The King of Swords sits rigidly on a stone throne carved with butterflies, a gold crown on his head and wearing clothes of purple, red, and pale blue; colors of spiritual power, passion, and truth. Clouds and a few tall trees are in the background. He holds his sword upright and gazes intently at the viewer, as if asking you to contemplate it. Contemplate it we shall.
Swords represent the mind.
The interesting thing about the mind and the sword is their dual nature. The mind, for example, is a good tool for analizing a circumstance or position. It looks at many sides of an issue, and, depending upon how resourceful and open the mind is, can come to many different and even contradictory conclusions which lead to confusion and doubt.
The sword has two sides as well. Like the mind, it "cuts both ways".
The well trained mind can free you from patterns of thought with a swift slice of logic. It can also enmesh you in them if the "blade" is dull.
To sharpen the blade of the mind, introspection and contemplation can be applied. Ironically, that requires stilling the mind and focusing on the self, in a feeling and emotional way, with no analysis. This will lead to more clarity, and clarity is what's needed for the mind to discover the truth that sets you free.
The King of Swords wants you to get to the truth of the matter, and the matter of interest is enlightenment (the gold crown). The butterflies carved on his throne are also symbols of spiritual transformation. He encourages you to become aware and awake, conscious of who you truly are: a fully realized spiritual being.
The clouds in the sky (that we see behind the throne) symbolize the assumptions we make, based on our past, that we use to define our future. As in Joni Mitchell's song "Clouds", they create a life of confusion and distortion. She sings: "I've looked at life from both sides now, from win and lose, and still somehow, it's cloud's illusions I recall, I really don't know life at all.
And we don't know life, if we see it only through the perspective of our duality-mad rational mind. When we finally see that all there is is all that is, and that all that is, is one, we won't worry about better or worse, win or lose, right or wrong. These concepts are the clouds that block the sunshine of our radiant hearts.
The King of Swords calls to you to cut to the truth. Let yourself. Not. Know. Anything. Let life show you what it is, in all its beauty, creativity and freedom.
Love,
Kristine
Finding Method in the Madness:
