A Tiny Compass: Seven of Cups, Knight of Wands, Five of Swords

Followed by the Three of Cups reversed and The Hermit.

This week I read an old horror novel. It was one of those dark, sad fairytales which has a way of perfectly summing up the treachery that lives inside the average human heart. In this story there is a little village of working poor and a very fine, wealthy family among them. The fine family are a bit arrogant, and the great mansion they possess does nothing to ingratiate them to the townspeople. The truly unforgivable stain on their standing traces back to an ill fated dinner party in which arsenic instead of powdered sugar was sprinkled on the desert. The majority of the family perished.

The survivors gain the unlucky inheritance of the town’s resentment along with a strongbox stuffed with cash. In this little insightful novel it was the beautiful mansion, being devoured by flames as the townspeople cheered and broke windows, which got me to thinking. This leads us to this week’s A Tiny Compass.  Our reading is on the spectacle of a fire.

The Seven of Cups, the Knight of Wands and The Five of Swords are followed by the Three of Cups reversed and The Hermit card. The Seven of Cups is a card which captures one of the most dreaded, and persistent, moments of the human experience. A figure stands before seven cups. Rising from each is a destiny—some grand, some damning, some serpentine and some charming. The figure is frozen, uncertain of which to choose. It is a moment of overwhelming confusion, lost on our path and uncertain of which choice will lead us back to ourselves.

The Knight of Wands is a complicated creature. In this deck the image shows a plume of fire rising from the knight’s helmet. They are anointed with creative passion and inspiration which burns brightly. It draws others near to its radiance. But like everything that carries a spark, the potential for self-destruction lies in wait, ever flickering. The brighter the light, the hotter the fire, the more in danger of turning to ash the knight becomes. In this luminous spectacle, crowds gather. Some add fuel, some watch, some warm themselves, some are there just to be grateful they are not the ones on fire. Others still are there to feel less panic about being on fire too. But rarely is there a soul who has come to offer a cup of water.

Uncertainty and chaos consumes the Knight of Wands, who could not hold their own luminous spirit safely. The Five of Wands depicts a soldier, overtaken by their battle.  It is a card of defeat. The Three of Cups reversed speaks to what becomes of the fallen knight.

After the fire has died away, and there is no light to behold among the cinders, the crowd has gone. The three of cups shows a trio of maidens with chalices filled with wine. As I look at this card it occurs to me that they might be the fates, or the Greek goddesses who dole out human destiny. Whatever the case, where there was once merry making it has disappeared, where wine once overflowed it has gone. The fates have turned on the Knight of Wands.

And yet…

A spark remains among the embers.

And so we have another chance.

Do we rekindle the flames so we might be perish in them again, or do we scoop them into The Hermit’s lantern to lead ourselves, and others, through the deep, dark night? Just as the overworked earth is restored after its fields are lit, the knight is reborn into The Hermit. He has weathered chaos and is still within himself. He leads the way, steady and filled with faith, back to the truth he has lost.

*A note on The Hermit.

Many view The Hermit as someone who has literally, physically distanced themselves from society. They have forsaken its frivolities in search of peace. I do not share this interpretation of The Hermit. It is always the easier answer to shut ourselves away from what we view as corruption and temptation. We may need to do this for some time as we get our bearings, search for balance, and strive to be of deeper value to our world.

But the Hermit shares the light of his lantern with others. He leads the way for the lost and confused, having staggered down those paths before.  He has reached a place of inner truth and certainty in who he is to the extent that his values, his convictions and self cannot be altered by his environment. He does not judge others harshly, but that does not mean he endorses them. He knows every demon has an angel and every angel has a demon.

This issue of A Tiny Compass is dedicated to Zoë on the occasion of one year alchohol free.

Thank you for reading A Tiny Compass. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to share or credit me. You can always find me at Gemineye Tarot for private divinations, or follow me on IG and TikTok for updates on courses on occultism and other offerings.