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Above all things know thyself.
The Rider-Waite-Smith - Three of Swords (RWS)
Animal Totem Tarot- 3 of Swords.
Again, the Rider–Waite–Smith Three of Swords presents a more outwardly simple image than that found in Western Hermetic Qabalistic Tarot, as Waite deliberately chose not to reveal deeper lodge teachings. The card shows a cloudy, weeping sky — representing Air, the element of this card — behind a Heart (the Psyche or Soul) pierced by three swords. This symbolism suggests sorrow experienced in the three states of mind: psyche, unconscious, and conscious awareness.
The number three also reflects the ternary goddess — Maid, Mother, and Crone. In the Three of Swords, we encounter the aspect of the Crone.
The maid begins, the mother conceives, the crone ends.
In earlier discussions of the Qabalistic Binah — the Great Mother and Womb of Consciousness — we recall that Binah is the Third Sephirah, the Intelligence behind all threes, and is called Understanding. She is also known as the Sanctifying Intelligence and the Parent of Faith. No religion or spiritual order could form a “church” without this underlying structure of sanctifying intelligence. Just as Mary is identified with the Church in Catholic doctrine, Binah represents the Parent of Faith — not faith itself, but its intelligent generative source within the Universal Collective Unconscious, the foundation of organization, structure, and sanctity
In Tarot, the Three of Swords corresponds to Saturn in Libra.
The teaching here is simple: grief must be experienced, but one must continue forward. The wound of loss heals most effectively through movement, not stagnation. The card signals that a new direction in one’s life journey can now be built.
In astrology, when Saturn is in the house of Libra, it influences the individual's approach to relationships, partnerships, and the pursuit of balance and harmony in their life. Here are some characteristics associated with Saturn in the house of Libra:
Serious Approach to Relationships: Saturn brings a sense of responsibility and seriousness to the realm of partnerships. Individuals with this placement tend to take their commitments seriously and may feel a powerful sense of duty within their relationships.
Focus on Fairness and Justice: Libra is associated with fairness and justice, and Saturn's influence emphasizes these qualities. People with Saturn in Libra may have a strong desire for fairness in their relationships and may be drawn to social justice causes.
Challenges in Balancing Relationships: Saturn's energy can sometimes create challenges in finding a balance within relationships. There may be a need to work on maintaining equilibrium and avoiding extremes in the give-and-take dynamic.
Structured Social Interactions: Individuals with this placement may approach social interactions with a sense of structure and order. They might be cautious about forming new connections and may prefer quality over quantity in their relationships.
Commitment to Self-Development: Saturn encourages personal growth and self-discipline. In the house of Libra, this commitment to self-development may extend to improving social skills, communication, and understanding the dynamics of relationships.
Long-Lasting Partnerships: Saturn's influence can contribute to the formation of enduring and stable partnerships. These individuals may be willing to invest time and effort into building a solid foundation for their relationships.
It's important to note that the overall astrological profile, including the positions of other planets and aspects, also plays a significant role in shaping an individual's personality and experiences.
We must remember that we are Life itself, not seekers of it. We are the breath of the body, and the body’s journey is to build a Hero or Heroine personality capable of meeting all challenges and standing firm in the face of tragedy. If this process were easy, no transformation would be required. Often what appears as “tough love” is the force that lifts us from the mud of sorrow and compels us to move forward.
When overwhelmed, one may declare:
“Get over yourself and get on with you, for impeccability is what we do.”
And invoke the Great Creatrix:
“Burn away from me all that I think I am and leave only what You know I AM.”
Thus, sorrow becomes the parent of faith.
Yet this sorrow, though deeply personal, is also known as the Universal Melancholy — the profound realization that all beauty created must eventually be transformed or destroyed. As self-awareness evolves, it must dissolve what it once was and rebuild what it now becomes. The Great Mother creates, sustains, and ultimately dissolves her manifestations. This necessary destruction produces a sorrow greater even than personal loss, for the Creatrix herself becomes the agent of transformation.
