51.  Ace of Cups This card’s number, 51, is 3 X 17, or Libra times Gemini, relating (3) our liveliness (17) to the world.  It is a card of emotional intensity, which could overwhelm ourselves as well as other people.  It can mean a new emotional beginning, which can lead to fulfillment. We contact life through this card in an intense and vivid manner, and may feel that we cannot resist those things or people to which we are drawn.  Strong psychic messages may come to us now, and our subconscious may be communicating with us through vivid and extreme sorts of dreams. The difference between Pluto Arcanum 22, and this card, numbered 51, is 29, which is the Seven of Wands – the number of magic.  Of course the powerful surges of emotion of this card bring magic, and can color our lives with drama and a mythic aura. Now is the time to allow old, heavy and worn out emotions to be cleared away.  If we let this happen it will, for water wants to flow, and the degree to which we let it happen determines how great the influx of new emotional energy will be. There can be great clarity now, in terms of knowing what to do, the next step to take, and where we need to be.  But if shadows of the old ways and fears darken our path then we might feel strong compulsive impulses that are urging us in the wrong direction.  We either become freer of the past now, or are once again subjugated to our illusions, but even if it’s the latter that happens we are likely to learn much from it, and be far better equipped to handle these forces the next time they come around. As 51 is 6 on the level of 6 it is pure Venus, so one of the most powerful and healing activities you can engage in now is sharing with those you love, and drawing to yourself all that you find beautiful.  Buy clothes or objects that you love, beautify your environment and most certainly do acts of kindness.  Let others know you love them, and do not be afraid to express yourself with all the intensity that you feel.  If there are any conflicts in which you are involved, always remember that love is the universal solvent.  If you can find that place of love within you and allow your actions and words to flow forth from it, it can bring a healing magic to melt away discord.   52:  Two of Cups This card is about freeing oneself of negative emotions.  If these emotions are repressed, which they often are, then they may flare up suddenly and in unexpected situations.  They are seeking release.  Sometimes the energy of this card signifies emotions coming up to be released that are from past lives, and so since they may have been generated from events we don’t remember, they may seem inappropriate, or the person having them may be thought of as over-reacting.  52 adds to 7 on the level of 6, or the overcoming of difficulties standing in the way of our ability to love.    The Two of Swords is also the fulfillment (Cups) of our own unique gifts (Uranus = 2).  It is also 4 X 13, or Aries times Scorpio, meaning a reawakening (Aries) of creative energies.  This comes about through the strengthening of our ability to communicate with ourselves, as 4 + 13 = 17, which is Gemini.   53.  Three of Cups                 53 is the 17th prime number on the spiritual scale (which starts with 1).  Therefore it signifies a new manifestation (prime numbers always signify a new manifestation) of communication.  Neptune loves to be in the suit of cups, as it expands the imagination and allows us to see through the outer illusions of things so that we can come to love their essence.  This card helps us to intuitively understand how we can help other people, and can assist healers in assessing the needs of their patients.  The difference between Neptune (11) and the Three of cups is 42, the Six of Coins, which is about bringing messages (Coins) to light (the 6’s).  Meaningful, purposeful and important (6) communication (Coins) can come through the intuitive channel of the Three of Cups.  53 is the atomic number of iodine, an element needed for proper functioning of the thyroid, which is associated with the 5th chakra of communication. Negatively the card can signify emotional confusion, which clears up when we allow our intuition to function.  Sometimes the emotional confusion is caused by feeling two or more feelings at the same time.   54.  Four of Cups                 54 is 2 X 3 X 3 X 3, those numbers adding up to 11 (Neptune).  The difference between 54 and 5 (Jupiter) is 49, The Queen of Coins, signifying that being supportive (Aquarius) equates with emotional generosity and the expansion (Jupiter) of love (Cups).  As 9 X 6 it can mean Aquarius and Venus energy combined, meaning love and peace in the group,, and or being able to appreciate the direction that energies are taking.  54 can mean learning through one’s intuition, which can signify getting an instinctive feel for something one is attempting to do.  It can mean feeling good, and even feeling good about negative feelings, in that you know they are teaching you something or that you need to work through them. It can mean emotional excess, meaning, for instance, that the mind, objectivity and critical judgments faculties can be clouded by an excess of feeling.        55.  Five of Cups                 The Five of Cups is Saturn (5) expressing through water (Cups), meaning depth of feeling, as well as getting to the bottom of feelings, meaning that we see which feelings may be masking other ones.  As Saturn is the densest and most earthlike of the planets Saturn in the realm of Water can mean ice – frozen emotions.  It can mean emotional frustration, which stems from our needs not being met.  It can mean feelings that have taken on a pattern, maybe a very old one – from childhood or past lives, and the gradual and often arduous process of clearing out those feelings.  At its highest it means non-attachment to feelings. 55 is the 6th time that 10 appears in the natural order of numbers, the cycle being 10-19-28-37-46-55, and so it is what is most unique and/or original about us manifesting in the realm of beauty and appreciation.  Can we appreciate and love our own uniqueness?  55 is saying we can, and that this is a magical goal to move toward.  55 frees us from needing other people, so that then we can truly appreciate them for who they are without seeking out connection with them because we feel an inner lack or incompleteness.  As you can see, 55 is a very mystical number.  It can also signify the way that our feelings can limit our vision by creating biases and/or blind spots.  It can also mean a lack of feeling, or not being able to get in touch with our feelings, feeling depressed, which is emotional numbness – an inability to get in touch with feelings.  55 is 5 X 11, or Jupiter times Neptune, meaning that when we expand (Jupiter = 5) our ability to intuitively perceive, we are led to a deeper understanding (Station 5 on the Tree of Life) of our feelings. 55 is also the numbers from 1 to 10 added together, meaning that dealing with the challenges of 55 leads to the completion of freedom (Uranus = Arcanum 10 = freedom).   56.  Six of Cups 56 is the fulfillment (Cups) of purpose (6 = Sun).  It is emotional vitality coming from feeling connected to all of life.  It is 2 X 2 X 2 X 7, those numbers adding to 13, Aries, meaning that emotional health and vitality are based on a continual renewal of our feelings by allowing them to flow and not stagnate.  It means the encouraging and feeding of positive feelings by doing what we love and being with the people and things that we love.  It is enthusiasm (5 = Jupiter) expanding (5) toward sharing (Venus).  It is what the whole Minor Arcana are about, as there are 56 cards in the Minor Arcana. 56 is 28 (the Six of Wands) times 2 (Virgo), or the purification and refinement (Virgo) of our spiritual purpose.  Negatively it is ego inflation as a type of self-love that cannot or does not include other people.  It is the illusions  that we will find fulfillment (Cups) by placing importance on outer and material things.   57.  Seven of Cups 57 is Mars in the realm of water, which is Scorpio, as Mars rules Scorpio and Scorpio is a water sign.  It means using our instincts and intuition to do things, to accomplish things.  Through doing what we feel like doing we can get more in touch with our feelings.  It can also mean emotional conflict, meaning that we feel two opposing ways about something, and then often play out that conflict in the outer world and by having conflicts with other people or with situatins.  57 is 3 X 19, which is Libra times Leo, or connecting to others (Libra) in a self-assured and demonstrative manner (Leo). At its best 57 reaches out to others in a vibrantly and energetically loving manner.  Negatively it can mean anger, or coming on too strong to others on an emotional level, which can drive them away even when we have good intentions.  The difference between Arcanum XVI, which is ruled by Mars and 57 is 41, which is the 5 of coins, meaning that to express our passions (Seven of Cups) requires a cautiousness (the 5 station on the Tree of life = Saturn) of communication (Coins).   58.  Eight of Cups 58 can be the fulfillment of love.  It is 13 on the level of 6, or the renewal (Aries) of love (Venus).  This card means emotional satisfaction.  At its best it is sincere love, at its worst it can meaning being satisfied with surface gratifications.  It can mean sharing our feelings with others.  58 is the third time a number adding up to 13 appears in the natural order of numbers, the sequence being 13-49-58.  And so 58 is a spontaneous reaching out (Aries)  that links to or relates with (Libra = 3) other people and the world around oneself.  58 can also mean emotional (water) selfishness (Venus), meaning that one has an inability to share one’s true feelings with others, most likely because a person feels emotionally deprived.  It can mean that that things look good (Venus) on the surface (remember that water can be about reflections), but that beneath that negative emotions could be lurking.   59.  Nine of Cups This card can mean psychic communication.  It is about instinctive thinking, and so has an affinity with the three of Coins.  With the Nine of Cups, though, the focus is more on communications that come through our feelings, whereas with the Three of Coins it is about our thinking being open to subtle influences that enter the mind from a source beyond it.  In traditional Tarot this card has been associated with wish fulfillment.  This is because it can make us feel connected (Mercury = Station 9 on the Tree of Life) and fulfilled (Cups).      60. Ten of Cups The number is 60, which is the cosmic number of Saturn.  It reduces to 6, the number of Venus, and 60 is 6 on the level of 7, the cycle being 6-15-24-33-42-51-60, signifying love that transcends boundaries to become all encompassing.  This card is about allowing feelings, (signified by the suit of Cups) to flow (signified by the number 10, which on the Tree of Life is ruled by the Moon – the planet that signifies flowing).  When feelings are allowed to flow they spontaneously cleanse themselves.  It is when the feelings are trapped, stuck, or frozen, that they stagnate and work against the force of evolution. Negatively speaking the card can signify drowning in one’s illusions – being so caught up in pathological subjectivity that you can’t see a situation for what it really is.  This happens because somewhere you are stuck – there is a lack of flowing somewhere. The card can also mean emotional vulnerability, and so a need, possibly, to emotionally protect oneself, to stay away from situations or people that feel as if they are threatening you, or bringing you down.  Feelings with this card may be doing a lot of changing and shifting around, and different feelings may be happening at the same time and so be difficult to sort out. It’s important with this card to allow yourself to experience what’s going on inside you without jumping to conclusions.  It’s can be good now to act on instinct and immediate impulse, for even if your actions turn out later to have had a negative impact, you have probably still learned something important from doing whatever you did. The card signifies a tension between living through old tapes which are repeating the same old negative feelings, versus allowing yourself to experience those same feelings at a deeper level, so that you come closer to the possibility of resolving them.  Those feelings will continue to cycle through until they wake you up, which is what they are trying to do. If we calculate the difference between the number of this card, 60, and the number of the Moon in the Major Arcana, which is 20, we come to the number 40, which is the cosmic number of Aries.  This means that coming into the fullness of our feelings, which are all various manifestations of the only real feeling there is – love – has to do with constant renewal, a constant waking up to the beauty and aliveness of each moment.       61. Horseman of Cups This card signifies the energizing of emotions – fire flowing into the watery realm – which causes feelings to flow more fully and freely.  It can show the need to bring more passion into whatever you’re doing, as well as the need to be more unhibited about the expression of feeling.  It may signify a time for repressed emotions to come forth so that they can be expressed and/or released. One’s attention is ruled by fire, for attention energizes anything and everything it touches.  So if you become more aware of your feelings and allow yourself to feel them more fully it is bound to have a therapeutic effect on you.  Being attentive to negative emotions helps to heal and release them, and being attentive to positive emotions magnifies and strengthens them. As fire is creativity and inspiration, this card can signify a flow of these forces into your intuition, and so this can mean it is time to allow your spiritual light to guide your feelings and instincts, or, in the context of creativity, to let the fire of your feelings translate themselves directly into an artistic form without having to go through the mind and its reasoning processes. The Knight of Cups can renew love, which can heal every aspect of us and our world.  The hottest organ in the body is the blood, which is ruled by Pisces, a water sign, and so the Knight of cups can generate warmth which can flow into the whole being, increasing our metabolism, and cleansing, and detoxing as it disperses the unnecessary shadows we may have been clinging to. If emotions have been dammed up, held back, or repressed, this card can melt the ice which has walled them in.  If one is afraid of this process or resists it, then much agitation can result, so it is far better to let oneself align with the wisdom of the spiritual light, whose goal is always to heal us and advance the evolution of our consciousness.   62. King of Cups His number is 62, whose digits add up to 8.  He is the nurturer, the defender and home maker, all Cancerian traits.  He is also a teacher who imparts wisdom that clarifies the world of the student, and which separates truth from illusion.  He is the most feminine of all the masculine court cards, or we might think of him as being female, and hence the most masculine of all the feminine court cards. As Cancer and Capricorn in traditional astrology are thought of as the mother (Cancer) and father (Capricorn), these two signs signify the two polar opposite signs of parenting.  These roles in society are no longer as rigidly set as they once were, for more and more the world is thinking that anybody can take on either role irrespective of their gender.  Cancer is the parent who ideally helps the child to be in touch with their inner world, whereas Capricorn teaches the child the nature of the outer world and how to deal with it.  Cancer teaches us how to hold to our spiritual center, while Capricorn teaches us how to manipulate physical reality, ideally in a way that contributes to the growth and harmony of all. The King of Cup’s digits, 6 and 2, add up to 8, the number of Capricorn, and 62 is the 7th time that 8 manifests in the natural order of numbers, the cycle being 8-17-26-35-44-53-62.  Arcanum VIII is ruled by Capricorn and signifies karma, meaning that we get back whatever we emanate.  Cancer, the sign that rules the King of Cups, is focused on security, and the fact that his number adds to 8 means that true and complete security always comes from karma, for the more positive acts we do the more that positivity will be returning to us and strengthening our security.  The fact that 62 is 8 on the level of 7 means karma in terms of being able to perceive an overview (7) of our consciousness and existence. 62 is 31 X 2 meaning the 9 of wands (31) refined and sustained (2).  So as we cultivate (2) our ability to be in spiritual communication (31) with guides, angels, nature spirits and our higher self we empower our security.  Or put in another way, when we are fully and security connected to the light we become impervious to illusions. The way to take the energy of the sign Cancer into our identity is shown by subtracting the number for Cancer, 18, from 62, which yields 44, which is the 8 of Coins, or communication (Coins) of love (8).  This is what brings security and nurturing into our outer world. The negative side of this card is a tendency to be defensive in a manner that shuts out energies which it would be beneficial for us to take in.  Cancer is often afraid of growth, because growth requires vulnerability, which could disrupt security.  But when it can gain that overview of the bigger picture signified by the face that 62 is 8 on the level of 7, then it sees that true security is gained by moving through these periods of vulnerability and confusion, periods when we are called on to let go of past forms of security because they are thwarting rather than supporting our evolution.    63. Queen of Cups This is the Scorpio court card, and so she plays the role of the transformer, and of the creator, meaning the artist.  The digits of her number, which is 63, add up to 9, the Major Arcanum known as The Seeker or The Sage.  We are all artists.  The reality we have created for ourselves is our art, and it is always in a state of transformation.  It is important to remember that we are always playing all the roles of all the court cards simultaneously, sometimes focusing more on one than another. And so the Queen of Cups has at her disposal all the energies of all the other court cards to use in her creative expressions. Ideally she does not fear failing, for she knows that all true creativity requires risk taking, and that sometimes risks do not result in outcomes that are useable or workable.  All outcomes, though, result in learning if we are willing to assimilate their lessons. If this card turns selfish, then she limits herself severely and unduly.  It is true that she is a survivalist and is intent on overcoming all those forces that oppose her, but the more she can get in tune with the fact that these opposing forces are ultimately trying to teach her something she really needs to know, the closer she will move toward the empowerment she is seeking – an empowerment that now only empowers her but the whole of life as well. Her number is 63, which is 9 times 7, merging the energies of Aquarius and Sagittarius.  And so she is a server of the group (Aquarius, Arcanum IX), and serves in a way that embraces all of reality, as signified by Sagittarius.  It is of key importance that she see herself as an instrument of spiritual power rather than seeing power as being her personal and exclusive instrument. She has an innate understanding of the nature and purpose of death.  She knows how enriching and enlightening death can be, and so at best she is fearless when it comes to moving through changes and letting go of attachments, and has the ability to help others to find this same fearlessness within themselves. To bring the pure Scorpio energy into this Scorpio role card we see that the difference between Arcanum IV ruled by Scorpio, and the Queen of Cups, card 63, is 59, which is the 9 of cups.  And so it is through staying in communicatin (9) with her own emotions (Cups) that she does not fall into the trap of being compelled by hidden feelings which she has denied, and/or lost communication with.    64. Princess of Cups Her number is 64, the number of the I Ching.  It is interesting that in the I Ching the 64th hexagram is called “Before Completion.”  How perfect for this card, since its astrological ruler is Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac.  And 64 is 2 X 2 X 2 X 2 X 2 X 2, the 6 2’s adding up to 12, Pisces being the 12th sign of the zodiac. The difference between her number, 64, and the Major Arcana number for Pisces, 12, is 52, which is the 64Two of Cups.  And as the second station on the tree of life is called “wisdom,” we see that to arrive at the role of the Princess of Cups is to be able to embrace the wisdom of the intuitive self, since water is the element of the intuition.  Also Uranus, whose Major Arcana number is 10, and which signifies the freeing of anything, can here mean the freeing of the emotions from traumas and other karmas which can cloud and limit the clarity of one’s intuition. The Princess of Cups is tuned in to the changes happening in the moment, and can flow with them because she is free of all biases and pre-conceptions.  She is able to let go of the need to identify herself in any limiting and restrictive way, and so her identity has the capacity to embrace all other identities, and to manifest their energies whenever they are needed.  At her highest vibration she experiences negative emotions as passing illusions that she lets go of as soon as she experiences them, thereby continually clearing herself of karma until it has all been released.  She is released from uncertainty because she is not attached to the need to know anything.  She is certain that eventually all will be known when it is time for coming into such omnipotence. This is the card of ultimate and complete liquidity. It spreads love wherever it goes, as Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces.  If we calculate the difference between Arcanum 6, ruled by Venus, and the Princess of Cups, 64, we discover the number 58, which is the 8 of Cups, or Venus of Water.  Her loving is complete, and its magic liquidity can permeate anything and everything it touches.  58 adds to 13, the number of water, and is the third manifestation of 13, the sequence being 13-49-58.  And so her love has momentum and the power to connect. The Princess of Cups is an emphasizer, and her empathizing can heal.  Her empathy is complete, like a mirror’s reflections.  You can see yourself in her, and as she heightens your awareness through connecting with her you come into a deeper and deeper awareness of your true self.   65. The Ace of Swords The earth element is the one that moves and changes the slowest, because it is the most stable of the four, and since all the Aces can bring about transformation, the transformations signified by the Ace of Swords can sometimes require much energy and effort to them push forward, often with seemingly no more speed than that of a glacier. To transform Earth energy requires patience and persistence.  You need to honor the stability of it, and not try to push it faster than it is ready to go.  The number of this card is 65. Which adds up to 11, the number of Neptune.  65 is the 6th manifestation of 11, the 11 sequence in order being 11-29-38-47-56-65.  Neptune (11) is always selfless and desirous of dedicating itself to spiritual work, which is the main energy it takes to manifest the Ace of Swords, and this is happening on the 6th level, 6 being Venus, the energy of love.  When we love what we’re doing it can create changes (Pluto=Ace) on the physical level (Swords), and can transform the manifestation of what is, make it clearer and truer. A woman came to me recently for a reading.  She told me she had a vision of creating a healing center, but she did not at the time have the funds to manifest the extent and complexity of her vision for this center.  The Ace of Swords kept coming up in the reading, and I told her that she needed to start her healing work right now, by doing things like planting healing herbs, working with them, talking to the plant spirits, seeking their guidance, asking them what to do next, doing such things as making her own flower essence remedies, and so on.  This is how you work with the Ace of Swords energy – you start some place definite, gradually moving forward piece by piece, patiently, step by step, in hands-on fashion. Virgo is an earth sign, a sign which deeply understands the value of little steps, and how if little steps are patiently and constantly taken they can create a momentum that propels you forward, often far faster than you might have thought you would ever go. The number 65 is also the Macrocosm (6) flowing its energy into the Microcosm (5), meaning the universal patterns and perfection of the number 6 feeding the microcosm (5) that is our individual being with their divine order and harmony. The number 65 is generated by multiplying 5 and 13, the two prime numbers which when multiplied yield 65.  5 and 13 added together yield 18, the card called The Moon, and ruled by the sign Cancer.  This means that the Ace of Swords requires nurturing and cultivation to attain to the fulness of its divine harmony.  To thrive, its energy requires a home (Cancer), meaning a context in which it can grow. The negative side of the Ace of Swords manifests through the attempt to dominate (Ace) the physical world, by focusing on agendas to overpower and control it, rather than striving to work with its nature, as we faithfully attempt to see what its deepest needs are.  As earth is the most yin of the elements, the Ace of swords is about the power of yin energy, and how we can positively use it if we are willing to both love and listen to the deep wisdom it has to share with us. If the Ace of Swords comes up in a reading for you, look carefully at your problems, and know they are there to teach you something important, which, if you learn whatever it is they are trying to teach you, it will support and advance your spiritual growth. The Ace of Swords compels you to deal with the physical world and its challenges, to take care of your body, to acknowledge and work within your limits, exercise, eat vital and nourishing foods, and don’t be deterred or discouraged by the temporary darkness that may be making it difficult to see your way forward. As the Aces are ruled by Pluto, and Pluto corresponds to the 22nd Major Arcanum, 65, the number of this card, minus 22 equals 43 which is the 7 of Coins.  This means that to manifest anything in physical reality (Ace of Swords) we need to build lines of communication first, or another way of saying it is that whatever we construct in our mind is then what comes into physical being.   66. Two of Swords The number of this card is 66, which is 3 X 2 X 11, and 3 + 2 + 11 adds up to 16.  So this card carries an energy of Mars (The Pyramid, Arcanum XVI), meaning that it can bring up conflicts that we need to work with constructively.  The twos are ruled by Uranus, which signifies our genius – that which is most unique and creative about ourselves.  At worst the Two of Swords is about the repression (Earth) of these brilliant creative impulses, maybe because we fear where they may lead, or that we won’t be accepted or understood if we express them.  Certainly from birth most of us are taught to repress what is most different and unique about ourselves.  