Cards for the Day: Ace and Knight of Swords: If You Pick Up a Sword, Fight to Win

“There is a time and a place for use of weapons.” –Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

There’s something glorious about our cards for today, and I say that even though I am a lifelong pacifist. The Ace and Knight of Swords — and, in the Samurai Tarot, the Knight is Miyamoto Musashi himself, a sword in each hand. These cards have to do with truth and justice, and they have to do with a fight. They also involve a choice (consider the two sides of the sword, not to mention the two swords that Musashi has in his hands). But this time, both possible choices are fights. It’s merely a question of how the fight will proceed, because from the moment of that Ace of Swords — that moment when we basically “saw red” — that there will be a fight is a thing without question. Someone crossed a line, somewhere.

Put another way, that Ace of Swords was the “moment of truth.” From that moment on, we jumped into this fight with everything we had.

But, you can’t go into a fight red with anger. The first step is a calm spirit. Do you see the progression from red in the Ace of Swords to blue for the Knight of Swords? Blue is a sign, as well, of what this fight is about. It’s a fight for truth, and for speaking the truth.

“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased…do not let the enemy see your spirit.” –Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

How do we approach this fight? We are in it to win, just like Musashi. In it with a strong, focused spirit, with all our available weaponry. Unyielding. Period. Failure is not an option.

If you are on the other side of this energy today, I’d recommend you wave a white flag of truce.

“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means.” –Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings