posted December 16, 2011 05:10 PM            

Well it depends.. in and of itself, it is quiet repose. Taking some time off when the world gets you down. "Stop the world! I wanna get off!" Can be recuperation from an illness. It all depends on the cards around it.

It can also be a situation that is a long time coming.. where you are waiting to hear about something, and the news never comes. Long, drawn out... waiting and waiting... "The check is in the mail" sort of a thing!

It can represent a more permanent "rest" depending on what cards it is near, as it has the look of a sarcophagus in a mausoleum. Again depending on what it is near, might be the death of someone in the military...

Like all the 4s it invokes an element of TIME.. waiting for things to mature or come to fruition.

Reversed.. it could show motion in the matter that has been delayed. Activity after rest. Getting out of the bed and back into the world.

Hope that helps a bit...

In the Light...

A

posted December 17, 2011 04:01 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Still_Hopeful:
Aselzion, thank you
What will be your take 4 of sword (upright) with Empress (upright)?
My take is to regroup/rest/gather inner strength and everything will come to fruition with some nourishment

However I can be wrong

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I would probably say the same about 4 of Swords and The Empress. You need the 4 of swords( rest) in order for your ideas to come to be ( the empress) or to get started on something..

posted December 17, 2011 04:21 PM            

Well, as always, I say it depends. What was the context of the reading? Was it a specific question or a general reading?

Some Possibilities (again w/out being in any contextual setting):

Delay of a pregnancy.. or someone has been trying to get pregnant but has been unsuccessful to date.

Someone has had a baby, and is feeling a bit overwhelmed.. like they need a little rest? Postpartum depression?

Business plans have been delayed... there may be documents needed to get things in order, but they have not been signed?

I also agree with all the comments that the others have made.

Taking one or 2 cards out of a context will show possibilities. It is the whole layout that will give those possibilities form and content.

The Empress by herself can talk about the creative, fertile imagination. But does what is imagined actually manifest? That depends on the other cards in the spread, particularly those closest to her. In this case the 4 of Swords can show that this creative thought may take some TIME to manifest. Possibly it will NOT manifest as the 4 shows more contemplation. It can show an idea that never goes anywhere... depends on which came first in the reading!

4 of Swords can show rest after a conflict.. or as easily the contemplation required to gird oneself for battle. What is it near?

In this case the Empress... that suggests that those things being contemplated, that have currently been delayed, or possibly weighing on the mind (as in the sword of Damocles) will come to fruition.

So again.. it depends on the context. Did one card represent the past and the other the future?

That is the beauty of the Tarot.. it speaks of limitless possibilities. The Art of the Reader is to assess the situation, and present those possibilities that are most likely within the context of the entire spread.

If those 2 cards were the entire spread, then what was the question? That will always be your primary guide.

Like all readings, Tarot readings do not happen in a vaccuum... it is not a monologue to show the prescience of the Reader, but a dialogue to help clarify situations for the Querent.

Does that make any sense?

Blessings...

A