, whether that is in relation to a romantic relatioship, friendship, family, career, or whatever, something happens where they finally are no longer under delusions or illusions. It is like they have finally seen the heart of the matter, as it were, where they have finally decided to pay attention and to listen to what their subconscious, as well as their friends and whatever else, have been trying to tell them all along.

I think, the white light behind the heart, or around the heart, can be seen as that, but also it is indicative that even though you are going through a lot of pain, heartache, and all the rest, which would be inevitable, that you are not going to be like this all the time. Yes, you have been wounded, but it is not going to give you permanent scarring, as it were, as time heals all wounds, apaparently!
 

Psiweapon

rcb30872 said:
(TRIMMED) the white light behind the heart, or around the heart, (TRIMMED)

Sorry but, ¿What white light? I just see a gray rainy sky, quite fitting for the depression that accompanies heartbreak.

¿Are we using differently colored versions?
 

rcb30872

Psiweapon said:
Sorry but, ¿What white light? I just see a gray rainy sky, quite fitting for the depression that accompanies heartbreak.

¿Are we using differently colored versions?
Radiant Rider-Waite - Three of Swords

I can see that you might see that as rain, but in my minds eye I see it as the light from the sun coming through the clouds. Surely you have seen days like that, where it has been a cloudy day, but you can see the sun shining through the clouds, of course it will be only seen as a few bits of light, it is like the rays that we imagine coming from the sun are more visible. On a clear day, you will not see that.
 

Psiweapon

It's understandable that we give the background different meanings, we *do* have different colourings of the rider-waite. This is the coloring I've got http://www.tarot.org.il/comparison/Rider_S_3.jpg

But anywayz, we're talking about things like seeing the future in printed cardboard rectangles, so whatever rocks your boat! :D