Every Sunday I pull three cards to show the over-arching energy of the coming week. This week’s cards included the three of swords, a card that represents emotional pain, sorrow, grief, heartbreak, disappointment, loss.
Does that mean this pain is fated?
I believe it’s a warning rather than a certainty. The three of swords is telling me to watch my words and actions so that I keep myself from heartache. It’s also cautioning me to avoid hurting someone else.
But I’ll admit, it has me slightly spooked.
We all want beautiful messages from the cards: your wish will come true, your twin flame will soon find you, the man with the suitcase full of money is about to knock on your door.
But we came here to learn and learning doesn’t occur when life is all rainbows and unicorns.
When I was a freshman in college, living in the dorms, the woman who lived at the end of the hall came back from class on day sobbing. She had gotten an A- on a test. Her life was ruined, she claimed. Without a 4.0 grade point average, her chances of getting her dream job were nil. You can’t get back to 4.0 after you’ve gotten even one A-. She was in anguish.
Two months before this, I had been raped. I would have given anything to trade places with the person whose idea of a ruined life was an A-. The lesson I learned as I watched the A- take down a fellow student was that the worst thing you had experienced was the worst things you knew. I felt a certain compassion for her. And for myself. We were on different paths that required different experiences and opportunities for growth.
The three of swords is a card from the minor arcana, which means the pain will pass. The clouds will lift and you will regain your perspective. Have faith.
So, what will I do this week? I’ll take care that my words and actions don’t wound another. I’ll try to remember that any pain or disappointment that comes my way won’t last forever. And I’ll find compassion for another should the pain befall them.