After the challenge
of the Five of Scepters, today we have the Five of Knives from the Tarot of
Vampyres. We see a young woman sleeping, while a dark winged vampire is crouching
beside her. As with a lot of other versions of the five of Swords, the first question
we have to ask ourselves is: who do we
identify with? The girl, dominated by irrational fears or the vampire who
manipulates and controls his victim by feeding these fears? As you might have suspected, I feel more related
to the young woman. She is sleeping, unaware of the malicious influence of the
vampire, the symbol of our most primal fears of loss, abandonment, unworthiness
etc. But all is not lost, She only has to wake up from her dreaming state and
use her mind, the knife in the foreground, to cut through the deceit of the vampire and see
life for what it really is. Too often nothing is as bad and scary as we fear it
might be. Again when are able to wake up and face the vampire, then we can set
free so much energy to put to use for our own personal development and transformation.
Then we can climb the stairs in the background to a deeper understanding of who
we really are.Thursday, August 6, 2015
Five of Knives – There’s a shadow hanging over me...
After the challenge
of the Five of Scepters, today we have the Five of Knives from the Tarot of
Vampyres. We see a young woman sleeping, while a dark winged vampire is crouching
beside her. As with a lot of other versions of the five of Swords, the first question
we have to ask ourselves is: who do we
identify with? The girl, dominated by irrational fears or the vampire who
manipulates and controls his victim by feeding these fears? As you might have suspected, I feel more related
to the young woman. She is sleeping, unaware of the malicious influence of the
vampire, the symbol of our most primal fears of loss, abandonment, unworthiness
etc. But all is not lost, She only has to wake up from her dreaming state and
use her mind, the knife in the foreground, to cut through the deceit of the vampire and see
life for what it really is. Too often nothing is as bad and scary as we fear it
might be. Again when are able to wake up and face the vampire, then we can set
free so much energy to put to use for our own personal development and transformation.
Then we can climb the stairs in the background to a deeper understanding of who
we really are.
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Amazing artwork. I get the feeling this is a trusting young woman (overly so) who has no idea she's being taken advantage of until its too late. Makes me want to poke her and say "Wake up!"
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me a bit of Sleeping Beauty without the prince. But on the other hand in this case the prince is probable her Knife, her access card to the castle.
DeleteThis image is even more gorgeous than the previous one! And that seems to be all my brain can focus on this morning...*laughs*...I usually relate to the girl as well. To often I am the defeated one that people can take advantage of...It is as if I am allowing them to walk all over me. The last time the 5 of swords came up for me, I took it as a message to quit playing the victim. Time to stand up and do something about it.
ReplyDeleteRight you are! that is what this knife in the foreground is all about: making the decision to stand up for ourselves.
DeleteStrange when I first saw this card before I knew it was a vampire impressed me as somehow comforting or watching over this child. It was perhaps the wings I thought it maybe an angel.. Perhaps the vampire is not all bad, though I have never been a vampire fan!.
ReplyDeleteThat was my initial thought too! But then I remembered it was the Five of Knives, which is always a troubling card and not so much about protection.
DeleteAnother really interesting card! It is so true that our fears often become the "monsters" that hold us back. We can end up talking ourselves right into a hole in the ground and limiting our own capacity for freedom and happiness. Great reflection!
ReplyDeleteThanks Olivia! Sometimes this hole in the ground can seem to be a safe place, a familiar place and we can be tempted to stay there and keep on dreaming instead of waking up and meeting the real world...
DeleteVery true, and very relevant to me! I have recently decided to crawl out of a proverbial hole in the ground as a personal challenge to myself, and felt very empowered as a result :)
DeleteThat is a wonderful example of a woman's power!
DeleteVery dramatic card! I was reading a novel recently in which the main character commented on how everything seems so much worse or so much more worrisome when we wake up in the early morning hours, say, 3:00 or so, and start thinking about things. I have found this to be true for myself. For some reason, the "monsters" are strongest during those hours.
ReplyDelete--
Blessings,
Zanna Starr
Website: Zanna Starr: Astrology and Tarot
Yes, like vampires those "worry monsters" are really incinerating with the first rays of sunlight. :)
DeleteIt's interesting, like Catherine, when I saw the image I thought the vampyre figure looked quite gentle. Perhaps I associate to that, a figure who feels they are outside of the beautiful life the sleeping girl has, able to rest in such a self-assured way. The vampyre cannot enjoy the beauty of life, cannot rest peacefully. The sleeping girl has the power of life flowing through her veins, another thing the vampyre lacks. Seeing her, the vampyre is filled with a sad longing for what was, or perhaps what never could be... :D
ReplyDeleteI can certainly relate to this interpretation too. Thanks Chloe!
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