Dr. Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.), called the Three of Swords the Sanctifying Intelligence. This idea is echoed in the words of the Sufi poet Rumi, who taught that sorrow clears the heart so that greater joy may arise. Sorrow purifies, uproots what is decayed, and makes space for renewal.
The sanctifying intelligence is therefore the Crone — traditionally symbolized by the Owl and the season of Winter. She represents wisdom through dissolution, the death of the false self we believe ourselves to be. The Crone grieves, for she must destroy what she lovingly brought into being. Through her action, illusion is removed and truth remains.
Many assume that freedom of choice is identical with happiness, yet freedom requires limitation. Form requires measurement; life requires duration. As Spirit we simply are — infinite willed energy beyond direction, boundary, or time. But as embodied souls expressing self-awareness through matter, we become transmitter (Spirit — “I”), transmitted (Mind — “Am”), and receiver (Body — “Me”). This triune process grants us identity and the capacity for choice.
Transformation therefore requires deconstruction of what was measured and reconstruction of what now emerges. Loss is simply the process of releasing what was so that what is may unfold. We are in charge of our own transformation: Hence, we are always becoming.
The Trinity Goddess brings each being into manifestation through understanding. Yet human conditioning often replaces true identity with imposed definitions and false self-images. Within the celestial soul remains the sorrow of sustaining and eventually relinquishing physical form. To love the body and yet know its impermanence is itself a profound sorrow. Thus, all creation contains both love and sorrow; sorrow is the shadow of love. One cannot exist without the other.
Freedom of choice contains the potential for both joy and suffering. Our biological “wetware” enables the development of the personality — the operational “Me,” which serves as the living expression of I AM. Through experience we act, err, learn, and correct ourselves. Much wisdom arises from mistakes, and the remainder from understanding and transforming them. Freedom is therefore responsibility — the duty to grow through both success and failure.
Spirit itself is willed energy, expressing through all forms without judgment. Experience becomes knowledge through manifestation. Spirit’s self-measurement begins as I AM — pure existence — but what that existence becomes is undecided. Identity emerges only through the combined operation of Wisdom (Chokmah) and Understanding (Binah). No external authority can define the Self.
Chesed, the fourth Sephirah of Mercy, designs the structure of form, while Geburah, the fifth Sephirah of Severity, introduces time and limitation. These boundaries generate the challenges necessary for growth. To know creation intimately, the soul must assume form, and whatever begins must also end.
Therefore, it is natural to shed cleansing tears over tragedy. Yet sorrow must not prevent new action. Progression is the destiny of consciousness, and loss is not punishment but transformation. When others choose a different path, release them.
Above all things, know yourself.
The Triple Goddess Tarot — Three of Swords retains the traditional image of a large red heart pierced by three swords against a blue sky. However, this version adds a powerful symbolic setting. The heart hovers above a lush garden where a young golden-haired woman kneels in the grass, her hands covering her bowed head as she weeps in sorrow. Nearby are three aligned pools of water, suggesting the triune cycle of Maid, Mother, and Crone.
This imagery emphasizes the transformative nature of grief. The card teaches that adversity can be overcome and that sadness itself becomes a tool of spiritual transformation, echoing the wisdom of Jalaluddin Rumi, who described sorrow as the force that prepares the heart for renewal.
The scene portrays heartache, rejection, wounded pride, and the pain of unmet expectations, yet it also reveals sorrow as a necessary process of growth, purification, and inner change.
Comparative Synthesis (Rider–Waite–Smith vs Triple Goddess):
The Rider–Waite–Smith Three of Swords reveals the universal principle of sanctifying sorrow through symbolic abstraction, while the Triple Goddess Three of Swords portrays its lived human experience—grief as the emotional process through which transformation and renewal unfold.
When the Three of Swords is Thrown in Divination
Upright, it implies:
Removal or separation
Absence or emotional distance
Delay in desired outcomes
Division or rupture in relationships or situations
Dispersion of energy or focus
Heartbreak and sorrow leading to realization
Reversed or Ill-Dignified, it implies:
Mental alienation or emotional detachment
Error in judgment
Loss or regret
Distraction and lack of focus
Disorder and confusion of thought
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