Freaked out.

[The crowned one]

Perhaps it is showing something a bit different:

Seven of swords: Deception is a key word here for this card, I agree. Sevens have purpose, they are cards of completion and overcoming fears. Seven of swords can mean not facing the truth, see the two swords standing upright? (Winning through stealth against self is actually losing) they represent truth. and balance, the five swords being carried the problem. So in a sense it is you circumventing the truth, self deception, the devil reinforces this weight. Devil is false notions, self imposed bondage, a desire rather then a truth.

In any reading with these two cards, directed at something subjective, ( at myself) I would read this as I am fooling myself, and I need to open my eyes. To me this shows there is no spirit, it is only you who thinks there is. Self deception, but with the truth , there in the 2 swords waiting to be used, but burred by the desire of the devil, your wish for there to be a spirit perhaps?.

Just another take, but this is what I clearly see in these two cards.


Edit: what was said below is closer to how I would like the seven of swords to be taken normally, brains, stealth and cunning to beat a opponent.:

But 7 Swords is all about how to avoid and navigate safely through pitfalls and dangerous situations using your brain and intellect, which would help explain why the Devil came up to clarify those things you need to avoid and what it might be trying to help you avoid.... or it could just be saying you are deceiving yourself and really don't need this.

 

[WalesWoman]

As part of a spirit guide spread, I drew a card to represent the spirit guide who is currently with me. I was shocked that the card was the 7/Swords. I was confused so I drew a clarifying card - and got The Devil.

I'm freaked out because I couldn't help but I interpret this in the literal sense of a deceitful and "bad" energy. This is the first time I've been a little scared by a reading.

Am I overreacting? How would you feel if you drew these cards? Thanks!!

Actually, I think I would decide not to use spirit guides... oh wait, I don't, not intentionally anyway because too often I think people do depend on them more than their own brain. I think people want to believe what they want to believe more than what is and use the idea of spirit guides to avoid taking responsibility for their own choices or decisions, looking for something outside of themselves to supply direction or answers. But that is my own opinion based on deep suspicion of things I don't understand and fear, such as spirits that might enjoy doing mischief and misrepresent themselves to someone naive & trusting.

But 7 Swords is all about how to avoid and navigate safely through pitfalls and dangerous situations using your brain and intellect, which would help explain why the Devil came up to clarify those things you need to avoid and what it might be trying to help you avoid.... or it could just be saying you are deceiving yourself and really don't need this.

 

[Thirteen]

Sometimes, you need short cuts

in your case a spirit guide spread, if it were a spread simply concerning any spirit energies that were around you at the moment then i would possibly feel different.

I'm in agreement. Melisandre, why are you forgetting that this is a "spirit guide" and thinking that it just means some spirit hovering around you? So long as you ignore that "guide" part, you're not only going to be freaked out, but miss the whole point of this guide, which, I'm thinking, is to show you some short cuts to your goal.

Trickers spirits are not evil or even bad. Think of all the Native American stories of Coyote, the trickster god who helps and saves and gains things for his people. Even in Western mythology tricks are often used for good. Prometheus tricked the gods out of fire and got us for us humans. Sometimes, being direct, honorable and all that "good" stuff doesn't do the job. You don't get out of the maze without that ball of yarn, and you don't get that fire to warm the people you love without dissembling and being willing to steal. Sometimes, the bravest of them all are those willing to trick and tempt and dissemble.

Instead of freaking out, lay down the two cards, shuffle the deck and ask your "guide" what he/she is trying to teach you, and why you need to learn less than savory methods for achieving things at this time. I would say that there are probably too many roadblocks in your way at this time and the best guide is the one that knows a lot of "illegal" short cuts. Of course, if that still freaks you, you can always tell your guide to go away, and stay where you are until you can legally travel those longer roads to your destination

 

[Aivli]

I'm in agreement. Melisandre, why are you forgetting that this is a "spirit guide" and thinking that it just means some spirit hovering around you? So long as you ignore that "guide" part, you're not only going to be freaked out, but miss the whole point of this guide, which, I'm thinking, is to show you some short cuts to your goal.

