(i) Five of Swords YouTube Video
My new YouTube channel is : Thoth Tarot Videos. The minor arcana videos are yet to be remade.
(ii) Thoth Five of Swords
In the Five of Swords, four bent swords attack a damaged upright sword at its tip. The rose petals from the 4 of swords form an inverted pentagram against a chaotic background of swastika type shapes.
(iii) Rider Waite Five of Swords
(iv) Five of Swords & The Tree of Life
The Five of Swords is associated with Geburah in Yetzirah.
(v) Shemhamphorasch Angels of the Five of Swords
Aniel: Development of independent will, spiritual autonomy. When negative, resistance to new currents, relentless struggle to maintain status quo, subjection to matter, going in mental circles.
Haamiah: When negative, lies, deception, absence of spirituality. Guided by one’s material interests. Black magic.
(vi) Astrology of the Three of Swords
1. Decan = 1st Decan of Aquarius (0 – 10°) ruled by Venus
2. Venus in Aquarius = Venus rules Taurus which is an earth sign and here it is an air sign
These 2 are at odds, Venus is a lover not a fighter whereas Aquarius is a rebel ruled by Uranus & is a fighter for causes.
So the individualistic dispassionate nature of Aquarius clashes with Venus the planet of relationships..
Venus is also overwhelmed by the fiery and dispassionate nature of Mars in Geburah so we don’t have harmony in this card astrologically.
(vii) Symbology of the Three of Swords
The hilts of the 5 swords are different:
Lowest sword = the hilt becomes a CROWN symbolising spirit at its lowest point and defeated by matter and the blade is broken to represent this. We may feel our spirit is broken over a situation.
The hilts of the 4 remaining swords imply that we are stuck in a bad place at the moment and our life is not moving forward as it should.
- Green Serpent = lack of renewal, transformation within us. Stuck in a rut !
- Fish = the past (Age of Pisces) and a preoccupation with it.
- Red Handkerchief = red with blood dripping from it indicating negative thinking that reopens old wounds and this produces fear.
- Rams Horn = implication being that there is a lack of creative impulse within us at this time. We are not moving forward but stuck in this situation.
Shredded Rose = from the previous card and now forms the outline of the inverted pentagram.
Inverted Pentagram = matter dominating the spirit. A situation has the better of us at the moment so we are not expressing our greatness. The diagram below illustrates this principle:
Distorted Background = twisted lines restricting our true vision and empowerment. A fear that history will repeat itself may stop us enjoying the present.
Blue Border = clarity pushed aside as this stressful situation dominates us at present.
White Centre = our spirit is shut out but is trying to make itself visible to overcome this situation and shine in our life once again.
(viii) Quotes from the Book of Thoth
- “Weakness rather than excessive strength seems to be the cause of disaster”. (p205)
- “Treachery also may be implied” (p205)
(ix) Divinatory Meanings of the Five of Swords
- The essential element of this card of defeat is FEAR which distorts our view of the present and of the unknown in our future and this is played out repeatedly in the symbology of the card.
- The Five of Swords can relate to a betrayal or sneak attack by someone you trust and do not suspect as your enemy. There may be an unfaithful partner or a jealous person in your life who is sabotaging you behind your back
- Our fear may be the result of losing control emotionally due to previous hurts from relationships or it may be connected with our workplace and bad experiences stop us from expressing ourselves fully as our confidence is lost.
- If we can let go of this feeling of fear then the energies which are bound up in the pentagram will be released and we can express ourselves in the way we want without fear and negativity dominating our actions.
- Suit of swords so its mental turmoil we are going through but this can relate to emotional issues. Venus = sensitivity and pleasure, so we may feel we our sensitivity has had a rough time in the past and so we are now in a self defeating situation which is not helping us.
- The energy of this card can come to us in many forms. For instance we may have bad dreams about the past that replay difficult situations from the past. These are things that are unresolved and so the energy is locked in the pentagram still !
(x) Five of Swords Associated Crystals
- Agate
Agate comes in a variety of colors.
It is said to enhance one’s perceptiveness and to stimulate analytical capacity. It also provides balance between one’s physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual states.
Agate is believed to help discern truth, accept circumstances and encourage honesty. It is also a powerful emotional healer and is said to alleviate hostilities and promote goodwill.
Use it to improve memory and concentration, enhance personal courage and increase stamina.
- Amazonite
Amazonite is said to have a soothing effect on the nervous system. It improves confidence and helps calm emotional and mental turmoil.
Use Amazonite to alleviate stress and exhaustion and to promote courage of personal expression.
- Angelite
This is a lovely blue stone with a calming and soothing vibration, that may help to relieve tension, anger and stress, and it is particularly helpful at times when you may be finding it emotionally difficult to cope with the situation you may find yourself in. It has an excellent action at the throat chakra… which is where communication abilities emerge.
One of its strong attributes is that it will help you to make contact with the angelic realm and will aid you with finding your spirit guide.
(xi) Affirmation for the Five of Swords
Affirm: I am not my fears. It is safe for me to live without guarding and defending myself all the time. When I feel afraid, I open my heart and let the love dissolve the fear. (Louise L. Hay)
(xii) Recommended Video Links
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What is the reversed meaning? Thank you
The thoth deck actually does not used reversed, it only uses association with surrounding cards in the spread. If you take good care of your deck and shuffle it normally no card will ever be reversed. Only smashing them around in a heap or inverting one half when shuffling will cause that.
Then why do most of the Thoth card tutorials on this site include reversals?
Your guess is as good as mine as to why, I posted that comment to remind the site creator that Crowley specifically states tensions arise from the suit interactions of cards next to each other. If you own the deck you can find those statements in the included booklet.
The newer tutorials leave it out. I think it was included at first because people expect it. Tv and media have promoted the idea of reverse cards showing up, when I was younger I thought it was common for that reason until I practiced for awhile to discover how rare it is unless you force it to be by the way you handle your cards.