The Symbolic Power of the Sword

A few days ago, I drew a card from my beloved Wild Unknown Archetype Deck.

The Sword.

My eyes immediately started to tear up, as I was brought back to a moment last summer.

My husband and I were on the brink of a major life decision.

He was certain we needed to move in one direction and I had some doubts. Deep down, I knew he was right, but trusting in that choice meant leaning into deep, deep fear.

Making this choice meant moving deeper into uncertainty during an already stressful and unknown time in our lives, and I wasn’t sure how much more uncertainty and change I could take.

I asked if we could draw cards together. I wanted some divine clarity. He said yes.

He drew The Sword.

We both got chills.

For a man who doesn’t entirely share the same spiritual practices and beliefs and who would never draw cards on his own, even he had to admit the power of that wink from the Universe.

Kim Krans, the author of this particular deck, describes this card as signifying the need to make a swift and clear decision.

The Sword is a symbol of power. It’s creator and destroyer all in one. When we destroy one thing we naturally create another.

When I drew this card a few days ago, I could feel the power. The message rang true and I could hear the divine guidance loud and clear.

There’s a choice I know I need to make in my life, another big decision that requires me to cut some major ties. I knew The Sword was the Universe’s way of acknowledging that’s it time.

But this time, instead of just picturing the image of The Sword, I did something different…

I embodied it.

Instead of just looking at the picture on the card, I imagined myself actually holding The Sword.

And in an instant, my entire understanding of this symbol changed forever.

Imagining the weight in my hand, the coolness of the hilt, and the responsibility that comes with holding such a tool suddenly turned a symbol into an experience.

I thought to myself, “If I was holding an actual sword, how might it feel to make a swift, decisive, confident decision about my life, my work, my future?”

Seeing myself holding a sword in my mind’s eye filled me with a sense of power and control…not over anyone else, but over my own life experience.

Sometimes we forget the immense power that symbols hold.

We forget that they activate potentialities within us, remembrances of our own capabilities.

If you are feeling uncertain in this season of your life, if you are on the edge of a big decision, how might it feel to wield the power of The Sword?

What might it be like to trust yourself with such a tool?

How would it feel to own the responsibility of the power you hold deep within?

This is the power of The Sword.