SWORDS
Intellect, the air, mind and message, communication, directed movement, learning through logic and by following lessons.
SWORDS_ACE: The double edged sword is a victory of clarity, the triumph of purist maths of x, y, +, exposing new ways of seeing and new ways of commanding loops. It is so sharp. The reverse is failure of nuance.
SWORDS_02: The ultimate analysis paralysis. Many pathways, thick with illusions, y-loop nested in x-loop, but just one centre (that’s you).
SWORDS_03: Unexpectedly, early in the suit of logic and intellect, here is the saddest card in the set. The rare opening slash of red represents the heart. It is over quickly, and layering lines (of logarithmically increasing transparency) gradually heal the heartbreak, but never quite, 99.99%.
SWORDS_04: The fight has ended. In contrast to the pain of the previous card, we have calmness, held in a cartesian grid cocoon. But, this card of rest also brings a *scratchiness* that surfaces as an echo and forewarning of adrenaline, a tickle of restlessness that can take over the nervous system. The 04 of Swords has retreated but remains on high alert. It would be wise instead to take the chance for a restorative breath.
SWORDS_05: This card is about conflict and tension, viewing life as a game where the winner takes all, when in fact there are no winners. By isolating yourself, you can still lose out in the end. This is one of the few cards where the frame doesn’t always constrain the animation, as a very aggressive knife shudders around the game’s field.
SWORDS_06: Traveller 06 is breaking free, escaping, the sword is now a boat. The future looks more promising, but there are double edges of regret, nostalgia, danger and loss. The north star, unlike the other stars visible to us, remains in the same location dusk to dawn, which is why corporate and astrological culture use it to describe a life-long purposeful destination.
SWORDS_07: Stealth, deception, a gentle rug, sneaking out of a situation rather than dealing with it. The reverse: coming clean. This is the third of a sequence of three actions/reactions represented by the moving pixel razor - fight, flight, fade.
SWORDS_08: After the reflexive responses of the previous cards, swords 08, 09 and 10 face struggles with their external world. 08 feels trapped by events, by others, by systems out of her control and all around her. But, there is a way out and that way is self-acceptance.
SWORDS_09: Red appears a second time in this suit, in the stitching on a thick blanket, including an embroidered Chiron, the wounded healer. She can end the nightmare by reaching out.
SWORDS_10: The third of a trio of struggles against untold externalities; she is defeated and folded upon rock bottom. This card thematically and graphically echos the 5 of coins (hardship/ recovery), and, as I wrote the code I realised that, although invisible to the eye, my methods had improved. Onwards and upwards!
Page of Swords: This card is very eager to execute an idea that’s been cooked up quickly. Fast, turbulent, energetic, defiant. Blue, an unexpected feature of the sword royals, represents air and communication and hyperlinks.
Knight of Swords: Intellectual energy and action, maybe blind to consequence. Expressed here as the fundamental two-symbol system, and some unpredictable (and yet predictable) growth of chaos within the system.The Knight of Swords is very powerful, apply with caution and compassion.
Queen of Swords: This queen connects to others through intellectual understanding rather than emotional pull, applying reason and judgment to everyday decisions. When reversed it can risk isolation, and dip into pessimism. Like the other queens, this card is about outcomes - the conseqences of her suit’s actions. In this case, the fruits of the swords’ intellect and communication is a physical expanse of data.
King of Swords: The ultimate ‘head over heart’ ruler and realm: The Cloud.