Four of Swords (Rider Waite Tarot)
First Impressions
A little haven, a little cocoon of tranquility of the often-fraught suit of Swords. A youthful and golden man - a knight? - sleeps with a peaceful smile on his face and his fingertips touching together lightly over his chest. Okay, so he’s likely more resting on a coffin or a bier than he is “sleeping”, so he might very well be dead. But it’s still very tranquil.
This is an indoor scene and the background is mostly white or pale gray stone. The spots of colour come from the stained glass window in the upper left-hand corner of the card’s frame and the gold of the figure and the coffin on which he lies. The stained glass is a mix of primary colours in the backdrop of a red-robed supplicant kneeling before a standing figure in a pale robe. It’s presumably Jesus, or perhaps another saint given that the standing saint is haloed but clean-shaven. The word “PAX” is clumsily written in the halo. The window is deeply set in the wall, and has some sort of decorative embellishment that ends in what looks at the bottom in high-rez scans like a fox’s head, or maybe a ram‘s. Three stone-coloured swords are hanging vertically, points down, on the wall in a row beside the window. They’re framed by a rectangular patch in the wall, and appear to be carved.
A fourth sword, this one gold, is mounted or embossed horizontally along the side of the coffin. Above it, the effigy of the knight is unhelmeted to allow his hair to flow back onto the pillow beneath is head, and show his calm demeanour.
What does it mean? Yes, it means rest and quiet and peace. But at what price? He’s dead, isn’t he?
Creator’s Notes
Waite says:
Waite said:
The effigy of a knight in the attitude of prayer, at full length upon his tomb.
Makes me wonder what it is Waite thinks of this card, really. Makes no bones about it, that the figure is an effigy, a likeness of a person over their grave. Or tomb, in this case.
Others’ Interpretations
Waite again:
Waite said:
Divinatory Meanings: Vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit's repose, exile, tomb and coffin. It is these last that have suggested the design.
Well, yes, I get that. Honestly. Where they come from, though, is a little beyond me at present.
Waite said:
Reversed: Wise administration, circumspection, economy, avarice, precaution, testament.
Looking at the
General Book of the Tarot, written in 1930 by A. E. Thierens:
Thierens said:
The element of Earth on the Fourth house, house of the home and the sign Cancer. This immediately explains why this card has been said to stand for economy, savings, even avarice and household affairs as well as for many things in connection with the end of life, since the fourth house in the horoscope relates to the end of life, and to the inner side of life as long as this lasts. Tradition is once more very correct in this case. When it enumerates "concord, harmony, etc.," amongst the synonyms of this card, however, there is some discrepancy, because the only thing that can be meant here is 'repose' or the condition of rest, as that of the grave, in which external differences are lost. So taken in the strictly etymological sense of the words, 'concord,' etc., have nothing to do with it. If in any case this card should relate to business, it certainly does not mean that anything like accord has been or will be reached, but that one of the parties retires or takes his proposals back. It may also relate to the condition of the soul, in which one harvests the results of material life in the world, whether spiritually, by meditation, or materially, by economy. In any case it points to a stillness and heavy condition of the mind. Further, to the tendency of collecting, gathering.
[…]Solitude, repose, retreat, retiring from the world, "hermit's repose" (W.); gathering, collecting, taking home one's savings or impressions, meditation, economy, avarice, precaution, testament, and the place occupied at the end of life, hermitage, grave, coffin. The place of the card in the horoscopic scheme indeed suggests the idea of being buried under the earth.
Well, I don’t know enough about astrology to apply the houses to the cards, I can barely manage to wiggle them into the planets
in various zodiac influences. So I have to take their word for it.
