Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day - 5 of Observation

The Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day is:

FIVE OF OBSERVATION

(5 of Swords)

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.”

The Holmesian Wisdom for the Five of Observation is: “…the motives of women are so inscrutable” from The Second Stain. The card shows a “distressed lady” (the débutante Lady Eva Blackwell) pleading with Holmes to retrieve her indiscreet letters, a scene from the story The Adventures of Charles Augustus Milverton. Milverton, "the king of blackmailers," demands £7,000 (over £800,000 in 2015) for the letters, which would cause a scandal that would end Lady Eva's marriage engagement.

The Five of Swords has much to do with deceit, slander, and unethical activities, making this an excellent choice for the Sherlock Holmes Tarot card.

Keys for this card, upright, are: “slander, defeat, cowardice, unethical behaviour, divisive means, thwarted plans, malicious intent, being burgled.” Reversed meanings: “misfortune, loss, mourning, pain, vengeance.”

The book that accompanies this deck also provides interpretations for each card under the headings “The Game” and “The Fog.” The former elaborates on the upright keys, while the latter expands on reversed meanings. Examples from “The Game” for the Five of Observation: “theft of your identity… humiliation from treachery or cowardice… sloppy or malicious thinking may cause things to go awry.” Examples from “The Fog”: “re-establishing your hard-won reputation…being alert to the signs of treachery…an advocate or witness who supports you… getting to the bottom of a web of envy or malice.”