Limbo, Transformation and the Four of Swords

Tarot cards talk from the language of picture. The significance of any picture in a Tarot reading is determined by an interplay between the physical items depicted, the customs and history behind these, and significance imposed by you along with your reader.


These components might work together differently in reading to reading. However, the 1 constant is the card picture consistently tells a story that's directly pertinent to your specific situation. And this story can differ for every individual and also for the exact same individual under different conditions.

These thoughts were in my mind once I sat down to see a post describing an exhibition of ancient stone figurines made in Dijon, France going to be exhibited in america.

The Four of Swords in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck indicates a picture of a sculpture of a person in gothic apparel lying beneath a grave at the exact same place: supine, with hands clasped in prayer. He's in a space with thick white walls and a stained glass window at the top right.

The Dijon mourners will there be to beg to their duke and duchess to assist them reach heaven. The duke and duchess themselves liewith eyes open, awaiting conclusion.

Though the RWS Four of Swords doesn't demonstrate that the mourners, nor the angels in their minds and lions in their toes, it's apparent that the vision of their RWS card has been drawn from the exact same medieval heritage.

Even though the expressions on the faces of these Dijon sculptures and also the surface of the RWS figure are calm, the eyes of the RWS figure is shut.

The RWS figure is apparently meditating. However violent or disagreeable his passing, he's at peace now and his attention is on issues of the soul.

The vision of the casket frightens many people, and in the instance of a mother mourning the death of her young adult son murdered in a shooting, the vision is quite literal. However, in my experience reading Tarot cards for several decades, this card doesn't portend death.

Much more often, the card speaks into some time-out or even a sabbatical; a moment that you measure so s/he may symbolize or refocus. A frequent example is that a reading between a mommy taking the time away from her career to raise her young kids.

Upon reflecting on the guide, I see an extra layer of significance: that the card speaks to this point in a metamorphosis like that of the caterpillar who retreats to his cocoon. He retreats to prevent dissipating his energy together with the requirements of the outside world while he experiences transformation inside.
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