Card Nine: 4 of Swords

Ninth House - 4 of Swords

As far as beliefs and philosophies go - rest is the best course of action, best defence (armour), and distance and time out gives space to decide on the best course of action.

This could be taking a break by taking a trip (9th travel) or resting from all this knowledge gathering and dispersal or there is peace now found in doing so. 4s are grounded and here we have grounded ideas and thoughts and peace of mind (swords are intellect) so balanced perspective and a workable (and livable) philosophy this year comes from taking time out to think things through, "sleeping on it" and resting before leaping or deciding.'

Walling myself with certain strict beliefs will only put me under the gun, timeclock or knife (swords hanging above) and there's truly no need to protect yourself from the truth if the truth liberates you.

So being sure of myself will enable me to feel at peace this year knowing I'm doing what's "right" for myself in any given moment. Balanced perspective is freedom.

resting

taking a break
giving your body time to heal
avoiding overexertion
finding peace and quiet
relaxing body and soul
taking life easy

contemplating

gaining a better perspective
listening for your Inner Voice
taking time alone to think
standing back from the situation
examining your motivations
reviewing where you are

quietly preparing

consolidating inner resources
making sure your base is secure
getting ready for the future
coming to terms with what is
tieing up loose ends
stabilizing

Four of Swords - The negotiating mind - the meditating mind which is flexible, committed to staying in balance and non-positional. Maintain balance on all four levels - mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Move through these conflicting issues and resolve them. Stabilize yourself - rest and take this time to think of new plans. Your dreams will come true but you must wait. Things are changing - prepare your mind and make your plans. Give yourself time - this situation is getting better. There is no hurry now - consider this a convalescent period - a time to renew both your physical and mental energies and establish your thoughts.

Be willing now to face the issues, pay attention and tell the truth. Do not be concerned with the outcome, for it will be as it was meant to be. Establish your own sense of order and harmony. Build a solid foundation upon which you can expand. Withdrawal can lead to healing - allowing you to recoup your strength by holding back from the fight until there is a better chance to win and giving yourself time to recover from deep hurt and wounding. However, withdrawal - even for the purpose of recovery - can shut a person off from the world, creating a kind of spell that only an outside energy can break. Has your confident mask grown too heavy? Have you responded to your difficulties by isolating yourself - preferring to hide from the world rather than show your other side or try to work with people, flattening your emotional reactions and trying to hide them deep inside yourself?

Meditative composure, a well-centered mentality - a mental plateau. Mental stability, reliability - a centering of thoughts before going on, mental foundation. An introspective turn of the mind, but not in the sense of the Hermit. A break in the "affairs of the day" so that you may soon return refreshed and ready to "do battle" again. Here is the completion of mental projects - graduations/certifications. A laying of mental foundations. Introspection. Strong sense of identity, self-worth. Planning, fundamental understanding - rationality, practicality, facts, objectivity, order - a need for cleanliness, discipline, obedience, law, control, self-confidence and patience.

Questions to Answer: From what do you need to rest or retreat? Where do you need to focus your energies in order to recuperate your strength? What can you do to gain a better perspective and be fair and just in this situation? What kind of professional assistance would help most?