Three of Swords
Cardinal air: Bonds, Promises, Endurance
THREE OF SWORDS
The Three of Swords is a place of sharp edges.
It is ruled by Saturn, limits, and boundaries. We are heading deeper into autumn, and taking a harder look at what has been stored away for winter.
At the same time, this is a place of love, passion, and the deep bonds of commitment. Whoever, or whatever, you choose to head into the darker months alongside, you have to trust with your life.
LIBRA II + THREE OF SWORDS
This card correlates with the second decan of Libra. You can learn more about the decans here. And you can find out how I am working with these micro-zodiacal containers here.
This decan is ruled by Saturn but it is still Libra – a sign of love, friendship, and loyalty. This decan requires us to consider the reality of our bonds to one another.
Libra II is about committing to a promise within relationship. That promise might be to someone else – a lover, a spouse, a child, a friend, a collaborator – or it might be to the self. This is Libra, so there is a deep connection to love and relationships because of the Venus rulership of the sign.
The Three of Swords, a card that almost universally signifies heartbreak: the image is very clear – a heart pierced by three swords.
In the Wild Unknown card, blood drips from three swords bound together by red rope, or perhaps ribbon. I think of the more sentimental images from Valentine cards (red lovehearts, ribbons) as well as the sacred heart of Jesus. The bound swords of the Wild Unknown also evoke rope play – an example of consensual bondage that plays with the edges of violence.
Austin Coppock, writing on this decan, describes it as not only the place of heartbreak, but also an “arcanum of wonderful power” for “the binding of two things together”. These bonds speak to having to choose a path; to grieve the loss of many options because of deciding on one.
This is the engine of storytelling – in any story, there is a winnowing of options, a set of choices that become a single choice. This is what makes the story resonate – we can feel the experience of the characters as they grapple with what we must, every day. But in storytelling, whether in myth, fairy tale, or soap opera, the experience is heightened, to communicate some emotional truth.
T. Susan Chang calls this decan ‘The Ties that Bind’ and sees the three swords as a promise.
“When Saturn, lord of commitments and unbreakable bonds, combines with the legal finalities of Libra, the result is a promise. You can think of the three swords as this: the two parties to the agreement - plus the agreement itself.”
Zone Rites, the name I have chosen for this atmosphere, is about the power of protecting a bond, a promise, or a relationship to self or others. What happens within the zone can be wild, magical, and sacred, so long as it is protected by the power of a safe container.
TAROT PROMPTS
Who or what do you want beside you as you head into the darker months?
What bonds do you choose to renew at this time?
What do you wish to bind together?