Sophie-David
The Connolly Four of Swords is an unusual card. A large man in the long blue gown of a spiritual knight or seeker stands outside a gate. He gazes into a grassy garden towards a wooden chest containing a treasure of coins. Guarding the chest are four swords, planted in the ground with a blue ribbon loosely tying their hilts together. There appears to be no physical reason that the man could not simply enter the garden and claim the treasure. Yet he waits outside, as behind him the sun is either rising or setting in a burst of crimson fire.
This is a radical departure from the figure in the RWS Four of Swords who lays with an eerie meditative focus on the lid of a tomb. The fellow in Connolly Four is also in deep thought, but he seems to be measuring the consequences carefully before he makes a choice. Perhaps the treasure is guarded by more than these four swords, and perhaps it has not been abandoned but merely waiting for its rightful owner to return. This is a card of contemplation before taking further action, far less restful and self-absorbed than the RWS image. This man is taking his time as he stands facing temptation and ponders a moral choice.
This is a radical departure from the figure in the RWS Four of Swords who lays with an eerie meditative focus on the lid of a tomb. The fellow in Connolly Four is also in deep thought, but he seems to be measuring the consequences carefully before he makes a choice. Perhaps the treasure is guarded by more than these four swords, and perhaps it has not been abandoned but merely waiting for its rightful owner to return. This is a card of contemplation before taking further action, far less restful and self-absorbed than the RWS image. This man is taking his time as he stands facing temptation and ponders a moral choice.
