Start Today with Guidance and a Glimpse of Possibilities

The Five of Swords depicts a victorious figure in the foreground, gathering the Swords of the opponents he has defeated who have turned away, in the background, disconsolate. A grey, choppy sea swirls beneath a turbulent, ragged sky, suggesting both emotional and mental disquiet.

In this card the Hierophant sits, Pope-like on a raised throne, while two acolytes pay homage to him or await his bidding, In full regalia, with crown and scepter, The Hierophant is the point at which The Emperor and The Magician combine - he is the master of the stage, but, unlike the former, there is no element of service here and, contrary to the latter, The Hierophant does not wield his power lightly or playfully. Depending on the context, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

In the Four of Swords, we see the image of a knight’s tomb in a church. The scene is a peaceful one: three of the Swords are engraved in stone on the wall behind the tomb, while the fourth makes up part of the tomb on which the figure of the knight lies. The scene depicted in the stained glass window is that of Christ healing a follower who kneels before him. This, then, is not a card of death, but one of rest and regeneration.

This card is all about keeping focused and staying determined to reach your goals. Where there is a will there is a way. If things have been slow and predictable recently, make yourself ready for some changes ahead because things are about to become a lot busier for you. Just remember to enjoy the process and don't get too ahead of yourself.

In the Six of Cups, we see the image of a figure giving a gift of a Cup, overflowing with life, to a child. The two people pictured are in the garden of a cottage, and the scene resonates with a sense of domestic comfort and security.

In the Five of Wands, we see another aspect of the fire element: energy that requires a release to not become destructive. In the traditional Rider Waite image, we see a group of youths engaged in vigorously hitting their wands together; they are immersed in the action, their focus on nothing but the melee itself. A closer look at the card, though, shows us that these figures aren’t actually trying to hurt each other at all, but are merely playfighting, clashing sticks rather than aiming to cause each other any injury.