Tarot Card Series: The Three of Swords

THREE OF SWORDS

In the Middle Ages, they’d press three iron nails

into the heart of a bull & throw it on the fire.

Correspondences in magic mean

this would burn the witch.

One time, I found a poppet

in an antique store.

She wore a purple cotton dress,

woven straw hat. Her face was completely

burned off, charred stuffing spilling out.

What was unnerving was the time & care

spent making her—painstakingly:

tiny, perfect stitches, a calm hand.

Even love can’t bind love. But intention can.

I’m reading a book that smells of tattoo ink, thinking of

needles, a permanent bird flying across

a wrist.

The Three of Swords is one of my favorite cards. On this card, three swords pierce a bright red heart. In the background, a storm rages. This card represents heartache and trauma inflicted, both physically and emotionally. There’s hope in this card, though. Just like emotions, the storm is a passing thing. Though you hurt now, you will heal. This card reminds me of a quote from Rumi: The wound is the place where the light enters you.  

When writing “Three of Swords,” I was thinking a lot about how people harm other people. I was thinking about historical witchcraft, and the witch trials. I was thinking about apotropaic magic, which was common practice during the Middle Ages. Bulls’ hearts were stuck through with nails and then burned to break a bond with a witch who meant to do someone harm. I was also thinking about baneful witchcraft, like the poppet that I found one time in an antique store. It was probably the most unsettling thing I’ve ever come across. She was made of cloth, dressed in a calico dress and a straw bonnet. Her whole face had been burned off.

And, I was also thinking about tattoos, and the scars that we choose to have.

In her poem, “In Blackwater Woods,” Mary Oliver once said, “To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let go, to let it go.”

In the same way, the Three of Swords teaches us this lesson. Nothing is permanent. Everything is changing. While we may experience the pain of the change, it helps us to learn and to grow.  

You can find this poem in Bad Omens, which is available for pre-order now! Releases on 2/17/23!