I seem to be on my way to do all Major Arcanes, and, for some reason, also the Suit of Swords. Ah, well.
Today, I drew the Seven of Swords ; and who's better to incarnate a card about betrayal, deception, lies et keeping secrets than our one and onely Lord Of the Lies, Janus Sanders ?
Believe it or not, the swords were actually not easy to draw. I am no sword-person. So why draw the Suit of Swords ? Eh.
Upright, this card indicates theft, trickery, among other things : you may be trying to get away with something, or are being sneaky. You use cunning and deception to get the advantage in situations. On another note, it suggests that you may need to put yourself first to get that stuff you want, and grossly, don't hesitate to, ya know, attack the Piñata. Sometimes, you need to put your own needs first, even if other may not agree with you.
Reversed, the cards implies you feel like a fraud, that you are deceiving yourself, attempt to fool yourself that everything is okay when it's not. Il represents keeping secrets hidden from others, which may bring you stress, tension, along with guilt and shame.
I think you can see why I picked my favorite snake to represente the card !
the seven of swords is a card that is all about deception. you've got the full range of lies, trickery, and dishonesty, all the way up to full-on betrayal. this card may warn of someone trying to deceive you, but it also can be a reminder about the lies we tell ourselves (sometimes without even realizing it). perhaps you may be the one engaged in dishonest behaviors, and in that case this card is a good reminder to step back and assess your actions and the impacts they might have on others and yourself. I liked this image for the seven because the sword is kind of tucked away on salome's lap, definitely still there, but only subtly so. I thought this was a great visual representation of lies and trickery, keeping the sword tucked away, or perhaps even hidden in plain sight
The Seven of Swords is engaging in an overly complicated scheme, one that not only tests your wits, but your morals as you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.
This is a basic three-card reading. The positions of the cards don’t mean anything special. (It’s not a past-present-future spread, for instance.) I just like three-card readings because they give a nice amount of information, and the cards play off each other, without being overwhelming.
The Seven of Swords typically represents secrets, lies, trickery, and doing things you know you shouldn’t. It can also suggest that hidden information is about to come to light. Sometimes, it simply describes the act of withdrawing socially.
The Two of Pentacles/Coins represents auspicious beginnings, but also the sense of having lots of projects going on at once. It suggests a need for flexibility. You don’t need to pare down all that you’ve got going on, but you might need to get creative in how you balance it all.
The Eight of Wands is the Go! Go! Go! card. It represents taking swift action and being busy, but being able to handle it. It comes towards the end of the wands suit, which suggests you’ve done hard work getting to this point, and that now is the time to jump into action to move things forward.
Together, the Two of Coins and Eight of Wands make me think that this week might be a busy one. We have lots of different irons in the fire, and many of our projects will require decisive action this week, perhaps leading to fortuitous turning points. We might feel overwhelmed, but the Seven of Swords reminds us that the way to handle that feeling is through honesty and openness. There’s nothing wrong with playing our cards close to the chest, but we shouldn’t resort to outright lies, deceit, or other abuses of power to get things done. Rather than burying any negative feelings that come up, we should examine them in the light. Talk them out with trusted friends and family. Ask for help if we need it. The cards suggest that this is an auspicious week, and we’ll be happy for the hard work we put in at the end of it.
[ID: A digital painted tarot card depicting a white woman with pink hair and animal ears, wearing a red and gold military uniform and holding a sword in front of her face. She has a rose for her left eye. The background is a red gradient on one side and a tangle of roses on the other, over which there are six white swords. The card is framed in gold and has a roman numeral 7 at the top. End ID]
Tarot card illustration of my girl Saoirse! She was based on the seven of swords in the first place so I had to draw her as it.
Commission info here || Speedpaint here