The Two of Swords is asking us to allow this genius to come forth, to manifest it in the physical world – and ideally to do so in a way that others can accept and appreciate.  To do this takes the assertiveness, initiative and constructiveness of Mars. There is tension in this card, because Uranus is about freedom, and the suit of swords, ruled by the earth element, can signify restriction.  The earth element is the most conservative of the four, whereas Uranus is unconventional.  And so when this card comes up our freedom may be restricted, repressed, or suppressed.  We may think that such restriction is coming from outside ourselves, but the truth is that it is always coming from inside.  On the other hand Uranus can signify inspiration, and so often we are inspired by the limitations with which life presents us.  It is like the artist who draws pictures with a burnt stick on the wall of the cave – because those are the only art materials he has, or the prisoner in the cell who wants to write a novel and has only toilet paper on which to compose it. The twos are always full of surprises, and so the Two of Swords can mean we become surprised by the manifestation of some sudden and unexpected limit (earth), or, conversely, it can mean the lifting or changing of a limit, often in ways we didn’t expect.  It can also mean that we find an inspired, genius way of working with our limitations, and with the physical world.  It can also mean a unique talent for letting our inspiration cut through the darkness and illusion of the physical plane, maybe by actually turning problems against themselves so that they immediately or eventually weaken or dissolve. If you get this card in a reading it could signify that you need to work toward greater freedom, but that you may need to do it in a careful, gradual, step-by-step way.  It means:  don’t give up on your creative urges, even if they often get thwarted, blocked, or frustrated.  It can also mean that you are up against the limited and restrictive thinking of the world or the people around you, and that you need to find a way of getting beyond this.  It can also mean putting your inherent wisdom to work to solve problems and overcome the limits of the physical world.  It can mean the practicalizing of wisdom. This card can teach us how physical, material upset can be a good thing, because a shakeup of this sort can liberate us.  The fact that the number of the card adds up to 12 (Pisces) means that rather than going against challenges and obstructions it can sometimes be best to accept them and flow with them, that sometimes this is the way out of the problem.  66 is the 5th time that 12 occurs, the sequence being 12-39-48-57-66, and 5 is the number of Jupiter which is growth and expansion, so 66 is the growth (5) of acceptance, also the expansion of one’s intuition.  To be able to see that a limit is a good thing turns it into a source of learning, so that ultimately it is no longer a limit.      67. Three of Swords This card signifies the refining (3=Neptune) of the physical realm.  This means such things as physical detoxing and any sort of purifying that cleans and/or organizes the material world.  It can signify the need to quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, and limit or stop drug use.  Eating pure food and drinking pure water, and imbuing the food and water that we eat and drink with thoughtforms of nourishment, love and joy means that these are the energies we will be taking in when we consume it. The number of this card is 67, whose digits add up to 13, is the number of Aries, the energy of renewal, and in the Sepher Yetzirah system signifies water, a cleansing element. 67 is the 4th manifestation of 13, the sequence in order being 13-49-58-67, and four is ruled by Mars, so 67 is renewal that one take the initiative to set in motion. This card can easily signify frustration, for the physical world can be dark and dense, and can hold us down and back, and often in ways that are elusive and hidden, the 3’s being ruled by Neptune which often works subtly and covertly and in unseen ways.  The earth realm can create illusions which can hide spiritual energies.  The more intuitively perceptive we become of subtleties the more we can see into the physical world, and see through the illusions that it creates, and see that its primary purpose is to be our friend and teacher rather than our oppressor. This card is asking for the ideal and the real to come together, which can be a slow process, and which is most likely to happen when we have dedication and devotion to the tasks and chores of the physical world and when we listen to what our intuition is telling us.  It can also mean that we can have intuitions about the physical world and its inner workings, which can help us to live more harmoniously in it.  These intuitions can connect us with the gnomes, who are the elementals of the physical plane. This card tells us that when we do all our work with love and joy it can have a profound and positive effect on the physical world, and hence on our health.  So this card has much to do with energy healing, especially those techniques which work on the physical self and physical level, such as cranio-sacral therapy, Flower Essence Therapy, utilizing the energy of crystals and therapeutically working with visualizations. This card in a reading may be saying, “it is your illusions and fantasies which are blocking your way forward.”  It can also be saying, “it’s time to take risks which will lead you toward fulfilling your dreams.”  It may also be telling you that you have been blocking your psychic energies and need to get more in touch with them, though such activities as automatic writing, or observing more closely how you are feeling and what is going through your mind, maybe accessing this through journaling, or observing more clearly your reactions to your environment, or psychically purifying your environment so that it becomes a more supportive and comfortable place for you to be. Many people repress their intuition because they are afraid of becoming confused, or uncertain.  If you can learn to become more accepting of not knowing, more accepting of confusion and uncertainty, you are more likely to be able to enter more fully Neptune’s realm, and if you focus on your intent to grow spiritually, this confusion will gradually transmute into clarity and certainty.          68. The Four of Swords Jupiter wants to grow and expand, but earth is slow, it tries to hold Jupiter back, slow it down, but Jupiter keeps moving forward.  The Four of Swords demands that Jupiter’s growth be gradual and grounded – steady, secure, and not too fast, for when it is too fast there is a danger of burnout.  Jupiter is inherently generous and the earth element is about the conserving of resources, so there can be tension here too.  The earth element is here saying, “yes, be generous, but judiciously so, rather than throwing your resources around in such a way that they might be taken for granted, or not appreciated.” When they built cathedrals in the Middle Ages they would not build the walls higher then 10 feet in a year, so that they would have time to settle and stabilize.  That’s Four of Swords energy – proceeding in a grounded manner.  It certainly is not the current way of our culture, which prizes swiftness of movement and reaching goals as fast as possible. The Four of Swords makes me think of the Great Pyramid, for swords rule physicality and stone, and Jupiter signifies anything that is immense -- gigantic.  The Four of Swords is encouraging you to go step by step, and to be patient and persevering in your work. And as Jupiter signifies learning, the Four of Swords can mean learning practical sorts of things, wise things you can apply to everyday life to make it run more easily and smoothly. Jupiter can be over-optimistic and when it is, it can take on too much, which can then slow it down.  The Four of Swords is cautioning against this.  It is asking you to be realistic about your expansiveness, to realize your own limits of time, energy and resources, even as you maintain a steadily optimistic attitude about your efforts and goals, so that you can keep going.  It is like the tortoise in Aesop’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. The number of this card is 68, which adds up to 14, the number of Taurus, which rules perseverance and stamina – stubbornness used positively.  And 68 is the third manifestation of 14, the cycle being 14-59-68.  And three (the third manifestation in any cycle) signifies Libra – how we relate to things.  It’s also interesting to note that the next number in the 14 cycle is 77, which is the number of the Queen of Swords, which is the court card ruled by Taurus.  And, of course, the digits of 14 add to 5, which in the Major Arcana is Jupiter, the same planet which rules this card, as the fourth station of The Tree of Life is ruled by Jupiter. This card also seems to be asking us to be thorough, for when we grow gradually we have more time to be thorough.  It’s all about pacing ourselves. The number 68 is generated by multiplying 2 X 2 X 17, those numbers adding up to 21, the Arcanum called The World, and ruled by the Sun.  