4 of Swords
I pulled this card three times in three readings over three weeks. This is a clear message—pay attention. This is the card for where I am right now in my life. It is a warning, a lesson and a reassurance all rolled into one.
The Four of Swords is a card of inaction. Not always are we supposed to move, act, react. Sometimes it is time to rest and obviously I need some much-needed rest. For twelve years, my life has been about four elderly parents. Yes, I had help but the responsibility landed on me and I still had much work to do for their proper care. I was deeply tired when my mother died—I’d say soul weary from her long decline. I didn’t realize how much time and head space had been taken by caregiving the last year of her life. And, like many people, I had a conflicted history and conflicting emotions about my mother. The Tarot gave me a message loud and clear—you need rest. In fact, I pulled this card as a card for the year. I’m not meant to move forward but to rest my weary heart.
The 4 of Swords is a knight laying peacefully on top of a sarcophagus in a chapel. His hands are together in prayer, his body is ridged and the same color as the stone he lays on. There is a stone sword below him and three swords hanging on the wall above him. In the left corner above him is a stained-glass window shining filted light into his quiet world. Since fours are foundations, this knight is building his foundation through rest and inaction. The swords are on the wall and therefore need no action; there is no conflict here.
I really needed the Tarot’s insistence on rest and inaction. Our society is so driven by goals and achievements it is hard to step back and just do nothing for a change. Doing nothing often feels like being nothing and our egos don’t like that at all. I don’t think I can totally do nothing but I’m definitely not pushing myself with an intense to-do list and allow the dreams that filter through the beautiful window to warm me from my sleep. Since my mother died, I’ve been dreaming more intensely. Many times, she is in my dreams, needing care again. I still have a way to go before I’m ready to sit up and get a sword off the wall. But, if you look, there is a wand on the wall between the swords and the window. Is that the Magician’s wand? Would that be a better tool to pick up after my rest? Maybe it is time to put away my conflicting thoughts and use my tools to enter the beautiful, colorful dreams of my future.
The third time I drew the 4 of Swords was when I felt some conflict with a family member over some inherited personal property. Here the message was to let go of the conflict and don’t engage. Quite frankly, the conflict was more in my own mind over wanting things resolved. I took the message to heart and stepped back and let someone else handle the negotiations. The cards that followed in the reading reassured me that all would end well and I clung to that hope. When I ask the Tarot for advice, most of the time I’m told to adjust my attitude or be patient or just reassure me. I need time to regain perspective, calm my feelings and let my dreams guide me.