Trickers spirits are not evil or even bad. Think of all the Native American stories of Coyote, the trickster god who helps and saves and gains things for his people. Even in Western mythology tricks are often used for good. Prometheus tricked the gods out of fire and got us for us humans. Sometimes, being direct, honorable and all that "good" stuff doesn't do the job. You don't get out of the maze without that ball of yarn, and you don't get that fire to warm the people you love without dissembling and being willing to steal. Sometimes, the bravest of them all are those willing to trick and tempt and dissemble.

Instead of freaking out, lay down the two cards, shuffle the deck and ask your "guide" what he/she is trying to teach you, and why you need to learn less than savory methods for achieving things at this time. I would say that there are probably too many roadblocks in your way at this time and the best guide is the one that knows a lot of "illegal" short cuts. Of course, if that still freaks you, you can always tell your guide to go away, and stay where you are until you can legally travel those longer roads to your destination

I feel like I need to say "Amen, sister or brother! ", or Bravo!, or SOMETHING!

That was excellent. What a great way to put it. Very enlightening, thank you.

 

[Amanda]

I'm in agreement. Melisandre, why are you forgetting that this is a "spirit guide" and thinking that it just means some spirit hovering around you? So long as you ignore that "guide" part, you're not only going to be freaked out, but miss the whole point of this guide, which, I'm thinking, is to show you some short cuts to your goal.

This needs to be highlighted, not just for this thread but all over the forum because it falls back on the right and left brain perception of a person. I'm seriously considering asking people if they look at the words in their questions more to define their cards, or look at the cards more in their spread to truly define the words/question, just so I can interpret their readings better... because I am definitely a right-brained reader; the words in the question don't mean quite so much to me, as what the cards are actually saying/showing. I like to think I have a better balance between the two now, since I've been noticing this for a while amongst people and sometimes frustratingly trying to tell someone what the cards are saying when they're like, "That's not the question I asked!!" (You know, especially if it's not what they want to hear.. )

But I do like your take Thirteen, about this guide being represented by "short cuts" however, I'm not totally convinced on what you say about the Devil to back that theory up... that could be because when an ill-dignified clarifier is drawn (for the way I do it), the other card gets X'ed out basically, and the Devil would then become the, "Okay, this is what is really meant since you didn't get the first" card. I do the opposite when cards are dignified, as in, nothing gets X'ed out and then the clarifying card becomes an elaboration to the first... that's why I went straight to earth-bound spirit with my interpretation, and then went back to figure out what the 7 of Swords was trying to say originally.

 

[LovelyMissAries]

That sounds like a trickster spirit. I tend to interpret the Devil as our hidden longings of which we're ashamed of and refuse to engage; very often sex and sensuality. Looks like you've got a guide that will cause you to bust out of your inhibitions (the Tower comes after the Devil), possibly by tricking and embarassing you. It reminds me of the coyote stories from "Women who run with the wolves", as well as haitian vodou Ghede spirits.

This is what I was thinking, although it reminded me more of tricking someone into handcuffs (on the RWS version of the Devil) and leaving them there while you have your fits and giggles. I think once you understand - no, accept that we all have a Devil inside of ourselves and it's nothing to be afraid or ashamed of, you will be much calmer when it appears in your readings.

I've heard our guides play tricks on us by moving our things around (then again I also think that was just a story made up to cope with forgetfulness) and watching us hunt for them. Like "hide and go seek." The 7 of Swords + Devil reminds me of that. Afterall, it's not very "angelic" to play pranks, but it's funny and it's for our own entertainment which is in a way "Devilish"

 

[Carla]

I'm in agreement. Melisandre, why are you forgetting that this is a "spirit guide" and thinking that it just means some spirit hovering around you? So long as you ignore that "guide" part, you're not only going to be freaked out, but miss the whole point of this guide, which, I'm thinking, is to show you some short cuts to your goal.

Trickers spirits are not evil or even bad. Think of all the Native American stories of Coyote, the trickster god who helps and saves and gains things for his people. Even in Western mythology tricks are often used for good. Prometheus tricked the gods out of fire and got us for us humans. Sometimes, being direct, honorable and all that "good" stuff doesn't do the job. You don't get out of the maze without that ball of yarn, and you don't get that fire to warm the people you love without dissembling and being willing to steal. Sometimes, the bravest of them all are those willing to trick and tempt and dissemble.

Instead of freaking out, lay down the two cards, shuffle the deck and ask your "guide" what he/she is trying to teach you, and why you need to learn less than savory methods for achieving things at this time. I would say that there are probably too many roadblocks in your way at this time and the best guide is the one that knows a lot of "illegal" short cuts. Of course, if that still freaks you, you can always tell your guide to go away, and stay where you are until you can legally travel those longer roads to your destination

I'd like to say 'bravo' to this as well. Excellent answer!! I really appreciate it because just this morning I asked, 'What's the best thing that will happen to me today?' and I drew The Devil. What??? What's my biggest challenge today? 4 of Wands. Huh? LOL So this helps.

 

[Thirteen]

But I do like your take Thirteen, about this guide being represented by "short cuts" however, I'm not totally convinced on what you say about the Devil to back that theory up... that could be because when an ill-dignified clarifier is drawn (for the way I do it), the other card gets X'ed out basically, and the Devil would then become the, "Okay, this is what is really meant since you didn't get the first" card.

I don't X-out the original card. But even if I did, I'd say that the Devil still represents short-cuts. I've known many great drivers in my time and the one temptation they can't resist is to take that illegal short-cut when they hit a roadblock or traffic. Nothing makes them happier than pulling off this back-roads trick around the obstacle. And the Devil is equal, IMHO, to Coyote there, not to the 7/Swords.

I will add, however, that sometimes right-brain has it right. Sometimes the cards don't feel the question asked is important and want to tell us something more important. And it's certainly up to us readers to see that. But if that were the case, then--in my experience-the whole reading would go off line to deliver it, not one card. So, this is just a matter of the reader jumping to those conclusions that we sometimes do when we get what we think are scary cards. "Oh no! The Tower! I'm doomed!" and the reader should say, "Um, that's in the position of what your cat will do today, and as she's already knocked over that stack of books, I think that card is over and done with...."

 

[wulzcat]

Instead of freaking out, lay down the two cards, shuffle the deck and ask your "guide" what he/she is trying to teach you, and why you need to learn less than savory methods for achieving things at this time. I would say that there are probably too many roadblocks in your way at this time and the best guide is the one that knows a lot of "illegal" short cuts. Of course, if that still freaks you, you can always tell your guide to go away, and stay where you are until you can legally travel those longer roads to your destination

I think that's great advice! My interpretation of those cards is a reflection of the guide itself, and perhaps a message to you that you need to rethink the polarities of good and evil... perhaps this guide was someone who was mischievous in life (if they were ever alive) and thinks it's very funny to put these cards in front of you. If your expectation was to have something comforting, perhaps that's what the guide wanted to surprise you with... not that it's evil or even necessarily a trickster spirit but someone mischievous but still well intentioned. I know there are guiding spirits around me who are ancestors and they are each one a mix of good and bad just like the people here on earth! And they have a sense of humour! Your guide is there to teach you, and perhaps this is a lesson taht will really take your understanding in new directions. If it is any comfort I get a good vibe from your cards (heck, what do I know). I would also suggest meditation to see if you can get a contact with your guide or some other visions that will help your understanding.

Oh, and in the Thoth deck (i know you're not using that one but still) the Devil is a really interesting character... there is a thread on the Thoth board on Aeclectic on the Devil - you should take a look! I'll link to it if I can

 

[wulzcat]

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40467

see above for Thoth Devil thread.

I also thought that since the devil is associated aith goats and Capricorn, it could be a spirit that identifies itself this way... or maybe it is an actual goat.