Knowing what makes sense and doing what makes sense are two entirely different animals. Particularly venues of the heart, being able to lay the facts out clearly doesn’t guarantee an accurate assessment. Much of the time, there’s tendency to act on emotions and collect reasoning to support the decision after the fact.

Hello, Dixie. Meet rationalization.

Today’s Tarot is the King of Swords, inverted. Understanding the elements attached to the suits and court positions goes a long way toward easily interpreting the court cards. Since the court position of Kings represent Fire, Yang energy, they speak to how we act, what sparks and motivates. The King of Swords is Fire (King) in Air (Swords), so we are looking at action as it relates to thought, reason, or logic. Inverted, we’d expect difficulty acting on reason or advice not to act on reason in isolation of other concerns.

Maybe it didn’t make sense to let that kid move back home the fourth time. (Ok, maybe not “maybe.”) Perhaps selling that business—or not selling that business—was an emotional call, whether acknowledged as such or not. That anxiety you feel about asking a newly discovered pal out for coffee? Probably not based on reason. Selling the house, changing a job, beginning or ending a relationship are all things we decide based on all kinds of factors, but about the only one anybody ever wants to claim is reason. Percentagewise, I’m wondering how far down on the list reasoning really is.

Honestly, I don’t see a problem with basing decisions on considerations other than reason—the heart, intuition, or other people’s needs. I’d be lost if I had to rely on reason alone. I tend to act from my gut drive, a melding of heart and intuition. This makes sense; my Scorpio Mars runs on deep-rooted feelings and hidden subtext. The deeper the feelings, the more powerful the drive.

I do try to check in with reason, though, because sometimes some heavily guarded wishful thinking drown out the evidence. This costs me. Logic is a worthwhile companion, after all. When all the angles align, though, clear in my head and heart, I know the decision is rock solid. So my goal is to keep those ducks all in a row much as I can.

The King of Swords suggests measuring options with the yardstick of logic. Coming in inverted, he suggests we temper the cold, hard facts with some softer edges. Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it. And just because you see the logic doesn’t mean you’ll make your decision with it. That’s okay. Sometimes, a leap of faith is in order. I just think it’s helpful to be conscious, either way.

Do you act based on reason or your heart? Can you tie to to your Mars?

Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot **ISBN: 9781572814134** by Us Games Systems

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