Symbols and Attributes
Astrologically the Four of Swords is ruled by Jupiter in Libra. Jupiter, the planet that is also connected to the Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot, is ruled by the element of Fire. Its influence is expansive, which I see as what results from this time of introspection. Taking time off to think things through and regroup, opening the mind wide open. Now Libra, on the other hand, is much more structured than that. The sign of the Scales that dictates the astrological influences of Justice in the Major Arcana, Libra is a sign of balance and harmony and striving for completion. The perfectionist tendencies, I would say, of the Emperor and the numerological commonality between that card and this: Four. Fours are stable cards that emphasize solidity and wholeness. And that is what this card is seeking. As it is a Swords card, it is about the Airy power of reason and the mental processes. So you might consider that the figure in this card is taking this time of rest to regroup and expand the mental processes to achieve completion and perfection.
It’s important to note that despite the still silence of this image, the ruling element of Air is not a passive element at all. Nor, for that matter, is that of the planetary influence. Air and Fire are both masculine and active elements, unstable and carrying great potential. So why is the effigy lying there so quiet and seemingly passive? Well, it’s necessary to consider what the element actually embodies. The intellect, thought and mental process. The seeming immovability of the Fours, when combined with the intellect of the Swords, shows outward solidity but active thinking below the surface. Planting oneself there to stay still and let the mind do its own thing. Yes, the effigy is a little extreme an illustration of a body at rest, I might think, but it does get the point across. It’s an effigy of a knight, which in the Tarot is also linked to the element of Air. His hands are held together as in prayer; this could be simply be to further illustrate the idea of an effigy, or it could be to indicate meditation or prayer as a further example of inward focus. Knight and coffin are both gold-coloured. In alchemy gold is the symbol of the Sun and also of perfection. As a colour it represents illumination and the intellect.
In the abstract the coffin, an enclosed capsule, represents the womb. It is the capsule for death and rebirth. It makes me think of the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen, and also the glass coffin of Snow White that the dwarfs built for her in the forest. The fact that the lid shown here seems to be slightly ajar, indicates that the situation is only temporary. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. So it indicates that this stage right now, of resting and regrouping, is a temporary state. Preparing for the next big thing.
The swords present here are not actual weapons at the ready. Rather they seem to be more ornamental. Three stone ones carved on the wall, a fourth gold one embossed on the side of the coffin. After all, if we consider the religious tone of the stained glass window (more on that in a bit), this scene is in a church or a monastery. A place of refuge, in which it was a point of honour that battle could never be engaged within the hallowed walls.
There are three stone swords on the wall, framed neatly within a rectangular frame. They represent the lesson that had been carried forward from the Three of Swords. The pain of that lesson, the heartache, will always be with you, you just have to learn to put it to one side in order to move on. Close by, however, within ready grasp, is the single golden sword. The Ace of Swords that offers a new beginning and big new ideas. Grasping that sword helps one find the way forward.
The stained glass window is an interesting accent here as well. First, as mentioned above, it indicates that this is holy or sacred space. A place of refuge or sanctuary in which to rest and recuperate, it also represents spiritual wisdom. But that’s just in general. Let’s look at what it actually depicts. The standing haloed figure is clearly some sort of a saint or angel. I don’t think it’s Jesus, for all that Rachel Pollack says it is, because He is almost never depicted without a beard. But whoever he (or she?) is, there is a supplicant kneeling before him (or her), so clearly it is someone in a position to heal or aid or administer alms or wisdom. It’s also been suggested that it indicates seeking spiritual guidance; this would be assumed to bring inner balance and harmony (that’s Libra talking there), or peace - hence the “PAX” in the halo.
Running parallel to the window’s edge, a decorative edge ends in what is likely a ram’s head. The ram is the symbol of Aries, which is the Fire-based astrological sign that governs the Emperor, the fourth of the Major Arcana and so underlines the numerological aspect of the Four.
My Interpretations
Not much covered here that I didn’t already have a general idea of already. The Four of Swords is still the card of rest and regrouping, of taking time out to gather your thoughts and prepare for the next stage. The suit of Swords in general is a stressful suit, a lot happens. So this card is a restful one of a necessary respite. A temporary break. It’s a peaceful card and a good one to see.
Although seemingly an inactive card, there’s a lot going on under the surface. A lot of thought, new ideas and epiphanies stewing and bubbling underneath. But this card speaks of a time when it’s necessary to just take it easy and let the thought process take over.