That card is about keeping focused on a purpose, and about always seeing in a situation what is most important, so that our vision doesn’t become distorted by focusing on details of lesser consequence.  Also 2 X 2 is 4 which is Scorpio, and so 68 is Scorpio – Arcanum 4 – merged with Gemini – Arcanum 17.  Gemini can so easily get out of hand and wander off into many different places, but Scorpio can control it in a positive way, reign it in and direct it.  Of course negatively this could mean desires (Scorpio) scattering into all sorts of various directions (Gemini), and therefore dissipating energy.  This is what we don’t want to have happen. 68 is also 2 X 34, and 34 is the King of Wands, so when we blend Virgo (2) with the King of Wands (34) we get the urge to keep beginning (Aries) over and over (Virgo) as we continually improve/refine/perfect (Virgo) our project, and work out the kinks of what we’re doing, so that in the end it is finished, refined,  and perfected to the extent we are able to do so. As Jupiter rules the 4’s in the Minor Arcana, and vibrates with the number 5 in the Major Arcana, we can subtract 5 (Jupiter) from the number of this card (68) and obtain the number 63, which is the number of the Queen of Cups, the Scorpio court card.  This shows us that the idea way to bring the positive energy of Jupiter down into this card is through the energy of Scorpio, which signifies creativity, and a willingness to go through transmutation – to die to the old and be reborn to the new, and to realize that this is what is happening to all of us every moment we live – we are all on a journey towards death, which is a gateway into a realm of regeneration.   69. Five of Swords Saturn rules obstruction and so does the earth element.  This doubling of the energy of obstruction can mean that the Five of Swords can be a card which could stop us, or hold us back, like a great stone or locked door standing in our path.  The card is about what’s in your way.  And, of course, if anything’s in your way it’s always you, even when it seems to be something outside yourself.  Always remember that our life is a projection of our consciousness, and it is through clearing our consciousness of illusions that we eventually attain to full liberation. I feel that this card, more than any other, signifies the kabbalistic principle of resistance.  Resistance is the limiting, confining or obstructing of a being for the purpose of giving it something to push against.  For as you push against your challenge you will inevitably magnify your own light, which means that you grow spiritually. It is wondrous to me that the number of this card, 69, is 3 times 23, and 23 is the Ace of Wands.  The significance of this is that behind the rigidity and limitations of this card we see that it is a way of relating to or connecting with (3) a new cycle (Ace) of creative energy (Wands, which are the element fire). 69 adds up to 15, which is the Major Arcana ruled by Saturn.  The fact that both the arcanum number of the card’s planetary ruler and its place on the Tree of Life (the fifth station) are both signified by Saturn emphasizes the Saturnity of this card.  And if we subtract 15 from 69 we get 54, the four of cups, meaning that the way to utilize this card to the fullest is to maintain a positive, enthusiastic, and hopeful attitude toward the obstructions and lessons it may be imposing on us, no matter how hard they may be.  The ultimate solvent that dissolves all obstructions is love.  This card can signify stoppage, stillness, non-movement.  It makes me think of a mountain.  Sometimes a good way to handle it is to wait, to become contemplative, to go into the silence and just allow yourself to be for a while.  These can be marvelous antidotes to frustration. Certainly the card is asking you to be careful, cautious.  It’s really good to move slowly now, to become more passive and observant.  This card is working to bring spirituality into the physical world, and often when this happens the world does not understand or believe that what it is witnessing is of a spiritual nature.  The card can mean the hiddenness of spirituality, and how a loss might actually be a gain, or a seeming tragedy might be in some ways a blessing. In terms of 69 adding to fifteen, this is the second term in the 15-cycle, meaning that this is the first time after the number 15 that we encounter 15 again, and the number two always signifies refining and perfecting.  So 69 is about refining and perfecting (2) our spirituality (15), which, given the current spiritual status of our world, tends to strongly go against materialism and all its beliefs. A great way to support the energy of this card is to get rid of things you don’t need, to clear debris from your life, and from your mind too.  It can be good now to disengage from connections that are bringing you down or which are no longer serving your evolution.  We might say that “no” is a great keyword for this card.  It can signify economizing, dieting by both eating less and changing what you are eating, applying more discipline where it is needed, etc. And of course, the Five of Swords is compelling us to look at what is truly practical,  which often turns out to be different from what many people think it might be.  For instance, if our primary reason for being here is to reach enlightenment, then meditation is practical.  If we see that the principle of karma is real, then we can see that it’s practical to not automatically respond with hostility when someone pushes our buttons, that it’s practical to give away money to homeless people, and practical to go about spontaneously sparking laughter and love in others.  As we do these things we are activating and bringing into the world that bright Ace of Wands energy I told you of earlier, and serving the highest purposes of The Five of Swords.      70. Six of Swords Six is the heart of the Tree of Life, and so the Six of Swords is about the manifesting of purpose, about have a purpose that is tangible, about bringing purpose down into the physical plane.  It’s about defining to ourselves what is mot important. Some people who are maybe more intuitive and spontaneous may do well without having a definite, conscious purpose, because maybe they are tracking clearly with the impulses of their higher self and are trusting of the guidance it gives them.  But many other people will benefit more from having well-defined and precise goals, ones that are realistic and attainable – goals toward which they can move with sure steps, for this gives them a feeling of knowing their direction.  These type of goals are signified by the Six of Swords.  The number of this card is 70, which is the number of Arcanum XVI (ruled by Mars) on the cosmic scale.  This means that what is needed to reach this kind of goal is assertiveness, and the ability to take the initiative, to be a starter, the need to engage in definite and constructive activity.  The Six of Swords says that we need to take charge of how we are going to more forward, and do it for ourselves, rather than waiting for someone else to do it for us. Of course the suit of Swords can also mean obstruction, so the Six of Swords can mean that we are trying to reach a goal but have met with an obstruction, something is in our way, blocking us, so we have to find a way around it, or maybe we have to be more careful and patient and move forward more gradually.  Remember that all obstructions are there to teach us something, so we need to stop and look at what’s holding us back to see what it’s trying to tell us. On a negative plane, the seventh station on the Tree of Life is ruled by the Sun, which can signify ego, and so the Six of Swords can mean that what is in the way of us reaching our goal or goals may be our own ego.  Our ego may be too rigid, as earth, which corresponds to the suit of Swords, has a substantial, fixed, and potentially rigid quality.  The number seventy breaks down into 2 X 5 X 7, those numbers adding up to 14, which is the number of Taurus and of Alchemy.  And as alchemy signifies transformation, it may be necessary to continually transform or modify our goals to keep them viable.  Earth, like a garden, always requires tending and reworking.  Negatively Taurus is stubborn.  Sometimes when we are stubborn about reaching a goal it works out for us, we eventually get to where we wanted to go.  But sometimes the stubbornness is an ego manifestation that goes against the flow of where evolution is trying to take us.  We need to look deep within ourselves to see whether our stubbornness is something we need to persist in, or something we need to soften or even let go of, as a means of allowing other energies into our psyche. Also, sometimes the goals we consciously set for ourselves may not be the same ones our higher self has in mind for us.  We may have goals trying to guide us that we don’t even know about.  Remember that the digits of 70 add up to 7, the number of Sagittarius, which is about having an overview, about seeing all the energies around us in a wholistic way.  And 70 is 7 on the level of 8, meaning the 8th time 7 appears in the number series, the series being 7-16-25-34-43-52-61-70.  8 is appreciation.  