Three of Swords

You may recall a previous tale I told about a lovelorn young woman committing suicide and becoming an accidental objet d'art. However, Evelyn McHale's story is somewhat different than that of the Queen of Cups. On May 1, 1947. McHale threw herself from the observation deck of the Empire State building, falling 86 stories and striking a limousine with devastating force. This photograph, snapped mere moments afterward, captured a strange serenity and beauty; the photo was published all around the world. Eventually the image was even appropriated by Andy Warhol. Apparently, the 23-year-old woman had recently left her fiancé; there was a note found in her pocketbook, though she had crossed out her own words: "He is much better off without me ... I wouldn't make a good wife for anybody."

Nothing about her torment sets McHale apart from L'inconnue de la Seine. And certainly they have both become tragic romantic icons. The most profound difference between them is that one woman chose to settle her matter privately, causing as little unnecessary pain to others as possible. The other woman was so blinded by her own grief that she transformed herself into a missile; it's only by chance that she took no one else with her (the limo driver was in a nearby store), and she forced hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of bystanders to witness her death.

The Three of Swords is perfectly apt here; the card often portrays some form of heartbreak, but this shouldn't be read as a prediction of romantic tragedy per se. Rather, it's about the vicious circle in which immense grief results in the loss of your senses, and vice versa. Sorrow pulls curtains around you; it cuts you off from the world, but it also cuts you off from yourself. What you need in order to heal might be right under your nose, but you can't see it. And meanwhile, you are still moving about in the world, blind to the anything but the pain you feel -- and this can result in even greater misfortunes, the consequences of which only perpetuate that miserable feedback-loop you're caught in.

Drawing this card may sound pretty unpleasant, but consider it an important reminder: if you suddenly find yourself in bad shape, pull yourself over and give yourself adequate time to heal, lest your impaired judgment make things more complicated. Or if you have the opportunity to counsel a friend in need, remember that trying to get them "back to normal" as soon as possible might make you feel more comfortable, but it may not do either of you any actual good at all. The easy way out usually makes life harder for everyone else involved.