~ “Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits” ~
— Carl Sandburg
This step is to synthesize everything we’ve learned in Steps 5 & 6 – number, suit, element, and mode – into simple statements. In other words, we get to have a lil fun and mix and match the keywords in order to create mini-meanings or aphorisms to help us out in not only understanding our chosen card better, but also apply them when the card appears in our readings, as we seem fit.
The best part about this technique is that not only can it help us whenever we’re having intuitive dry-spells, but it can even help us with cards that have unillustrated minors that make it hard to read with ‘intuitively’, as well as, whenever we need to do a ‘quickie’ reading where we need ‘instant answers’ without being too ‘therapeutic’. For those of you who do the whole ‘psychic fair circuit’, as well as, those of you who read at parties, events, metaphysical stores, salons, etc, where you have to stick to a fixed amount of time per seeker, and wish not to be too drained at the end of the day; this reading technique can prove surprisingly useful.
What’s even more cool about it is that you can create an infinite amount of aphorisms and statements, as you can mix the keywords in any possible combination, as it suits the reading. So you can even create a set of ‘ready-made’ interpretations for your own personal convenience. However, I feel that it’s important that I mention that the cards are incredibly dynamic, and while this is a good step to follow, never ignore your own personal intuitive impulses at the time of a reading!
And with that, let’s see how we can synthesize the various structural aspects of the chosen card – 6 of Swords.
In this exercise, I’m making it like a mathematical formula (6 + Swords =…). 6 being a variable that contains all the keywords associated with 6, including the fact that it’s ruled by Venus; Swords being another variable that contains all the keywords associated with that suit, including the fact that it’s associated with the element of Air. And since it’s belongs to the Minor Arcana, one of the Modes of a Tarot Deck, all the resulting aphorisms are connected to the “what?” in a situation, and the “what action to take?” For more details on these, please check the previous step.
6 of Swords - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
6 of Swords
6 (Hamony) + Swords (Thoughts) = Harmony of Thoughts
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6 (Balance) + Swords (Mental) = Mental Balance
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6 (Perfection) + Swords (Planning) = Perfectly laid Plans
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6 (Union) + Sword (Mindset) = Unity of mindsets
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6 (Beauty) + Swords (Mind) = A Beautiful Mind
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6 (Fairness) + Swords (Decision) = A fair decision
(Make your decisions fairly; A decision shall be made that’s fair to everyone)
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6 (Emotions) + Swords (Detachment) = Emotional Detachment
(In order to move on we need to detach ourselves emotionally from the past)
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6 (Pleasantries) + Swords (Cutting) = Cutting through the Pleasantries
(Cut the crap and get down to business)
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6 (Yin) + Swords (Yang) = Yin & Yang
(A balance of our feminine emotional self and masculine logical self)
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6 (Idealism) + Swords (Ideas) = Idealistic Ideas
(Through our idealistic ideas, we can create a revolution, and move forward in our personal evolution)
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6 (Discrimination) + Swords (Criticism) = Critical Discrimination
(After all, Uncle Al did call this card ‘Science’)
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6 (Reunion) + Swords (Letters/Communication) = Invitation to a Reunion
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6 (Resolution) + Swords (Battle) = Resolving Battles
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6 (Moist) + Swords (Air) = Humidity đŸ˜€
(Yes, I was once asked on Radio to give a weather forecast. I ‘winged’ it in this manner, and it worked)
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6 (Vanity) + Swords (Cruel) = Vanity and Cruelty go hand in hand.
(If we think about it, a lot of people who are exceedingly vain have quite a cruel streak (Mirror Mirror on the wall…). And yes, this step can also be used to elaborate the ‘shadow’ aspect of a card)
~
Wow! Just by synthesizing the various structural aspects of the card, we’ve managed to come up with 15 unique aphorisms which we can use with the card! See, just by understanding the various structural aspects of a card, we can learn so much about it, as well as, be able to create our own interpretations, and apply them to a reading where it seems fit. Some of them, I just created on the spot, because they just ‘hit’ me at the moment. That just goes to show how ‘intuitive flashes of inspiration’ can strike us even when doing something as ‘mundane’ as mixing and matching keywords to create aphorisms.
We shall next see how we can use our intuitive abilities and create metaphors for our chosen card in Step 8: Metaphor.
Till then, have a lovely week ahead.
Love and Blessings
Zorian
PS: Hey, be a sport, try this out and see how you can synthesize the various aspects of the 6 of Swords (or whichever card you’re doing your own personal Journey through Mary K. Greer’s 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card), and please share them with us here. I’d so totally love to read them. You could just end up teaching us all something new!
Tarot Quest 