So 70 is about appreciating (8) the whole picture (7), about the cosmic vision (7) that is born out of love (8). When this card is entrenched in the delusions of the material world it can make life very difficult for us – causing us to be focused on material acquisition, outer appearances, and accomplishment in the physical world only, rather than seeking out and getting more in tune with the vibrations of the spiritual realm.  When the Six of Swords’ energy evolves spiritually, it understands the true purpose (6th station of the Tree) of the material realm (Swords), and so is no longer subject to the suffering that attachments to outer-world illusions can bring. If we take the number for the Sun, 21, away from the number for the Sun manifest on the material plane in the Six of Swords, 70, we arrive at the number 49, which is the Queen of Coins, which is the Aquarius court card.  So the way to transmute the pure energy of the 21 down into the 70 is through being supportive of other people and working with and through groups, friends and like-minded people.  Spreading love and encouragement (Aquarius) to all beings will cure the negative aspects of the Six of Swords, for if we want encouragement and support, all we have to do is emanate encouragement and support to the world, for you always and inevitably get back whatever you put out.   71. Seven of Swords The Seven of Swords’ number is 71, which is the 21st prime number, if we count 1 as a prime.  Primes signify a new and unique manifestation of the number they correspond to in the order of primes, and so 71 is a new and unique manifestation of 21, which is purpose.  Each one of us has our own unique goals and purposes, and 71 symbolizes this. It is wonderful when we are in tune with this purpose, for then we feel we know what to do, and we do it instinctively, for these impulses are a natural part of us, and to follow them brings us joy.  This is the heavenly side of the Seven of Swords.  The negative side comes up when we hold back or repress our impulse to act, maybe because we are afraid of being wrong, or ineffective.  Or maybe we are afraid we will be criticized.  For whatever reason, the Seven of Swords can represent the repression of the impulse to act.  As these repressed impulses build up this in turn can eventually lead to explosions and outbursts, which is the result of the energy of Mars being held in too closely or denied too often. Positively the Seven of Swords can mean that our actions are effective because we have limited them to just what is needed, in other words we have concentrated their focus rather than scattering or dissipating our energies. A good symbol for this card would be a sculptor at work on a piece of stone.  The sculptor is Mars, the one who acts, and the stone is the suit of Swords, the material which is acted upon. At best this card means handling conflict in a practical way – being aware of what we are up against and what the difficulties will be, and knowing also our abilities and resources.  This card can get things accomplished, and often does so by keeping at it steadily, but moving forward gradually with a workable speed and lots of stamina.  Negatively it might find itself getting into the same old conflicts it has gotten into before, maybe time and time again, and find it difficult to overcome these because their patterns are so entrenched.  When this card confronts problems it tends to do so in a careful way so that energy is not wasted.  Mars is naturally impulsive, and so doesn’t particularly like being limited and restricted by the suit of Swords, with is earth, for this suit compels it to slow down, to pace itself.  I see successful bodybuilders and athletes in this card, who know how to push themselves in just the right way, so that their health is maintained and enhanced while they exercise in such a manner as to nourish and enhance their strength and endurance. Negatively this card can also mean that you have been overusing your energy or pushing yourself too hard, and so now are to the point that you must rest more, must slow down, and maybe address problems that you have been ignoring, for this is a good card for taking care of practical issues. If this card argues it can be frustrating, for you may feel you aren’t getting anywhere, or aren’t being listened to, might feel like nothing is being resolved, or at least not very quickly.  Mars can be intimidating, so if you take heed to this card it can teach you how to assert yourself while causing a minimum of threat to others.  71 is 8 on the level of 8, and so can mean being cautious and judicious in your actions, since 8 in the Major Arcana signifies Capricorn, which is diplomatic and circumspect.  8 on the Tree of Live is Venus, signifying that if you imbue everything you do with love you can’t go wrong.  There may be a smoother, pleasanter, and easier way to get where you are going.  You can serve up whatever you’re dishing out with a good dose of sweetness in the recipe. In anything you do, lay the foundations first, make all needed preparations so you have a grounded platform from which to work.  The difference between the pure Mars, Arcanum XVI and 71 is 55, the Five of Cups.  So at worst aspects of the Seven of Swords come out of emotional frustration.  But at best your efforts can be grounded in deep, steady emotions that are the fulfillment (Cups) of your profoundest (Saturn) instincts (Cups).   72. Eight of Swords The number of this card is 72, which corresponds to the 72 names of God encoded in the book of Exodus, Chapter 14, verses 19-21.  Each of these biblical verses contains 72 letters, and when the 72 letters of each verse is copied out in order, one below the other, with the middle line written backwards, and then each one of the 72 columns is read from top to bottom it spells out those 72 names.  And since these names can be used to heal any and all of our ills on spiritual, mental, emotional and physical levels the 8 of swords represents a treasure house, a wealth of support for us.  Venus, which rules the 8’s in all suits signifies value, preciousness, that which is of great worth.  Note how the digits of 72 add up to 9, which is the number of Aquarius, signifying support, which if we can assimilate it, will bring us into greater harmony with the process of spiritual evolution. 72 is 2 X 2 X 2 X 3 X 3, these numbers adding up to 12, the Major Arcana of Pisces, and so to be able to use and fully appreciate all the healing aspects of God requires commitment and the ability to tune in to and flow with spiritual energies, to be in sympathetic vibration with angelic presences and the direction of our own spiritual evolution. The negative side of this card is about how complacency, a Venus trait, can create stagnation in our lives.  Often times when people have all their basic needs taken care of and are in adequate health, with no pressing conflicts in their lives, their tendency is to just coast, to become passive to that state of being relatively okay with the way things are going.  But the strongest force in the universe is the urge to evolve, and so something in them will always create something to knock them out of this passive state.  It may be an accident, or a disease, or any other major challenge that suddenly comes upon them.  The best way to ward off these major challenges is to work on our own evolution, by adopting and being faithful to a spiritual practice, whatever that may be.  Then we are serving our own evolutionary impulses and we won’t need any further discord. The Eight of Swords is about love substantiated – expressing love in real, tangible and physical ways.  This in itself is a fine spiritual discipline.  Often to do it effectively we have to go out of our way, maybe deny ourselves some form of gratification so that we can ease the suffering of another person, or uplift them in some way. This card also signifies the conserving of all our resources, saving money, and conserving our time so that we can spend it on meaningful endeavors.  But, of course, if this conserving of resources is done solely with the intent of gratifying ourselves, then it may draw to us the negative karma of this card, for if we don’t have the intent of allowing our prosperity to flow out to others, then we will automatically be restricting the flow of it back toward ourselves.  Karma teaches us that the best way to be prosperous is to be generous, for however we treat others will be the way the universe treats us.  Life is a mirror.  If you want to see something specific in it, then then you need to show the mirror that thing to have it reflected back to you.  If you reveal the love that you have for the universe and all its creatures, then I can assure you that you will be opening yourself to the infinite love that is always seeking to come back to you.   73. Nine of Swords The nines are ruled by Mercury, and as the suit of swords signifies substantiation, this card can mean the need for greater clarity and definition in communication.  It calls for an exchange of ideas that is specific, pertinent, and which addresses practical issues. The card’s number is 73, whose digits add up to 10 – The Wheel.  