THE FOUR OF SWORDS, LORD OF REST FROM STRIFE

   Your ally is resting upon a slab of stone with his head on a pillow and his hands arranged in prayer. He is in a deep meditative state even though three swords hang above his head and body, pointing straight down at him. Despite the conflict he has experienced in his conscious, waking life, he is able to still the mind in meditation. The state of stillness suggests death, but the stained glass window suggests the vividness--and perhaps the sacredness--of his visions. This is a state of deep mental clarity associated with the fourth sphere on the Tree of Life known as Chesed, a state that enables you to shape the future, clarify the past, envision symbols and internalize spiritual principle. But it is a state different from the normal flow of consciousness, which contains transient and often conflicting thoughts and desires. This state is a rest from the usual strife of the conscious mind--it is in reality the lucid meta-conscious awareness of the higher self, a state of knowing linked to the level of spirit transcending the normal, limited awareness of the five senses. Your ally is quiet, revealing that magnificent patterns (Jupiter) and balance (Libra) often first manifest deep in the mind in stillness.

CORRESPONDING COLOR: Deep purple.

Reversed: restlessness, inner conflict; unable to concentrate