Thoughts at the Crossroads
The Nine of Swords, Discernment, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves
We are currently moving through the second decan of Gemini (10°–20° Gemini). A decan is simply a ten-degree subdivision of a zodiac sign, adding another layer of symbolism and nuance to the astrological year.
In the Golden Dawn tradition, this decan is associated with Mars in Gemini and the Nine of Swords.
That may seem like an odd combination at first.
Through the Golden Dawn lens, Gemini wants to gather information while Mars wants to act.
Together, they create a mind that is quick, sharp, questioning, and difficult to switch off.
Decans and the Tarot
Many modern Tarot readers are familiar with the astrological correspondences found in the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth traditions.
These correspondences largely come from the work of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the late nineteenth century. The Golden Dawn assigned zodiac signs, planets, and decans to the Minor Arcana, creating a symbolic framework that continues to influence Tarot practice today.
It is worth noting that astrologers use more than one system of decan rulers. The Golden Dawn followed the older Chaldean system, which assigns Mars to the second decan of Gemini. Other systems use different rulers and may arrive at different interpretations.
For Tarot, however, the important point is that the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth traditions inherited these Golden Dawn correspondences. This is why the Nine of Swords is associated with Mars in Gemini.
The Nine of Swords was given the title “Lord of Despair and Cruelty.” Rather grim, and not a card most of us like to see in a Golden Dawn-based reading. (Personally, I trimmed the titles off my Thoth deck for this very reason.)
The Tarot de Marseille, however, predates these correspondences by centuries. It does not contain the same astrological structure and approaches the cards through what is visually present.
Comparing the two traditions side by side can be surprisingly revealing.
The Rider-Waite-Smith tells a story.
The Marseille shows the architecture.
The Nine of Swords: Two Visions
Rider-Waite-Smith
The Rider-Waite-Smith Nine of Swords is one of the most recognisable images in Tarot.
A figure sits upright in bed with their head in their hands. Nine swords hang overhead like a wall of intrusive thoughts.
Most readers associate the card with anxiety, worry, sleepless nights, regret, fear, and mental suffering.
The image is powerful because most of us have been there.
Lying awake at three in the morning.
Replaying conversations.
Imagining worst-case scenarios.
Trying to solve problems that cannot be solved before sunrise.
Tarot de Marseille
In the Tarot de Marseille, there is no distressed figure.
No bedroom.
No visible suffering.
Instead, we see nine swords arranged in a symmetrical pattern around a central blade.
The image is structured, balanced, and highly ordered.
The card speaks of multiplication rather than collapse.
Thought building upon thought.
Analysis generating more analysis until we become trapped in our own attempts to find certainty.
That is when the ninth sword creates the breakthrough by forcing us to surrender to uncertainty.
According to Marianne Costa, who co-authored The Way of Tarot with Alejandro Jodorowsky:
“Illumination arrives when we are no longer sure of anything.”
When I place these two cards side by side, I see the same landscape viewed from two different angles.
The Marseille card shows the structure.
The Rider-Waite-Smith card shows the lived experience.
Between Anxiety and Discernment
The second decan of Gemini can be a wonderful time for research, learning, writing, studying, teaching, and making connections between ideas.
It is a decan of intellectual movement.
The challenge is that movement can sometimes become momentum for its own sake.
One thought leads to another.
One possibility becomes ten.
A question becomes a theory.
A theory becomes a certainty. (Oh, how the ego clings to certainty!)
Before long, we are reacting not to reality itself but to a story we have constructed around it.
The modern world offers endless opportunities for this.
News cycles.
Doom scrolling.
Spiritual fear narratives.
Relationship assumptions.
Conspiracy theories.
Even artificial intelligence.
The problem is rarely information.
The problem is what happens after information enters the mind.
Discernment is not the absence of thought.
Discernment is the ability to observe thought without immediately believing every conclusion it produces.
Perhaps that is one of the hidden gifts of the Nine of Swords.
Not fear.
Not despair.
Awareness.
The realisation that thoughts are constantly being generated and that we are not required to treat every one of them as truth.
Working with Gemini II
As we continue through this decan, I have been reflecting on a few questions:
Which stories am I treating as facts?
What evidence actually supports my conclusions?
What have I assumed rather than verified?
Is my mind helping me perceive clearly, or simply generating possibilities?
The Nine of Swords reminds us that the mind is a remarkable tool.
But it remains a tool.
When we forget that distinction, the tool begins to use us.
To avoid being used by the tool, we turn to the two angels associated with Gemini II. Hariel helps us clear away anything that obscures the truth, while Hekamiah strengthens our commitment to it.
Together, they remind us that discernment is not simply about gathering information. It is about recognising what is worthy of our trust, attention, and loyalty.
This Week on Angelorum
🌹 New Moon in Gemini: Meaning, Astrology & Tarot Spread
This article also discusses the Sabian symbol for this lunation, Gemini 25.
🌹 Ares: Greek God of War Beyond the Myths
Looking beyond the stereotypes to explore Ares as a protector, boundary-keeper, and ally in developing conscious strength.
🌹 16 Hekamiah — Angel of Loyalty
Exploring loyalty, integrity, noble conduct, and the challenge of remaining true to ourselves when trust has been tested.
🌹 15 Hariel — Angel of Purification
A look at Hariel’s gifts of cleansing, release, truth, and mental clarity, together with the symbolism of the Nine of Swords.
🌹 Ethical AI for Tarot Readers
My updated thoughts on using AI as a tool for research, structure, and creativity while keeping discernment and human wisdom at the centre.
Thank you for reading and for walking these crossroads with me.
If you enjoyed this newsletter and would like to support my work, you can book a reading or leave a donation.
Lisa | Tanit Iris LeFay 🌹
angelorum.co
I really appreciate your recommendations about using the Marseille Tarot to get out from under the built-in stories of the Ryder Waite Smith. I happen to be working with a client who is learning to read playing cards, so there's definitely some overlap in interpreting the pip cards.
I really needed this. Perfect timing.