February 23, 2021: Knight of Swords and 5 of Wands

My Inner Focus card today is the Knight of Swords.  The image on this card shows a Knight on a horse with a helmet and armor on, his sword in hand and raised upward. It appears he was moving along toward the viewer not on a path but through easy territory of grass, shrubs and trees.  Before him with her back to the viewer is a woman who has her back to the viewer.  She has lifted the front of her dress so the Knight can see her naked body from the waist down; she is not wearing shoes.  It appears the Knight has drawn his sword because either the presence of the woman or her lifting of her skirts is unexpected.  The key phrase associated with this card is: you may crave the confrontation of conflict but love and sex don't, so decide which battle you want. 

My Outer Focus card is the 5 of Wands.  The image on this card shows a fully dressed man behind a woman.  It appears that he has snuck up on her and grabbed her dress and is pulling it over her head so she can't see, revealing her naked body.  She appears to be struggling as her hands and wrists are still inside her dress, but we can't see her face.  The key phrases for this card are: a dispute for futile reasons creates an obstacle to be overcome, and quarrels.  

I see the Knights of the Tarot as representing the purest or most focuses versions of the traits of their suits.   During Medieval times, the Knight was the vassal of his Lord and was expected to fulfill the needs of his Lord without question, and without taking into consideration his own feelings.  Our Decameron Knight is attempting to fulfill his mission with focus and determination and loyalty to the cause, but he is being suddenly and unexpectedly distracted.  He has a decision to make: does he react to the situation with focus and use that sword to get rid of the distraction, or does he understand that this situation might not require the application of violence.  The woman has taken a risk in order to distract the Knight.  Her bare feet hint at some lack of grounding, making me feel that she might be taking this risk without also taking into consideration all the potential consequences.

All of the 5 cards of the Tarot Minors present some kind of action or movement that upsets the stability of the 4 cards.  This upset helps to prevent the stability of the 4 cards from becoming stagnation, but that does not lessen the discomfort of the action or movement.  This version of the 5 of Wands is reminding us that disputes are necessary to bring compromise and balance, however if the dispute is not founded in valid reasons, it could make the issue worse than if nothing was done.  We are reminded that quarrels can easily disintegrate into futility.  This man may get a glimpse of the woman's naked body, but she could get free from the tangle of her garments around her head and wrists, and then the story might be different.

These two cards seem to have at least a parallel messages for me.  They are telling me that my job is not to prevent discord or quarrels or disagreements, but rather to take part in them only after being certain that my cause is just and fair.  If I do choose to further my case, I need to do so with the appropriate force.