Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day - 9 of Observation

The Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day is:

NINE OF OBSERVATION

In The Sherlock Holmes Tarot by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan (Sterling Ethos), the suit of Observation (represented by an eye) is comparable to the suit of Swords. The quotation chosen to represent the entire suit of Observation is from The Red-Headed League: “This is a time for observation, not for talk.”

On the Nine of Observation, we see the body of the great Sherlock Holmes lying on the cobbles after being beaten almost to death by two “toughs” sent by the infamous Baron Gruner, a serial bigamist and murderer featured in The Illustrious Client. Watson is horrified to read in the newspaper that the detective is near death, but upon arriving at 221 Baker Street, he finds that Holmes has deliberately exaggerated his condition.

The Holmesian Wisdom for this card is “Now is the dramatic moment of fate” from The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Keys for this card, upright, are “suffering, cruelty, despair, depression, grave doubts, guilt, premonitions that weaken your resolve, inability to take responsibility for your own path.” Reversed, the card can suggest “gossip, shame, disgrace, ill-favoured rumour, struggle.”