Sketchbook - Seven of Swords

Hey, it's my professionally strong friend from the Four of Swords! Apparently he does a little bit of everything at this particular carnival.

This is the kind of act I can't watch too much of; honestly it seems to me that he's really pushing his luck with that seventh sword. He appears to be perfectly in control, and the audience is surely convinced he knows what he's doing, but ultimately we're talking about cold steel versus delicate flesh, and accidents do happen. In order to outshine our competition and electrify our audience, we suspend our own disbelief and summon inadvisable levels of confidence -- making it all too easy to misjudge distances, ignore warning signs, and generally proceed without caution.


There's a lot to be said for displays of cleverness, but it's only a matter of time before you get so caught up in the razzle-dazzle that you begin treating reality like some kind of sport, forgetting about the very real consequences your decisions may have -- on yourself as well as others. Relying on self-deception to consistently fool people is a fine short-term game, but the longer you play, the greater the odds that narrow blade will turn back on you. Perhaps you'd better take a step backwards and judge your situation from a less engaged position.

Oh yeah, and that's totally a chest tattoo of Pamela Coleman Smith's signature, which you can find on most of her RWS cards. How odd; I suppose it's possible they had some sort of dalliance when his show toured Europe...

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Seven Of Swords

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The Court Of The (False) Crimson Queen...

I recently noted that our esteemed sponsor, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, has fragrances in its Mad Tea Party collection themed on the playing card characters in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Since regular playing cards are somewhat analogous to the four suits of the Tarot's minor arcana, I couldn't help wondering what these particular scents would have to say about their respective cards. So here's what I ordered:

THE KING OF HEARTS
"Rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender."

THE KNAVE OF HEARTS
"Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts."

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
"Lily of the Valley, Calla Lily, stephanotis and a drop of cherry."

TWO, FIVE & SEVEN
"A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose... and just an itty bitty bit of green grass."

I had planned on incorporating all of these into a big post on the suit of Cups, but when I sat down to do it, I hit a serious roadblock: the original Tenniel illustration showing the Two, Five, and Seven painting the roses red (as seen above) portrays them as spades. Spades. That ruins everything -- or does it?

Before I go too far down the rabbit hole of wild speculation, let me say that I'm quite aware that Carroll's book is a work of pure fantasy and shouldn't be expected to hold up to the scrutiny of real-world logic. If anything, the fantastical nature of the work invites us to comb through it playfully, trying to make sense out of nonsense. So here goes...

I allege that the entity presenting herself as the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an impostor. In fact, I further allege that the entity in question is non other than the sinister Queen of Spades (or Swords, as the case may be). Think about it: the shouting, the tortured logic puzzles, the ruthless competition of the croquet match, the unrelenting desire to punish and decapitate. Are these the qualities of the dreamy Queen of Hearts? I think not.

If there's anything we've learned by now, it's that the Swords are not to be trusted. They cut the man who wields them just as easily as they cut his opponent. In fact, from the moment when Alice first enters the courtyard, we witness a fraud being perpetrated by the Two, Five, and Seven on behalf of the Queen's dogmatic insistence on red roses over white. The Queen's decision to have her servants executed is, no doubt, an effort to conceal her true identity -- she certainly can't reveal herself as a Spade-sympathizer in front of the whole court.

The timid King plays much closer to type, which makes me wonder about the power the Queen exerts to control him. I suspect blackmail or worse.

The samples from BPAL have tipped me off to new evidence. The Queen can mask herself behind red paint all she pleases, but she can't beat the smell test -- out of the court cards present, she's the only one who doesn't smell like roses. In fact, one could argue that the scent of calla lilies is a dead giveaway here -- they're incredibly toxic and commonly associated with funeral arrangements.

In a sort of poetic final argument, I'd like to present a few lyrics from the King Crimson's 1969 release "The Court of the Crimson King", which I believe may contain some elements of backstory from the King of Hearts' perspective:

"The rusted chains of prison moons are shattered by the sun / I walk a road, horizons change / The tournament's begun."

Hmm. Perhaps there is more at stake in the Queen's croquet game than we've ever suspected. Don't play, Alice! If you lose, you'll be sent to a holding tank for lost souls in a parallel dimension!