Clearing blockages in thinking and communicating can be liberating (Arcanum X), and may come about in unexpected (Uranus=ruler of Arcanum 10) ways.  73 is the 7th time that a number whose digits add up to 10 appears in the natural sequence of numbers, this sequence being 10-28-37-46-55-64-73, and so the Nine of Swords means liberation through attaining a higher level of awareness (Arcanum VII), through transcending whatever has been limiting or restricting one’s thinking and communicating. The slow, gradual movement of the suit of Swords, which is the earth suit, can show a need for thinking that might solve problems little by little, and which may require patience and waiting.  This is not so compatible with Mercury, the ruler of the 9’s, who likes speed, but it harmonizes better with Virgo, one of the signs that Mercury rules. Often we can solve problems associated with this card by looking at the significant details of our situation, much as a detective would do.  Sometimes the problems associated with the Nine of Swords are caused by two people communicating in different ways or at cross-purposes, so possibly you will be better understood if you say what you are saying in a different way – one that is more like the way the other person thinks and uses words.  Diplomacy strengthens the power of this card, as does conciseness, so that you don’t bury what you’re trying to get across in a host of minor details. As the swords rule physicality this card’s vibration can make your body more flexible, and you can enhance this by stretching.  It can have the same effect on your mind, helping you to overcome biases that you may not even be aware of. If you turn your attention to the fact that a sword must be sharp to be effective, you can see how selecting words that are vivid can concentrate the message you’re trying to communicate.  On the other hand it will defeat your purpose if you say something meaningful but in a way that is sharp and cutting in a manner that causes your words to be taken in a threatening manner. This card may be telling you that it’s a good idea to rethink your strategy, and to try again using a different approach.  Dogmatism is not compatible with this card, for overly rigid thinking can lead to a stalemate where nothing gets communicated or resolved. Hidden in the number 73 is the idea that what you may have thought was a problem may not be a problem if you think of it in a different way.  If you can rise above your situation and get a clearer overview of it, this may be all you need to do to liberate you from difficulties. Physically, as the earth sign Virgo rules the large intestine, and Mercury rules stimulation coming from the nervous system, this card can be like peristalsis of the colon, which can help to clear waste matter from your being and alleviate toxicity.  And always remember that these physical correspondences can be seen as mirroring what is going on in the spiritual realm, so that this card can mean purging your soul of the waste products of what you’ve already digested.   74.  Ten of Swords The tenth station is the last one on the Tree of Life, and as such represents a fullness and completeness of expression when its energy is allowed to flow freely, or stagnation and dead ends when its energy is blocked or repressed.  The number of the Ten of Swords is 74 which adds to 11, just as the first station on the Tree of life, which corresponds to the Ace of Swords is 65, which also adds to 11.  The Ace and Ten of each suit always have this property – e.g., that their digits add up to the same number.  In the suit of wands the two numbers are 23 and 32, which both add up to 5.  In the suit of Coins the two numbers are 37 and 46, which both add up to 10, and in the suit of Cups the two numbers are 51 and 60, which both add up to 6. This card signifies dealing with the physical world in an instinctual manner, just the way animals do it.  It encourages you to flow with whatever is coming up, whatever changes are occurring, both within and outside yourself, and to act spontaneously as your feelings direct you, rather than depending on logic and objectivity to carry you through.  When you become more in tune with your animal self and its inner knowing you are aligning with the vibrations of this card.  Many people find it difficult to follow their inner knowing when their instincts tell them it’s time to cease action for a while, and that they need to take a break from effort.  But if they can heed that advice they often will find their efforts are far more effective when carried out at a later time.  Sensing when to act is the foundation for success, and our instinctive attunement to cycles can help us to refine our sense of timing. This card is about emotional repression, and the liberation of feelings that we have been holding in or denying.  It is about finding ways to allow those emotions to leave our system so they will no longer bring harm or oppression to us. These feelings will dissolve of their own accord once we make contact with them.  An effective way of doing this is to put attention onto the body -- to observe the quality, intensity, and location of feelings that are going on inside us on a physical level.  Attention in and of itself is healing. This card is about not having a plan, about living life without an agenda, about living in the moment and tracking attentively with whatever is occurring.  If we do this, then we are supporting the unfoldment of whatever it is we need to learn, and supporting as well the purification of our own unconscious, for whatever needs to come out of it will be encouraged to come out by this simple tracking with the present moment as it flows through time. As the 10’s are ruled by the Moon they signify nurturing, and the Ten of Swords can mean nurturing in an overt and often practical manner, doing things like providing food and other basic needs for people, or helping them to cope with life’s practical necessities.  Nurturing, too, can come in the form of words, and the suit of Swords encourages us to actually say those words, to make them manifest, rather than just thinking them. I have always disliked the picture on this card in the Waite deck.  The metaphysician who designed this deck, Arthur Edward Waite, was very focused on the symbology depicted on the cards of the Major Arcana of this deck, but was   75. Horseman of Swords In this card fire penetrates into the earth realm, which can stimulate and enliven it.  The card is about creativity manifesting in a tangible, practical way, or along practical lines.  It is symbolized by such things as functional architecture that creates comfort and convenience for humans, or the designing of clothes that are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. As the suit of Swords can signify stagnation, the Horseman of Swords can mean pushing through stagnation, adding heat to something as a means of waking it up and getting it to move.  It can signify a state of affairs that may have existed in the same way for maybe a very long time, but which now needs to be taken apart or broken down so that it can be restructured.  If the people involved are into this kind of creativity, then the carrying out of it can be exciting and exhilarating.  But so often people fear change, and then the Horseman of Swords can feel threatening, like an earthquake, or a volcano erupting.  And often times, because of this fear, the needed change never happens because people avoid it, or put it off.  But if this goes on for two long the subconscious of one or more people can brew up energies which bring about some event that will provoke the change. Because of the heaviness and density of the earth element, the changes called for by the horseman of Swords can be difficult, awkward, inconvenient, or seem to take loads of effort.  But there can be much to gain by making them, often more than you might have realized at the outset. This inner fire of the Horseman of Swords may express in a subtle form, as spiritual light.  And so this card can mean visualizations of color, for instance, or the transmitting of Reiki energy or engaging in other energy therapies as a means of bringing about the needed changes.  Season-wise, this card corresponds to the winter solstice, when spiritual forces re-awaken as the outer physical world sleeps.  It is good to remember here that fire and earth are at the opposite ends of the elemental spectrum when it comes to density and movement.  Fire is swift and volatile, whereas earth is slow, sluggish and stable.  So in the Horseman of Swords, which is where fire penetrates earth, the fire is maybe slowed down, its light possibly dimmed, whereas earth is warmed and illuminated by the fire, which can awaken and enliven it.   76. King of Swords In the King of Swords air (signified by all the kings) penetrates earth (signified by the suit of swords), air being the element that communicates and makes connections, and so he King of Swords is about the manifesting of practical connections.  We might also say that it’s about mind and cleverness applied to the practical, everyday world. The astrological ruler is Capricorn, the sign that rules authorities and parent figures.  The purpose of authorities is to bring pertinent information (air) into the realm of everyday reality.  