The Poetry of Tarot: Four of Swords

This month I’ve been taking part in the NaNoWriMo challenge, to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month. It hasn’t left me too much time for blogging or poetry writing, even though I’ve managed to do a post most days of the week. I’ve also been writing a poem each month this year as well as picking a tarot card as a reading for the world. 

One of the things I’ve learnt from the NaNo experience is that setting a 10 or 15 minute timer and writing as much as I can in that time is a good way to be productive. I decided to do the same thing with my poetry, as well as combine it with a tarot reading. I drew a card at random from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, set a 10 minute timer, and wrote this poem. I don’t think it’s too bad considering it was written in just 10 minutes.

Four of Swords

Your grave is silent
Your sword at rest
Yet others stand
Prepared to test

Legends might tell
What wars you won
Yet other fights
Are not yet begun

Are you at peace
In your stone case,
Knowing others prepare
To take your place?

The Four of Swords card in the Rider-Waite-Smith shows a tomb, probably that of a knight or warrior. The traditional meaning is vigilance, retreat, solitude, being a hermit or possibly exile. My interpretation is more about the first few of those meanings. We must be vigilant in regards to fights that must be fought, but now is possibly a time to retreat for some solitude, if possible, and contemplate the conflicts of the past before any battles in the future.

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http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/10/poetry-of-witchcraft-halloween.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/03/poetry-of-witchcraft-should-you-tell.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/10/london-tarot-reading-sewer-gas-lamp-2.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/09/an-equinox-tarot-card-mourning-or-seven.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/03/tarot-ace-of-cups-signs-of-new.html

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