Light And Shadow, Projection And Introjection

Nine Of Knives – Vampyre Tarot

Welcome to the Card of the week for Monday the 19th of August 2024 where the seemingly sinister Nine of Knives comes forth from the Vampyre Tarot by Ian Daniels. Such a card, which is akin to the traditional Nine of Swords card, represents a lot of life through which we experience the power of light from outside of us and the shadow that dwells within us in the forms of projection and introjection.

Looking at this card, we seem the Vampyress with a bloody knife in hand and a seemingly unreadable look in her eyes. The moth on her dress indicates she has been living in her own darkness with the moon providing the only light source she can handle as she is not able to come to know herself fully yet. As a result, she tends to put her issues onto others. So this begs the question: Is the blood on the knife that of a victim, or is it her own blood at the ready infect someone else as the lashes out?

At this time, you may well be experiencing an attack of some sort, most likely personal, from someone you associate with. Looking at what form this attack takes can reveal a lot about the attacker as it appears that what they are putting upon you is unfounded. It may well be that these are their own issues, and they are casting this projection onto you as a way of making themselves feel better. Sure, there could be an element of truth to what they are saying, but is it really YOUR truth?

Looking upon what has been said, or done towards you, whatever the case may be, do you feel that what they are saying is truly about you? Is there a grain of truth to any of this that sticks under your skin, like that of a splinter, that begins to fester? If it has come to be this way, it may well be the case that introjection has taken hold through which you are taking on the issues of someone else to the point of making them your own.

While there is no sure-fire way to overcome this matter, as you cannot control the actions of others, there are ways to minimise the effects. The main way is to look at what has been said or done (if possible) in a proactive manner and transform what has been said into a form of constructive criticism. This deactivates your immediate reactive response and reduces the risk of fallout that could occur. In a sense, you are taking your power back by rising above the projected emotions while preventing them from being completely introjected into yourself.

To bring this all together, try not to take on another person’s issues when they act out of rage or heightened emotions. In this state they will fight dirty, and the poison dagger coated with their own issues is not something you need to deal with. Stay calm, look at things logically, and deflect the projection with proactive action.

You can book a reading utilising the Vampyre Tarot Reading for further guidance on the journey here.