āNine-NINE!-blades-!ā
That line always stood out to me in an odd way. Not 9 stabs or slashes or strikes, but 9 entire blades. I found it interesting, a line to simply convey how hard it was for Lea to take Arlecchino down? A line that implies Lea mayāve used the very weapons of the stalkers Arlecchino killed to take him down in an act of righteous retribution? Could be either, could be both, could be just a line, really.
But then I remembered The Nine of Swords, a card in Tarot said to be the āUltimate Nightmare Cardā, and is traditionally titled āTHE LORD OF DESPAIR AND CRUELTYā. Take a look at the classic illustration: a woman wearing white hunched over in bed, seemingly in distress. The 9 blades rest above her head. On her bed frame is an engraving of two dueling figures, one actively defeating the other. On her bed is a quilt, alternating patches of zodiac symbols and roses.
The Nine of Swords represents deep anxiety, sleeplessness, and psychological torment.
In Tarot Alchemy, it calls you to transform your darkest, self-defeating worries into mental clarity. Instead of letting fear control you, you must "transmute" your racing thoughts into rational self-awareness.Ā
A big part of the theoretical alchemy surrounding the cardās themes, is realizing the reality not just of fears, but of thoughts in general: that your thoughts are not universal truths, and accepting the challenge to logically separate fact from fiction. To stop suppressing your feelings and instead shine light on them. That by dissecting your worries in the Morning Light, their power dissolves. To accept that you cannot undertake EVERY burden, nor are you obligated to.
The cruelest things one can do under the cardās influence are all self inflicted: Isolation. Shame. Being overly critical of oneās self and past actions.
Lea suffers, from her inability to remove herself from responsibility for Carloās death, from her habit to isolate from family and friends and apprentices alike, from her tendency to take on the heavy terrible burdens that she believes no one else can, even if it kills her. And she only realizes whatās truly important as the sun rises over her. Her service is done. Sheās not alone. Love has once again proven to be more powerful than pain, fear, loneliness, despair and cruelty. The nightmare is over. Itās the end for her, and yet, itās all going to be okay. She can finally rest.
Because itās your story now.
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