The Archetype and The Tarot: The Father and Knight of Swords
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The Father Archetype
I have to admit that I was reluctant to write about this archetype. There is so much about the way we might see The Father archetype that hearkens to patriarchal ways, which has caused a lot of harm to a lot of people. Last month, I drew The King archetype card and, feeling much the way I do about Father, I created a new archetype called The Monarch that didn’t differentiate between King and Queen. I thought about doing something similar here: combining Mother and Father into an archetype called The Parent.
But that didn’t feel right either.
Even if I strip away all the gender roles and dominance mentality, I still feel a difference in the energy between The Father and The Mother. Enough of a difference that I want them (at least for now) to be distinct patterns. That being said, I do think The Father and The Mother work best together and are sort of two parts of a whole. To be clear, this isn’t about gender at all. It doesn’t matter what sex or gender we are, each of us has both the pattern of The Father and The Mother (as well as The Child) within us.
Here’s the way I see it: The Father, The Mother, and The Child are like a peach. Together, The Father and Mother create The Child, which is the seed (or stone or pit) in the center. The Mother is the meat and juice that then nourishes it; and The Father is the outer skin that holds and contains the whole.
In the light, The Father is the provider of the raw materials that The Mother will use to nourish The Child. The Father harnesses the sunlight and rain. In their wisdom, they decide how much of each is needed. They also shield and protect the family from external harms, while teaching about the ways of the outer world.
In the shadow, The Father might abuse this position of power. Rather than being a loving container, they become a prison of domination and control. On the flip side, they could become withholding, refusing to give what the family needs. An extreme of this is the absent father, which is a pattern that has touched many lives in modern times.
I think this week we are being asked to look at the ways we contain our own inner family—how we function as our own peach skin. And then look to how we do this for one another.
Finally, can we let ourselves be the seed, knowing that we are contained by a loving force whose sole purpose is to hold us?
Some questions to consider this week:
To whom or what can I turn to feel contained and held?
Do I understand the difference between loving containment and domination?
What peach skin role models do I have in my life?
What skills can I develop to become a better father for myself and others in my life?
Knight of Swords
In my post about the tarot court cards, I discussed how the knights, for me, are all about going on a quest to develop the gift of their suit. The way I see the suit of swords is that they are the tool for relating with mental energy— with thoughts (and communication of thoughts), truth, vision, awareness, and wisdom.
The Knight of Swords is one of the most active cards in the deck. This one is charging full steam ahead with their sword already drawn. They are rushing forth on their mission, fueled by intense conviction.
And what is this mission they are so set on? I believe it’s the quest for truth.
I think this week is about having the conviction to examine our own thoughts about something in a relentless pursuit to answer the question: is this really true or is it just my perception?
How does this pair work together?
I see the Father as the armor on the Knight of Swords. As he covers the Knight, he whispers anytime the Knight might be feeling, or acting, self-righteous on his quest for truth. And the Father, as armor, also protects the Knight from the confusion or damage of external truths. They help the Knight stay focused on the quest.
The Father surrounds the Knight with loving clarity.
This week we’re being given the message that we can trust that we are held in safety as we take steps to get to the root of what is true for us. It’s okay for us to begin this quest. The Universe has our back and will provide what we need. As always, please practice kindness with yourself. Baby steps into truth can be just as powerful as giant leaps. I, for one, will be taking the baby step approach. Let me know how you do with your mission of truth this week!
any particular weigh in from your personal view when the extreme side of the... i guess you could say shadow side of the Father, when he turns not just absent, (that too) but devolves into a child, but with more of a parasitic nature, and then the mother winds up in a weird role reversal where the she is having to provide both emotional and material needs and the man is just continuing down a hell bent path of destruction? Because i see A LOT of that too, and I'm sure women are guilty of it as well, but it's concerning to me, to watch so many of our containers melting into... defeated nothingness?
Jenna,
I'm late this week. I'm late because of a flood that has thrown me for reasons I have no clear reason, but this week's Archetype pull especially spoke to me--the Father energy wrapping a skin of protective care: a friend calling and insisting that I move to higher ground when I was not registering danger; this same friend giving me a helping hand when I had been in the cold, pouring rain for hours; this friend saying, "You do not need to tough this out." I had not known I was.
I do not look back on the flooding now as something that posed a threat to my life had I stayed. I look upon the week with the recognition of having been so cared for by someone watching over me because of the very fact of love.
Your image of the peach skin wrapped around the flesh and the seed is one that I will never forget. This was the energy of my friend. And because of your reflections and the timing, l can see this energy as Father energy, and it's rather profound. Thank you.
With love,
Renée