Daily Reading – Five of Swords

Again, when pulling for the card of the day I get one that came up in a larger reading earlier today. Today it’s the Five of Swords. This card represents conflict, defeat, deception, and winning at all costs. The main figure has defeated his enemies, but it’s an unfulfilling victory. He has not vanquished his foes, rather driven them from the battle, and does not take all of the spoils, leaving two of the swords on the battlefield. The way he’s carrying the swords does not ready him for battle, it’s only about grabbing what he can right now.

So why then is this card appearing today? Have I been acting selfishly lately? Perhaps. I’ve certainly been ignoring my responsibilities to myself as pertains to my spiritual health (and, let’s be honest, physical as well). I’ve definitely been fighting fights that could have been handled with a softer touch. I won, but at what cost? So is this a warning to knock it off, or encouragement to keep going this way? Certainly the world feels like being mercenary is the way to go, and I can easily justify such an approach, even within the context of trying to do good.

I’m getting much more of a “knock it off” feel from this card today however. Instead of hoarding swords and driving people away, I should be putting the swords in their hands so we can go after a common enemy. Metaphorically speaking, of course. There’s been quite a bit of discourse about the different lanes and roles needed for an effective resistance, and not everyone is a frontline soldier. We still need healers and fixers and storytellers, and I’m not 22 anymore. But I can support those doing the frontline work, and at a minimum I can be less of a jerk overall.

This is a pretty concrete reminder of the importance of sticking with these daily pulls, sometimes you need a little flick as a reminder 😀