The Knight of Swords

I generally wince when the Knight of Swords comes calling.  Then I try to accept his patronage with gratitude, though I don’t like being reminded of my faults anymore than anyone else does.  This particular knight often warns us of the folly of being carried away by our own wit and sense of refreshing honesty.

The temperament of tarot knights is said to be that of teenagers - enthusiastic, sometimes adventurous, according to the character of their suit, and sometimes - on the less pleasant side - brash, cocky and reckless.  Yesterday the Knight of Swords came calling.  And by mid morning, I was glad I'd received his message.

Positive keywords for the Knight of Swords include:  Incisive, knowledgeable and logical.  On the dark side we have: Blunt, cutting and opinionated.  When a co-worker rounded on me for a misstep, I was a heartbeat away from verbally skewering her with the knight’s blade.  Instead, I thought better of it.  What would I really accomplish by a cutting remark?  I would hardly win her undying admiration for my keen wit.  And frankly, in the morning, my wit is likely to be more along the lines of,"Oh ya?!"  Hardly noteworthy in the annals of retorts.  I pulled back hard on the reins of the knight’s horse, understanding that my co-worker’s reaction was less about me and more about her personal issues of that particular moment. I let the moment pass and twenty minutes later, all was forgiven and forgotten.

The beauty of this age’s electronic communication is our ability to reach someone quickly and effectively.  Click a send button and your opinion flashes across time and space.  Clearly, something I like.  We can’t always choose the sort of messages we receive by text or email anymore than we can chose what people say to us face to face.  However, we can always choose whether we react or respond to them.  When you react, you click reply, or open your mouth and let your judgments and emotions fly where they will.  You may momentarily feel better, but in the long run, fifteen seconds of pure reaction can leave lots of carnage behind.  

To respond to someone is to listen, to determine what their actual need is and whether there is anything you can do to assist them.  Easier said than done in the heat of battle, but absolutely essential to honest communication.  And after all, isn’t the suit of swords about communication? 

Yours In Light,

Lady Oracle