"The black queen chants the funeral march / The cracked brass bells will ring / To summon back the fire witch / To the court of the crimson king..."

Creepy! But not nearly as revealing as this:

"The gardener plants an evergreen / Whilst trampling on a flower..."

How can this not be a comment on the hapless Two, Five, and Seven?

Ultimately I decided to memorialize my search for the truth in a post for the Seven of Swords, a card that warns of fraud and cowardice, of resistance and futility, all of the qualities that the "Queen of Hearts" stands for. Incidentally, the fragrances were lovely. Special thumbs up for the Knave of Hearts, which smells like something magical baking in the oven. But I'll save the dossier exploring his crimes against the state for another time...

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Seven Of Swords

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"An Opportunity To Repair Imbalances..."

When SELF magazine urges you to Slim Down Your Way, they really mean their way. Take a look at the difference between Kelly Clarkson's real physique and the chop-shop version of her featured on the SELF's latest cover. In a master-stroke of irony, the accompanying interview with Clarkson boasts plenty of quotes from the singer claiming she's perfectly happy with the shape she's in.

In response to the backlash to their botched cover, SELF's editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger claimed that the retouching was intended "only to make (Clarkson) look her personal best." Danziger had lots to say about Clarkson, actually:

"She is happy in her own skin, and she is confident in her music, her writing, her singing, her performing. That is what we all relate to. Whether she is up or down in pounds is irrelevant (and to set the record straight, she works out and does boot-camp-style training, so she is as fit as anyone else we have featured in SELF). Kelly says she doesn't care what people think of her weight. So we say: That is the role model for the rest of us."

That's enough furious backpedaling to shrink practically anyone down to a size 2, and if you start contorting your logic to the point where Danziger's rebuttal actually makes sense, you'll definitely be Hot By Saturday. When the truth of the matter is so obvious, why resort to lies? Instead, SELF's bleeding hypocrisy just runs all the redder.

This is an excellent model of your brain under the influence of the Seven of Swords. If the Six represented all of your faculties operating in perfect equilibrium, then the Seven shows what happens when you start to lose your balance -- while obliviously clinging to your confidence. In your haste to make arguments, you make the wrong ones, and embarrass yourself. In your haste to win battles, you choose them foolishly, and the war is lost. Whether you've overestimated your own ability or underestimated your opposition, the outcome is the same. Here's hoping you are able to withdraw and regroup before your foot gets any further into your mouth, and that you're smart enough to do it discreetly and graciously -- making a big show of trying to bounce back will probably draw even more unfavorable attention your way.

Small mistakes and mistruths pile up quickly; your immediate impulse may be to avoid or whitewash them, but you'd be better off directing that energy toward honest evaluations and aboveboard corrections. The Seven may seem like a scold, but it's really an opportunity to repair imabalances before they become so deeply ingrained in your nature that they seem like a natural part of your identity. In the process, maybe you'll find the Motivation Secrets That Will Work For You. Hellooo, Satisfaction! [Via]

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Seven Of Swords

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Seven of Swords

1. Futility
2. An unorthodox approach
3. Giving up a dream.

-- David Allen Hulse, The Western Mysteries

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Seven of Swords

Oh, the trials of the Tribulations! For Those Who Tried to Rock is a blog that memorializes bands that never survived past summer vacation, poking gentle fun at their glitter-encrusted aspirations to musical stardom. A lot of the posts even include mp3's so you can hear the bands in their prime, back when they were the hottest show in places like Ithaca, NY or Fayetteville, AR.

Aleister Crowley's name for this card was Futility, and his version showed one large sword being broken into shards by six smaller ones. The card warns against delusions of grandeur which lead to preventable failures; the six attacking swords may be obstructions waiting for you out in the world, or weak links in your own strategy. One's good intentions prove not nearly enough to combat the reality of the situation-- the real, persistent forces out there that are actively thwarting your rosy vision of the future. Consider the card a warning: if you can face challenges with a clear head and open eyes, while acknowledging your limitations, then you may have a fighting chance at achieving the success you feel so sure of. Otherwise, your show may never wind up headlining any venues outside Central New Jersey. [Via]

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