Western Tarot symbolism
Seven of Swords
The described man rapidly carries away five swords near a camp while two remain in the ground. The text explicitly calls the design uncertain because its meanings vary widely, including hope and a plan that may fail. The supplementary list gives a favourable country-life outcome alongside a period complexion label. Its reversed good advice probably neglected qualifies the main reversed list of counsel and instruction.
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In the sources
The card account
LiteraryThe described man rapidly carries away five swords near a camp while two remain in the ground. The text explicitly calls the design uncertain because its meanings vary widely, including hope and a plan that may fail.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryThe supplementary list gives a favourable country-life outcome alongside a period complexion label. Its reversed good advice probably neglected qualifies the main reversed list of counsel and instruction.
Context & interpretation
The active library scan carries L. W. de Laurence’s name and reproduces material associated with A. E. Waite’s Tarot exposition. This entry follows that supplied edition’s card prose and supplementary lists. Historical divinatory assignments and period character labels are distinguished from the pictured symbolism and from independently supported judgements about people or future events.
Original passages
Source 1
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
The design is uncertain in its import, because the significations are widely at variance with each other. Reversed: Good advice, counsel, instruction, slander, babbling.Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; card description, active reader leaf 127
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0127
- Original scan leaf
- 133
- Recorded leaf number
- 133
- Current Reader position
- 127
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
Seven.—Dark girl ; a good card ; it promises a country life after a competence has been secured. Reversed: Good advice, probably neglected. Six.—The voyage willOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; additional meanings, active reader leaf 151
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0151
- Original scan leaf
- 157
- Recorded leaf number
- 157
- Current Reader position
- 151
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Ace of Cups
A cloud-borne cup, water and a descending sacramental emblem give this Ace several symbolic layers.
Shared source pageEight of Cups
A departing figure gives the Eight an image of leaving an earlier concern behind.
Shared source pageEight of Swords
A bound figure surrounded by swords is expressly described as temporarily confined.
Shared source pageFive of Cups
Three fallen cups and two remaining upright make loss and remainder part of one composition.