Tarot of the Tattoo Age- Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords, Seven of Swords
That Knight of Wands may believe he has captured his dragon, but is he riding it or is it carrying him off? Is he coming or going? This Queen of Swords weeps tears of blood, having been so thoroughly pierced they have nowhere else to go. If we run out of water for our tears, do we begin to use our blood? How many tears would we have to cry to get there? The imp in the Seven of Swords does solemnly swear he is up to no good, and his materialism at all costs may be his downfall, but he is going to enjoy every moment of it while he can.
For me, these cards perfectly embody how I feel about "Black Friday" and the whole shopping season that surrounds Christmas. I despise it in every way. I hate Black Friday that forced my brother's girlfriend to work at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day, I hate the rampant consumerism, I hate the kids counting presents, and I am sickened by the thought of cutting my holiday short so that we can "buy" things.
The Man, however, loves Black Friday, and any bargain, he loves to shop, to give presents and to get them, for the holidays. I have nothing against presents, persay, just I don't like them around what should be a sacred holiday, and there is no reason for me to get a gift on Jesus' birthday. I love to give and give gifts for no reason, at other times. While fighting is too strong a word for what has been going on in our house, we definitely have different ideas about what Christmas is, and they come out at this time of year. I want to build traditions, to have experiences, and make memories, which I think happens by spending time and thoughtfully following old and making new traditions. The Man has nothing against this, but his solution to most problems is to throw money at the situation. The actual money or gifts are not the issue, which is why there are no Pentacles in this reading (yet) but our communications about the money and gifts are, especially today, one of my least favorite days of the year, and that is why this reading is full of heated Swords. It's a day off for both of us, right after a very blessed, but hectic holiday, and we have had several months packed with kids' activities and surgeries. I wanted to snuggle up close to him, sleep in a little, and just enjoy a well earned day of rest. He wanted to get up, get going, and spend the day buying things. I hate shopping. But I love him. So there we are.
Tarot of the Tattoo Age- Three of Pentacles
The Shadow Card is the Three of Pentacles, this one portrayed with sobbing babies, I need to stop being a baby and insisting on getting my way. This family is a collaboration, a traditional meaning for the Three of Pentacles, and it works because The Man makes it work, and is willing to do anything for me. I owe him no less, and there are very few of my convictions that matter more to me than his feelings. Some, but not many, so I need to just let go of my resentment of spending time and money to provide things I don't believe anyone "needs", because it makes him happy to do this. So I will.
There are no Majors in this reading, no Devil, so I know this is not a serious issue. It is just a mild disagreement, and we aren't even fighting about it. The money spent won't break us, and there will be more time to spend quietly this weekend. There is little to actually complain about, just a compromise to be made.
The Knight of Swords is by artist Mike Wilson.The Queen of Swords is by artist William Thidemann.The Seven of Swords is by artist Jef Kopp.The Three of Pentacles is by artist Jeff Wright.
These cards are from Tarot of the Tattoo Age, a collaborative project self published by Flaco Productions, LLC.
Credit: healing-magic.blogspot.com
