(Note:when I initially designed this card,Barack Obama had just been elected,and I,like many other Americans,was convinced that he was going to be a different kind of American President. I was mistaken,and hence,this card will need to be redesigned. The overall flavor will,however,remain the same.)
1. Discussion
The sword of intellect cleaves through the forces of oppression,the ambitions of which are to subjugate all that is decent neath an iron fist! This is the card that proclaims:“Truth above all.” It is the card of the innocent youth who finally cried out:“The emperor is naked!”Draw thy sword and part the Gordian knot,cleanly,and without hesitation. In the traditional decks,it is no accident that the sword is pictured as piercing a crown,for this is,above all,the card of just and prudent insurrection.
As always,there are many who cry out for justice,but this card represents the few who are willing to oppose the overlords,regardless of the danger,no matter what retribution the all-powerful despots might inflict. This is the sword of truth that will overcome all lies perpetuated under guise of authority.
Today,we’re witnessing the downfall of the many American corporate giants that reached their ponderous mass under the iron fists of greedy despots with huge ideas,miniscule intelligence,and nonexistent morals. The reason? Nobody around them had the conviction to stand up and say:“That just isn’t right!”As a more consequential example,consider how differently our history books might read if the German people had stood up and opposed the plans of “the master race.” But opposing power entails great risk,and most people are inclined to simply play it safe.
The illustration for the Ace of Swords draws upon more recent,but no less abhorrent events to illustrate this thesis. Like the truth itself,this card is unabashedly harsh and unremitting. No attempt is made to soften the edges,or make it more palatable or more comfortable,for such comfort spawns the complacency that allows these horrors to erupt and fester. We see in this card a familiar and historical motif taken directly from the French Revolution,but recast for our own time.
In Celtic lore,Morgana was an aspect of the goddess linked with the decapitation of sacred kings. She presided over the annual contest between Gawain and the Green Knight,who alternately chopped off each other’s heads. Indeed,the ceremony of knighthood,in which each shoulder is touched by a sword,began as a modification of the old ceremony of apotheosis through decapitation.
In this card,the sword is held aloft by a triumphant,well-dressed African-American,modeled to resemble our first black president,Barack Obama. On the end of the sword sits the crowned head of a recently decapitated Dick Cheney,whose headless corpse is being born away by two white-clad attendants. Balanced on a nearby post is the similarly disembodied head of former president George W. Bush,wearing,appropriately,the hat of a fool. (Although Bush was ostensibly the Commander in Chief,it was Cheney who played the part of the wicked puppetmaster,and was the architect of this administration’s greatest abuses and atrocities.)
Next in line to receive his just deserts is a cringing Donald Rumsfeld,conducted to the platform of justice by a traditionally-dressed Middle-Eastern woman.
But our political ‘leaders’ hardly have an exclusive on abominations. Bringing up to the rear,we have Bernie Madoff,Alan Stanford,and Kenneth Lay,three of the worst swindlers in history,whose unmitigated greed deprived thousands of their life savings,and pilfered the old-age security of those whose only crime was trust.
The condemned are guarded by a Gulf War veteran,representative of the thousands like him who gave their lives in service of the power hungry politicians,and greedy American business interests,under the guise of “defending freedom,”and “spreading democracy.”
Finally,in the background,suspended between two lamp poles,we see the naked form of Stewart Parnell,who connived to circumvent health codes in order to distribute salmonella–tainted peanuts that sickened many and killed several more. Poetic justice is dispensed as this scoundrel roasts above a pyre of his own peanuts. A child barbecues a hot dog over the flames (perhaps because he can no longer safely eat the peanut butter sandwiches he prefers!)
In our relativistic society,where it seems as if any perspective can be justified through sophistry and rhetoric,the Ace of Swords proclaims that there is but one standard of truth,and it is one that applies to all.
2. Divinatory Implications
The qualities of the element of air,to which the swords suit corresponds,are intellect and discernment through thought and sound judgment. The aces typically convey potential,rather than manifestation. The Ace of Swords,therefore,portends possible commencement of a struggle in service to the cause of reason and justice. A rugged path may lay ahead,but despite a bleak outlook,success will ensue if fortitude can be maintained. The ability to see clearly and pierce through illusion is an important component of the requisite commitment. This card indicates the need to defend your principles with courage and vigor,but be aware that forceful confrontation will likely be involved. Once started the process will prove unstoppable,however,it must be acknowledged that death is always a possibility in pursuit of the worthy cause. Repressed anger may be brought to the surface,so it is critical that emotion be balanced with intellect so that chaos may succumb to order. Fertility,in any of its several manifestations,may also be indicated.
3. Keywords
Uncompromising principle. Penetrating discernment. Courage in the face of formidable injustice. Birth of new ideas and awareness. Armed insurrection. Objectivity. Will power. Communication,to the extent that the pen is cognate to the sword.
4. Reversals
The Ace of Swords,reversed,may indicate the compromise of principles in the interest of safety,convenience,or even bribery. One’s grip on reality may be failing,opening the door for illusion and deception. Violent passions,or excessive,unjustified aggression may tend to prevail. Imagined evils may have been greatly exaggerated,and clear thought may prove elusive. You may be fighting a lost cause,and injustice may prevail,or victory,if achieved,might come at too high a cost,or yield unintended,negative results. Alternatively,this reversal may portend a shamanistic lower-world journey which conveys the practitioner away from the air.
5. Artistic Interpretations
The Ace of Swords reminds me to maintain the courage of my convictions,and avoid taking the safe or easy path. This card is a prime example. Is the political content too polarizing? Will an editor resist publishing the deck because it might offend some segment of prospective purchasers? Is the presentation too harsh,or too offensive to be palatable to some users? Am I diminishing its commercial potential by calling ‘em as I see ‘em? Maybe so. Probably so. But so what? When all is said and done,what I leave behind is all that will ever be known of me. I’d much rather this picture be an accurate portrayal,rather than a cleaned up,well polished,homogenized,and prettified lie with no greater individuality than one more drone in this great hive we all occupy!