A Suit-of-Swords “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is an “elemental storyboard” test reading that uses the suit of Swords to represent the “base element” of Air. It involves a hypothetical client who intends to leverage his intellectual property by compiling a group of previously-published essays into a formal book. (It’s not me, I’ve already “been there, done that” . . . five times.) Maybe this reading will be instructive regarding something I should have done differently.
The premise here is that Swords, and thus the element of Air, symbolize the “field of operation” for the querent’s initiative; they are placed in the spread as a “reference” line along which the randomly-drawn cards evolve. I didn’t use the face-down “placeholder” cards this time, instead relying on the heavy black connecting lines to keep the narrative flow straight. With Air as the “Base Element,” the “Zenith” of the developmental progression is comprised of Air cards, with the “Rising Trend” populated by Fire cards, the “Falling Trend” by Water cards, and the “Nadir” by Earth cards. I also decided to bring the “elemental baseline” cards into the interpretation a bit more actively rather than merely treating them as a scripting device.
The Magician at the “Inception” and the Star at the “Conclusion” are the most encouraging things about this spread; in between it looks like this individual goes through Hell and comes out the other side only slightly scarred. He starts out fine, with a lot of confidence in his mental abilities (as “1,” the Magician is a “numerological counterpart” of the Ace of Swords), but immediately runs into trouble with the 5 of Cups as the opening card in the “Growth Phase.” It suggests immobility and stagnation; perhaps he comes to the unfortunate realization that his material is insufficiently inspiring and is in a quandary over what to do about it. The 2 of Swords is mum and has no advice to offer.
Then there is an uptick in his fortunes, in which he partially regains his mojo with the fiery 3 of Wands and 6 of Wands on a “Rising” trajectory. But both are reversed (conveying the ideas of mediocre growth and “success deferred”), with one being tied to the baseline 3 of Swords and the other to the 4 of Swords, not the most salutary foundation on which to mount a return to form. These cards are elementally friendly but otherwise they’re not overly sympathetic to one another. The suggestion is that he needs more than luck if he is to succeed, and the two Swords cards are opting out of collaboration.
Subsequently, upon reaching what should be his “Peak Potential” under the circumstances, he takes a steep nosedive into the discordant element of Earth, implying that he will be completely derailed and shut out of any chance for success. The two court cards make me think he might be challenged over authorship and ownership of the intellectual property (with the reversed King as an alleged “injured party” and the upright Knight as his fiduciary champion); the reversed 6 of Pentacles indicates that he might have to spend a small fortune to defend his claim. The combative 5 of Swords and the devious 7 of Swords “double down” on this perception, and the 6 of Swords between them is the “evil twin” of the 6 of Pentacles; as a pair they make me think of the tollgate in the middle of the desert in the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles. (As an aside, I sometimes ponder whether people are stealing my blog material and republishing it under their own name; I make it freely available for community use but I don’t want anyone profiting from it.)
Next, returning to the “plus” side, the Wheel of Fortune brings the promise of another “rising trend” in which he has an opportunity to take a gamble that pays off. (Note that the ascending black line passes through the 8 of Swords, which is symbolic of the distressed state he is trying to transcend.) He may come into a bit of serendipity as a result of beating back the assault on his integrity.
Yet another detour appears with Death, which shows that he must dramatically change his strategy in order to capitalize on the largess of Jupiter (the Wheel of Fortune). Water is more in tune with Earth than with Air, so there may be a risk of being sucked back into difficulty. Visually, the mounted skeleton could almost pass as a “ringer” for the Knight of Pentacles, who may be trying new tactics of his own. Our querent may have to forfeit something in order to extricate himself (perhaps a settlement of some kind is forthcoming).
The Star as the “Conclusion” puts a little “bounce in his step” with its hopeful vision of the future; it signifies the “new dawn” that is creeping over the horizon in the 10 of Swords, even though it may only bring clarity and precious little warmth. (It exemplifies the Alexander Pope quote: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.”) As such, its affirmation may be more abstract and attenuated than concrete; like the old dodge “The check is in the mail,” it telegraphs its guarantee from a distance but has yet to deliver. Still, as an elemental “bookend” to the Magician it represents a maturation of the original cocky attitude, so it’s possible patience will win out in the end.
This reading is a mixed bag, with five harmonious cards and five that are more problematic. But the fact that the two “Zenith” cards and one of the “Rising Trend” cards are confirmatory trumps bodes well for “making a go” of it. Only Death “below the line” defies them, and as the single contrary trump card it may be a case of “too little, too late.” I could get fancy and say that Death’s ominous thrust is “refracted” by the ladder of nine swords that its line-of-sight passes through, and it is therefore deflected from gainsaying the Star’s positivity; it gets caught up in the minutiae of grief and is handily superseded. Well, I guess I just did say it . . .
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 8, 2024.
