Shadowscapes - Nine of Swords

Suffering from anguish, fear, anxiety, guilt, uncertainties in the night.

Stormcrows herald impending dissolution
with voices cawing raucous absolution
round and round and spiraling ever near
one future sought - one future feared

The funnel of the sky stretches up to the heavens; an ominous tower of storms with but the hope and glimmer of light high above at the eye of turmoil. "Come to me, come with me," the voice of the Stormcrows whispers to him from nearby. "Let me guide you through." With anxious eyes, he gazes upwards, away, oblivious to the proffered guidance through the night of the soul. He clutches sheathed sword close for security, rather than grasping bright blade aloft to light the way!

-- from Shadowscapes.com


One of many things that impresses me about Stephanie Pui Mun-Law's art is how she uses tones to give a sense of dimension. The figure appears to be looking up into the eye of a storm, evoking the anxiety that something of your own imagination may still be mysterious.

I see this card as having a strong link to the 8 of swords. The person on the card is still trapped, though the trap is an illusion. It is fear, anxiety, insecurity. They have all of the tools to get them through to the light, but they hold back. In 8, the trap is real, the thorns real, and struggling will only serve to wound them further. In this, the story they are telling themselves is that they are still stuck in the 8 of swords, but the reality is that struggling through the hard time will actually set them free.

The 9 in numerology represents culmination, and as such I can also see the 9 of wands as representing lingering effects from past trauma. When someone has been hurt, it makes sense to become less trusting and more cautious for a time. The 9 of swords could be when the trauma has hurt too much and moving toward healing seems difficult if not impossible.

This is not yet the 10, though, where one begins to identify with the trauma and lose all hope. The character on the card is looking up at, and possibly through, the nightmare instead of completely giving up. As such, this card could be a card of recognizing your strength when you feel you have none.