A beautifully dressed woman sits in repose enjoying the play of her two feline companions, behind her hang four swords in a symmetrical pattern suggesting stability and strength. This playful card wonderfully depicts the positive aspects of the 4 of Swords: rest after challenges and perhaps some mental or physical trauma, self-care, being at peace in the present moment.
Many who've worked with tarot are likely used to the somewhat more macabre seeming Rider-Waite-Smith (R-W-S) depiction of a knight upon or in his tomb. This young man is not dead, merely resting. There is a lovely Medieval history lesson on this at Aeclectic Tarot here.
This is truly a healing card. It tells us to take a step back, take a day off, take some time to rest, meditate in peace & quiet, maybe relax in some play with our beloved companions before we move on to that next challenge or decision. In that vein our accompanying tea for the day is our Sweet Spearmint blend.
You may be wondering...why not Peaceful Tea or Quiet Child? And those would be excellent choices, but Sweet Spearmint has a wonderful combination of both soothing, yet uplifting herbs like Borage, Lemon Balm and, of course, Spearmint. Astrologically, the 4 of Swords is Jupiter in Libra; and Borage, Lemon Balm and Licorice are all Jovian (Herbs of Jupiter). Uplifting, expansive of consciousness & spirit but also nourishing and revitalizing.
Today's card was from the Tarot of the Cat People whose blend of sci-fi and fantasy we enjoy very much! It does retain the general structure of the R-W-S system while creating a world all it's own!