9 of swords

Al Si'ra

Hi!

Last night i was studying with my new wonderful fairytale tarot deck..And i did a mini reading to get to know the cards better..My first card was the 9 of swords-a.k.a Little Mermaid..You probably all know that dramatic story and how the little mermaid falls in love but the prince gets to marry somone thinking that girl has saved her life..and the little mermaid can't talk since she accepts to trade her voice for legs.And so she is destined to die because that was what the witch said it would be ..but she does not instead she rises above as a spirit for her kindness and love.
There is a lot of grief and sadness within this card...I mean the worst *could" happen as *expected* by our little mermaid-her dying and all-but no she rises above to heavens as a spirit..exactly like the figures portrayed in 9 of swords in other decks..The figures get caught up in their own fears and sorrow which usually do not come out to be true at all..

When we analyze the card from a traditional point and when i re-read the little mermaid..

I kinda began to think that 9 swords in other decks as well could as well mean feeling sorry on behalf of someone/not necessarily your own problems ..It's like saying " i feel teribbly sorry for her and i can't get it off my mind-it's just so sad".When i read the card i went completely 9 of swords-i read the story a thousand times before and everytime i read it the same effect is on me..I feel so sorry for her..every time..so you see the pattern- i how seen(read) it before-and the pain is no less than before..exactly like 9 of swords..But i assume that little mermaid was not *THAT* in despair, not as much as the reader would be-so that's where the dramatization takes place..we are feeling sorry for someone else-since it is not actually our own-it gets more tragic..and think..if i hurt myself because of my own mistake i would get sorry but get over it-but if i would hurt someone or see someone get hurt i would get *teribbly* sorry and would blame myself to death at some point.
And when we take a traditional card- i see that those 9 swords DO NOT touch the figure(hanging on the wall)- again leading me to think..it's someone elses grief who makes the figure get so sorry-not her own-but-eventually leading the fear to be on her own in the end..

I'd be glad to hear other opinions as well :)

:love:
 

star-lover

thats very interesting al sira
a worrier type personality worrying about other people or maybe what their actions are having over other people, kind of aperfectionist wanting everything and everyone to be ok and every little thing making them fret

in any case i've always seen this card as mainly unnecessary worrying and self torture - like give yourself a break huh? youre not responsible for others problems/happiness etc

thanks for that
x
 

Sophie

I don't think one has to be a worrier or a perfectionist to feel acute pain for another's hurt. It's part of the human experience - it's known as compassion. Al Sir'a feels compassion for the little mermaid, and for those in her situation - and that compassion brings pain. I feel compassion and pain everytime I think about a street kid or someone who is being tortured somewhere in the world. They are a part of me, because they are a part of humanity and I am human.

The little mermaid, by acquiring legs, acquired humanity, and the ability, like humans, to love and to suffer. The 9 of Swords is our human reaction to that - our empathy with her as a fellow human - our mind joining hers - and, as Al Sir'a interestingly points out - probably making that suffering absolute in our minds, rather than seeing it is but one part of her life.

Even street children laugh, after all :) (which doesn't mean I think they should stay in the street and we should stop trying to do what we can to support them and get them a home and an education!)

It's an excellent observation, Al Sir'a! - thank you for sharing it.
 

Al Si'ra

- our mind joining hers - and, as Al Sir'a interestingly points out - probably making that suffering absolute in our minds, rather than seeing it is but one part of her life.
Thank you Helvetica..that was what i was trying to point out with 9 of swords..and you've explained it perfectly :)

And there is also * being helpless * about it..i mean yes we see the street kids-and i help them as much as i can-but as an individual,that help is limited..and we can do nothing about the little mermaid..it's like the fear we feel when someone close to us has to go through a surgery etc. you feel the fear deep down to the core but you can't do anything about it..there is this feeling of being paralyzed in 9 of swords-sometimes there are things you can do to improve the situation and sometimes you can do nothing but wait and see as things are out of your hand..as the fear you are feeling might not actually belong to you,but you may take it on from other people as well.

:love:
 

Sophie

Al Sir'a - that is so true - what a good observation! Yes - that lack of control over the sufferings of others makes things much worse for us. And I have to thank you - I have been writing about Swords for the Fantastic Menagerie book (the deck is made by the same studio that made the wonderful Fairytale - baba studios in Prague). What you said suddenly slotted something into its place in my brain ;) - the limitation is part of the suffering. We can feel it too in our body, when we have something we don't control happening to us, like a sudden disease. But the little mermaid chose her pain - she was not without control.
 

arachnophobia

Helvetica said:
Al Sir'a - that is so true - what a good observation! Yes - that lack of control over the sufferings of others makes things much worse for us. And I have to thank you - I have been writing about Swords for the Fantastic Menagerie book (the deck is made by the same studio that made the wonderful Fairytale - baba studios in Prague). What you said suddenly slotted something into its place in my brain ;) - the limitation is part of the suffering. We can feel it too in our body, when we have something we don't control happening to us, like a sudden disease. But the little mermaid chose her pain - she was not without control.

Actually, the 'little mermaid' = the Queen of Cups in my own Tarot (I have always related painfully to this story, from childhood on: what do you expect with sun in 7th house, in Pisces, as sometimes our worst fears really do come true?) ;-P

I have 9 of Swords as my "card of the year" this year, btw, and so far it seems the "bitch of a year" (year of the Dog) I feared... despite finding itself nicely 'reframed' by the Voodoo Tarot with angel and Star-connection (kind of reminiscent of Leunig's take on the deepest, darkest night containing the sweetest, loveliest, little angel)...

For a similar 'fairytale' take to your own, see the Whimsical version (Rapunzel's "bad hair day") and a client at Gawith Villa responding to this (she particularly relates to the Whimsical): www.gawith.blogspot.com ;-P
 

Al Si'ra

Star-lover,
maybe what their actions are having over other people
Yes;that is soooo true...and this card comes up for me whenever such thing happens..action-what about the reaction?? troubles..worries...so true!!

Helvetica; i am soooo glad that if i could be in any way a little inspiration to your project :)!!

:love:
 

Al Si'ra

arachnophobia!thanx for sharing that..so you are exactly like me being a lover of tales and all..lol..

i have a thing about these so-called negative cards...i actually like them...!!..they offer a lot of wisdom and enlightment in a rather quicker way.. :)..or it's just me getting used to it :D

:love:
 

arachnophobia

Al Si'ra said:
arachnophobia!thanx for sharing that..so you are exactly like me being a lover of tales and all..lol..

i have a thing about these so-called negative cards...i actually like them...!!..they offer a lot of wisdom and enlightment in a rather quicker way.. :)..or it's just me getting used to it :D

:love:

The Voodoo Tarot seems especially good at 'reframing' Swords cards, Al Si'ra, which seems why I like it so much from the counselling perspective, i.e. get our thoughts into order, and we will feel a lot better!

When the book accompanying the deck talked about 'dressing the deck', I could not relate the purple of my Tarot bag/basket to any suit in particular, but the gold braid and tie does suggest a clarifying influence re Swords, in particular...;-))
 

Ladybro

Sometimes, I get 9 of sword when we are to pass trough bad situations out of our control one, two, or more times, and we con do nothing.