Daily Dose #3: Tarot as Medicine: Ace of Swords

"Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures. No weapon will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones."

~Tahereh Mafi~

The Ace of Swords is a card that speaks to this--the idea of cutting through to the heart of the matter and seeking the truth. There is a need to use the head and not the heart if we are truly to see things clearly in the rocky terrain we suddenly find ourselves on. Swords deal with communication--the double-edged sword of trying to express ourselves and our way of seeing things, while running the risk of being misunderstood. 

This card today is exactly where I am. Anyone who knows me well knows that it isn't terribly easy to know me well. My sword is drawn to keep me safe and to guard against hurt in friendships & relationships. I would much rather hear all about you. Your life. Your love. Your disappointments. Your stories. This is easy for me. Much easier than me trying to express my own fears & needs or truths & stories. These, I frequently hold back until I can't hold back any more. Then, when I say what I need to say, it is often clumsy & whoever I'm speaking to doesn't get what I'm saying anyway--sometimes with terrible results.

Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures. Indeed. Seeing the Ace of Swords today shows me that I need to be strong & to focus on what I know to be true. I know that I am imperfect. I have a big, roaring, oceanic heart. I am easily wounded, but willing to forgive. I am a writer who is utterly inarticulate when it comes to herself. I am stronger than I'm given credit for. I am clear on what I need, and what I need isn't too much. I am not too much, either. Ace of Swords cuts away all of the self-doubt & confusion & leaves me with the basic message:

Love. Be brave. Pay attention.