Kitchen Table Tarot

King of Swords, 10 of Wands, The Wheel of Fortune

Hello friend, and welcome to my kitchen table. I have a short message for you here; use your discernment as to whether it applies to you. If everything feels familiar or seems to be describing what you’re going through, then it’s for you. Only some parts of it may resonate, and that’s okay too. If nothing sparks that recognition in you, please don’t force it to fit—but you are also welcome here always, as any of these messages may be yours or hold some guidance you might find helpful at a later date. Let’s take a look at these cards.

The vibe around you is chilly and defensive, but for good reason. The King of Swords—who I will refer to as he/him to stay consistent, but is not limited to masculine energies—is a figure who has been through enough to teach him some harsh lessons. He defends himself with the blade of what he has learned and what he knows; he is suspicious of anyone who tries to control him or challenge his hard-fought wisdom. The winged creatures that surround him are known as symbols of intelligence and wisdom (the owl and the corvid especially), and in the case of the bat and the dragonfly, rely on different sensory input to navigate the world. Bats use echolocation and the wings of dragonflies are lined with sensors that aid in navigation. Each being in this picture has their own particular gift for making their way through the world. For the King of Swords, it is tiring to constantly be second-guessed. Nobody would challenge an owl about the best way for it to find prey, but many are making assumptions and judgments about how the King manages his accomplishments, therefore calling into question the weight and value of said accomplishments. This puts the kind of burden on this king that he never asked for. The only true responsibility he has right now is for himself, but there are lots of people in his circle expecting too much, wanting him to take on more and more, especially to make up for the slack of others. In this 10 of Wands the figure has come a long way and is looking for the next opportunity to rest. Unfortunately it’s not that restful to be fighting for balance, almost in performance for others—today this figure on the Wheel of Fortune card is giving me Cirque du Soleil energy; it is commanding some control and power over the winds of change and fortune, almost showing off how well they go with the flow. This is what the King of Swords—assuming the role of the Stabby King, whose intellect and defenses would automatically dispense with challengers—would like to present to the world, but deep down in the center of it all he’s tired, crabby, regretful at not taking the easier route he was offered. If he can forgive himself for that, change and balance will come much easier, because he’ll be doing it for himself, not everyone else. If not, then the wheel could turn into more of a treadmill.

While I always urge you to find the things in life for which you can be grateful, understand that gratitude is not always the correct answer for every problem and in every moment. Being forced to find gratitude when what is actually needed is a safe place to vent all of the things held inside will only block your energy more and create more baggage to carry. If this Stabby King is you, there are options available to you. Offloading the burdens and choosing to validate yourself will make balance easier. But if you keep taking everyone’s garbage “because you have to,” and stuff it down with dull gratitude inventories, the wheel-treadmill will keep increasing speed in tiny increments. The risk is that you will fall out of balance and instead of finding rest naturally, you will be forced to do so from the intense burnout.

Thank you for being here with me today, and remember: you are important, you are loved, and you are always welcome at my kitchen table. -KTT 🌻💛