Mona Lisa Tarot -- Swords Insight Exercise

I have decided to include an exercise for those who are looking to go deeper in their study of the Minor Suits of the Mona Lisa Tarot. The deck is created to illustrate intertwining storylines and time periods. It is clear that each individual suit does not tell a single story but several all at once. In the LWB and for each Minor Suit there is a bit of text that gives a one or two sentence definition of what the suit describes. The LWB calls them “insights.”

The exercise is to look at the cards of the Suit in order write down your personal observations as you see the insight pertains to the individual card images. Ideally, this is best done without consulting anything other than the card images. Once, the exercise is completed post your observations in the thread and compare it with others who have posted their observations. No Peeking!

The Suit of Swords

LWB: “Insight into the ways people in the Mona Lisa Universe make decisions, consider options, and communicate”

Here are my Observations

This approach to the Suit of Swords seems very elementally air to me. The insights seem directed toward that exploration of the intellectual and communicative elements of the interaction of people with issues, problems and relationships.

Ace of Swords: I happened to glance at the LWB when I was typing up the “Insight” and what it said about the Ace is exactly what my first thought was when I saw the card. “Measure twice, cut once” This an exacting and practical approach to a problem.

Two of Swords: This is a blind to the world, self first ways of choosing. The choice is to eat first, share second . . . or last.

Three of Swords: She considers carefully, she reads and learns. These are not idle words. There is a weight and consequence for the child and herself.

Four of Swords: Embracing the mysterious and the magical in life. Looking to the wisdom that is beyond ourselves, our minds and our logical thinking.

Five of Swords: The woman clearly communicates her message and the decision of the men is not to tempt her. Watch for clear messages and know when to run for your lives.

Six of Swords: Communication in subtle ways. Glances, small actions and yet the message is conveyed. Body language used will speak louder than words.

Seven of Swords: Secrets, prowling and quiet searches. (One of two cards in the deck without any humans in the image.) Playing “cat and mouse” and to choose and to make communication serve your personal purposes and not give away all your secrets in the process.

Eight of Swords: Act in defense of self. A siege mentality, fear and chaos can also force us to choose. Dire times lead us to tough choices. Limitations and constrictions are factors we all sometimes face in considering our options.

Nine of Swords: (Odd Card) Observation, the wonderful and the small can open up a completely new set of idea and landscapes. Group thinking, mass hallucination? There is a departure of from the idea of despair and cruelty. It seems as if there is something unreal or fantastic about the cards meaning with the large people looking over a miniature scene as if they are looking through a window, picture frame, or something completely different.

Ten of Swords: Decisive actions and reasoning and an act of finality, the woman chooses the sword over the book. Consideration is completed and a choice is made. This may symbolize a negative choice.

Knave of Swords: Discovery, actions based on the need of the moment. Learning from experience and the loss of innocence.

Knight of Swords: Face Forward, purpose, resolve and reading to act. The axe will serve a function, a problem or misunderstanding will be cut down.

Queen of Swords: Calming the crowds, leadership by smooth words and gentle reasoning, pleas for peace, patience and understanding. Allowing cooler heads to prevail.

King of Swords: Writing, detailed explanations, volumes of insight. Thinking through all the details, producing written instructions and communications. Get it in writing.