Air always signifies the go-between, the messenger, and here the messenger brings information about how to effectively deal with the physical world in which we find ourselves.  Capricorn is the sign of spiritual technology, meaning that it teaches and invents methods we can use to support and enhance our spiritual evolution. The number of the card is 76, which is 4 X 19, blending the energies of Scorpio (4) and Leo (19), which is blending creativity and transformative power (4) with expression (19).  The challenge of Capricorn is to uphold and maintain those traditions of the past which continue to further and support people while modifying their expression in ways that more fully meet current needs.  The less evolved expression of Capricorn upholds tradition mechanically and blindly, while the higher expression of it creatively seeks new ways to express timeless truths so that they can continue to guide people in a style and language that is current. The digits of 76 add up to 13, the number of Aries.  Capricorn cannot function creatively unless it confronts directly (13) the problems and challenges it’s presented with.  If it avoids or denies these challenges then it will come to rely on a routine parroting of the traditions of the past, rather than vitally engaging with the needs of the present. If you were to draw this card to answer the question, “what do I need to focus on today?” the card implies the need to be careful, to proceed objectively, and to think in terms of what actions will achieve   the results you desire and which ones won’t, in other words, what works and what doesn’t.  When dealing with problems it can mean seeking out advice from someone who has the knowledge you need – if you don’t feel you have it – for although Capricorn is itself an authority, at its highest it always bases its decisions and actions on the wisdom and advice of those who have more experience than itself. If you do not feel that you lack adequate wisdom and/or power then it can be difficult to relate to this card.  But even though Capricorn always seeks correctness in all its actions it invariably finds itself in situations where it isn’t completely certain about what to do. When we think of 76, the number of this card, as 2 X 38, we see that 38 is the Two of Coins merged with Arcanum II, meaning the sustainment and refinement (2) of creative (Uranus, ruler of the 2’s) thinking (Coins).  This is what is needed to manifest the power of Capricorn. And just as the King of Coins is the air of earth, its companion court card is the Princess of Coins, which is the earth of air, ruled by Gemini.  So the cleverness and liveliness of Gemini can imbue Capricorn with a vibrancy that can greatly enhance its effectiveness.   77. Queen of Swords The number of this card is 77 which is 11 X 7, signifying a refined and intuitive (11) overview of reality (7).  The highest level of Taurus, the ruler of this card, can intuit the true value of everything because it can see everything in its spiritual context.  Of course this is a very exalted state to attain to, but since we’re all going to reach enlightenment, it’s a future reality that is constantly pulling all of us toward itself. 11 + 7 is 18, the number of Cancer, and so the Queen of Swords is a nurturer and protector – her wealth of gives can offer spiritual food and support for those who crave it. If we find the difference between the Taurus-ruled Major Arcanum card, Arcanum XIV, and this Taurus-ruled Court Card, we arrive at the number 63, which is the Queen of Cups, ruled by Scorpio.  This means that to fulfill the role of the Queen of Swords requires the role of the Queen of Cups, which has to do with identifying with our own personal power and creativity.  The Queen of Swords is the embodiment of the alchemist, and all true artists are alchemists. Taurus is a sign whose higher meanings have been obscured by materialism, for Taurus rules money and possessions.  What has been ignored by modern astrologers to a great extent is that Taurus also rules our individuality and its uniqueness, which is one of our most prized possessions.  Negatively speaking, our identity that expresses through our individuality is something that we tend to be addictively possessive of, the irony being that when we eventually come to let go of this we find that we possess it fully without any pathological grasping of it. If you draw this card in a reading it can show the need to stand your ground and hold fast to your own principles and reality.  It can also be reminding you that you have much to offer, and what you have to offer may not be limited just to what you think it is, for so often we are giving other people healing and supporting energy even when we may not be consciously trying to do so.   78. Princess of Swords This is the Virgo court card, and its number is 78, the last card of the deck.  78 is 2 X 3 X 13, those digits adding up to 18, just like the digits of the divisors of the card that precedes it, The Queen of Swords.  And so this card also has the nurturing quality of Arcanum XVIII, ruled by Cancer. 78 can be generated by adding together three perfect squares, 1 + 4 + 9 + 64, which are the squares of 1, 2, 3, and 8, respectively.  When a number is squared it is brought into tangible manifestation, and so 78 is tangibly manifesting mind (1), service (2), connection (3) and karma (8), all combined.  Note also that 1, 2, 3, and 8 add up to 14, the number of integration and alchemy. The Princess of Swords plays the role of server, administering to the needs of other people and to the world.  The number 78 can be derived by multiplying 2 X 39, or Virgo (Arcanum II) and the 3 of Coins, a card which signifies intuitive thinking and communicating – thinking and communicating that channels the subtle forces of divine intelligence. The digits of 78 add up to 15, and 78 is the 3rd time we find a number adding to fifteen in the natural sequence of numbers, the 15 cycle being 15 – 69 – 78.  15 is the number of focus, so 78 would then be focus in the realm of relating – libra – Arcanum III.  The Princess of Swords follows a narrow path as she focuses on what needs to be done and her efforts aim to relate to others.  When others do not relate to or allow what she is doing she will attempt to adjust her methods, to find another way that others can relate to. Virgo is the sign of details, and at worst Virgo might focus on details indiscriminately, putting as much effort into dealing with the trivial ones as the important ones.  This can then cause mental confusion, which is a negative meaning of the 3 of Coins.  But as Virgo evolves she learns through her intuition to identify the truly important details, the ones that are the key to fixing the situation and promoting healing.  Often these may not be the details that logic would choose, but the Princess of Swords attunes to the 3 of Coins and perceives with her intuition where her efforts will bring the most benefit. At her highest she realizes that the only sort of criticism that is worthwhile is that which will improve a situation and offer suggestions for refining and perfecting the work.  She needs to always be aware of what underlies criticism, for sometimes it is self-aggrandizement, or self-vindication, or self-validation.  In all those cases it is ego-based and will inevitably generate discord. One of her worst enemies is the fear of failure, which can keep her from taking risks.  She needs always to see all seeming failures as learning experiences, and also to not judge outcomes, for often a seeming failure will have other and sometimes hidden implications, and can affect others in ways that open them up or help to loosen stuck energies. All angels have in them the energy of the Princess of Swords, for all angels are helpers – they seek to further our evolution, and to remove our suffering so that we have more energy to feed into our forward motion.  Among the court cards she has no companion card, for she is Earth of Earth, pure earth.  She brings love to all little, small, and seemingly trivial things.  A Kabbalist once said, “be kind to all your material objects, for they are all alive and have a consciousness, and will take in and grow and benefit from the love that you give them.”  I would add to this that it is a wondrous thing to love those things which we might normally recoil against or not want to deal with, such as tumors, germs, viruses and other poisonous things.  Loving those things takes away from them the energy of separation and conflict.  It helps to harmoniously integrate them into our world so that they eventually cease to oppress us and cause us suffering. 78 is also 3 X 26, 26 being the number of the 4 of wands signifying the expansion of fire and light.  So 78 is momentum (Arcanum III) merging with the expansion of light.  As 6 X 13, 78 is love (Arcanum VI) merging with renewal and rebirth (13), which is another way of expressing the meaning of service. And lastly 78 is the 7 moving toward the 8, which is transcendence coming to deal with the wheel of karma, meaning the releasing of all negative karma, which is attachment, so that the whole of consciousness can enjoy everything while being simultaneously freed of all addiction to it.