Oh boy, time to pay attention.
The image on the True Black VII of Swords shows a white rat, a known carrier of disease and symbol of betrayal, in front of a dark and shadowy curtain that is pierced from behind by the blades of six Swords. Dangling ominously above the rat, point down, is a seventh golden Sword. The keywords for this card are betrayal, thievery, plotting, and dishonor.
We've seen The Empress of this deck before. The image shows a beautiful woman lounging comfortably and confidently on a luxurious golden throne consisting of flowering plants and lushly growing vines, with her knees together and pointed toward the viewer's right. Her hair is the same color as her throne. Her body posture is relaxed and she seems aware of how good it feels to enjoy the pleasures of her physical senses. Her right hand is beginning to pull the white tunic she wears off of her shoulder and she allows her fingers to trail against her skin. Her left hand cradles a golden, perfectly ripe melon, a symbol of mothering and birth. Behind her head is a hologram of a diagram of the hormone Oxytocin. The keywords for this card are mothering, riches, pleasure, and sexuality.
I see the VII of Swords as indicating a situation that involves an empty victory achieved in a passive and subversive way through striving to hold our rules in place, even if they have become outdated or may pose a danger to ourselves or to others. This card is not the selfish imposition of our beliefs onto others symbolized by the V of Swords, but rather it shows what happens when our minds and our intellect perceive the approach of a change that we believe is not beneficial. Our instinctive response in this situation is to strive to keep things unchanged, at all costs and even using devious methods. My VII of Swords is paired with The Empress, a representation of the fertility and cycles of Nature, wild and free and beautiful. My Empress represents stability, but in a manner that is different from the VII of Swords, which tries to keep things the same. The Empress manifests fertility and growth of all kinds, and growth cannot happen without change. Thus she encourages me to let go of the need to dominate or control and instead embrace the pleasure to be had in experiencing life's experiences freely, and through love and honor rather that deceit and betrayal.
After all, change allows stability to happen, and preventing change encourages stagnation.
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