Seven of Swords - Mystical Origins of the Tarot
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Seven of Swords
Decan: Aquarius, degree 21 to degree 30, ruled by
the Moon.
Picatrix: It is a decan of abundance and
compliments, detection and
affronts.
Ettellia initiates the notion of "hope" here, and
the other cartomancers
agree for the most part. The Golden Dawn tries to
integrate this with
Picatrix's "affronts". Interestingly, Waite may have
had more than just
the Golden Dawn decan attribution to draw on here.
Although he states
that "the design is uncertain in its import, because
the significations
are widely at variance with each other," he appears
to have gone to the
Sola-Busca deck again for the card's design. The
Sola-Busca deck depicts
a young man stealing off with four swords, already
carrying three in a
container strapped to his back. Now, the origin of
this Sola-Busca image
may derive, in turn, from the 'sequel" to a popular
medieval chanson de
geste that we shall encounter shortly, the story of
Renaut de Montaubon.
One of the characters who make an appearance in
Renaut's tale is a
sorcerer-knight named Maugis d'Aigremont, whose
subsequent popularity
gave birth to the sequel, a new chanson all of his
own, written during
the early thirteenth century. As a foster child of
the fay Oriande,
d'Aigremont was instructed in the magical arts, and
notably cast a
sleeping spell over Charlemagne and his knights,
then made off with
their swords. The incident bears a resemblance to
the design on the
Sola-Busca card that seems to have been Waite's
source, and could
conceivably serve to illustrate Picatrix's
"detection and affronts".
From Waite's interpretations, however, it appears he
knew nothing of
d'Aigremont.
Original Cartomantic Interpretations
Etteilla (1785-1807): Hope, intention, expectation,
aspiration, to rely
upon, longing, taste, fantasy.
Reversed: Wise advice, good counsel, salutary
warnings, instruction,
lesson, observation, reflection, note, warning,
thought, reprimand,
reproach, tidings, annunciation, poster,
consultation, admonition.
Mathers (1888): Hope, confidence, desire, attempt,
wish.
Reversed: Wise advice, good counsel, wisdom,
prudence, circumspection.
Golden Dawn (1888-1896): Lord of Unstable Effort.
Partial success,
yielding when victory is within grasp, as if the
last reserves of
strength were used up. Inclination to lose when on
the point of gaining
through not continuing the effort. Love of
abundance; fascinated by
display; given to compliment, affronts and
insolences, and to detect and
spy on another. Inclined to betray confidences, not
always intentional.
Rather vacillating and unreliable, according to
dignity as usual.
Waite (1910): A dark girl, design, attempt, wish,
hope, confidence,
quarrelling,a plan that may fail, annoyance. A good
card, it promises
country life after a competence has been secured.
Reversed: Good advice probably neglected, counsel,
instruction, slander,
babbling.
Suggested Interpretation: Hope. Confidence. Attempt.
Plan.
Reversed: Get reliable advice from a reliable
source. Be prudent.
Pages 210-212
Mystical Origins of the Tarot by Paul Huson
