The figure on the card is bound and blindfolded, but it seems that she can move, since her legs are free. Her captivity in this situation is surely, at least in part, her own decision. It seems that she does not move because she is afraid she will cut herself on the swords. This is a stalemate: if she does not move she is stuck in place, and if she moves she will cut herself; in this no-win situation she is delaying her decision. This is a typical example of the element of air going out of control and forcing the mind to run in circles, like a dog chasing its tail. She will have to find a way to use the swords to her advantage and free herself from the bonds of doubt and fear. The lesson of this card is that no matter how hard and hopeless a situation seems, there is always a way out if we look around us. We must remain calm and act, because hesitation, anger or panic will only make a situation worse.
On the card
A woman in a long red robe stands on wet, muddy ground, her eyes covered with a blindfold and her upper body bound with cloth. Around her, eight swords are planted upright in the earth, forming a loose barrier on either side. Shallow puddles of water lie at her feet. In the distance, on a high rocky cliff, stands a castle.
At first sight she looks like a prisoner, but a closer look tells another story. Her feet are not tied, and the swords do not completely surround her: there is open space in front of her, and she could step away if she dared. The blindfold is what truly holds her, for she cannot see how loose her prison really is. The swords, symbols of thought, here become the anxious ideas and fears that seem to hem her in on every side. The castle on the hill may be the place she came from, or the authority that seems to have put her there, but it is far away and no one is guarding her. The card shows how much of our captivity is made in the mind, and how the first step to freedom is to see clearly.
Upright
Powerless, trapped, depression due to restrictions, a past that comes back to haunt you, censure, crisis.
Reversed
Powerless, trapped, depression due to restrictions, a past that comes back to haunt you, censure, crisis.