Five of Swords & Aquarius Season (Jan. 2025)

Tarot for the Divine, by Yoshi Yoshitani

"We must love the truth, not because it favors us, but because it is the truth." ~Mac Wellman 

Greetings Friends, 

I think of this quote often, especially during what feel like "unfavorable" times. The sentiment seems Aquarian to me in it's equanimity and invitation to see the big picture. It's also good advice in the face of Five of Swords, the card associated with the beginning of Aquarius Season.

In readings, the Five of Swords is a sign of a bitter defeat. It marks a pain point for the swords suit, the suit of the mind, leaving us questioning everything. In Yoshi Yoshitani's mythological deck Tarot for the Divine, the victor is depicted as the ancient Egyptian God of chaos Set. In the foreground we see the grieving Goddess Isis whose partner Osiris was killed at Set's hand. Later in the myth, Isis transforms into a falcon to collect the dismembered body of her love and restore the natural order. But in this scene, the loss is fresh.

There's often an element of deceit with this card, a trick that was played on us or we played on ourselves. But Five of Swords compels us not to fall victim to stories of inferiority or blame. The real wisdom of this card is to acknowledge where things went wrong, and how, like Isis, we can piece ourselves back together again.

Aquarians are the problem solvers of the zodiac, able to make connections that others can't see.  They are also the humanitarians. This is no coincidence. At its best, Aquarian energy opens us to our true interconnected nature and shows us how to care for each other, and the Earth, on a massive scale. At it's worst, it dehumanizes us for industrial gain. Knowing this at the onset of the season helps us connect to the deeper truth of our being, the fact that we belong to each other and that if one of us is hoarding resources, swords or otherwise, we all lose. It's this truth that is worth loving and remembering, and it's this truth that will set us free. 

With love and equanimity,

Lisa