The number 7 in many cultures is a sacred number (think of the 7 chakras) and is the number of divine and earthly harmony, of fate and transformation.  Swords are associated with reason, thought, logic, will, courage, verbal skill, matters pertaining to the mind and survival in the world and the element of air.  This card can sometimes refer to a hidden agenda, someone who is being sneaky or underhanded about an issue. 

Looking at the image on the Fantastic Menagerie Tarot I was struck by the image of the fox helping the hen down the ladder.  How did he convince the hen to trust him enough to climb into his arms?  Is he an amazing con artist (a la Bernie Madoff) or was the hen so desperate to break free that she would accept help from anyone, even her natural enemy.  Maybe the hen was so eager to made changes, to take control of her fate, that she willingly took that risk.  Maybe the fox was very sneaky about his intentions and kept his agenda well hidden.  Regardless of the facts, the sense I get of this card is that everyone has an ulterior motive and that things won't end well.

On the Mitologico card we see a man grabbing for his sword, preparing to defend himself against the bloody swords pointed his way.  I'm not sure who this figure represents, but in checking into the myth I read that the sons of Oedipus and Jocasta (Eteocles and Polynices) agreed to share the throne of Thebes but this didn't work well.  Eteocles refused to step down after his year term ended.  This led to a battle between the brothers, in which both were killed.  As a result of this, Jocasta's brother Creon ascended to the throne.  So this figure could represent Eteocles who is preparing to defend himself after refusing to honor his agreement to step down from the throne of Thebes after one year.  Did Eteocles always plan to do whatever was required to maintain the throne of Thebes?  Or did he intend to honor his promise only to be seduced by power once he actually ascended to the throne?  To some degree his motivations are irrelevant.  The principle concept encapsulated in this card is that he did renege on his promise and as a result had to do battle.  Perhaps Eteocles decided that he needed to take charge of his fate and do what was necessary to survive as king of Thebes.

The common theme I see in both cards is that people's hidden agendas led to a actions that made dramatic changes to the characters fates, for better or for worse.  What I find even more intriguing is that these cards are reversed which suggests that what I need to keep in mind is that things aren't being hidden right now.  Although I might prefer not to face some of the realities that are surrounding me, I don't think things are especially hidden.  On Tuesday I had a conversation with Felix about the state of the agency.  Something about the way he answered me makes me thing that I will definitely be one of the folks downsized.  He didn't say anything specific but I just got the sense.  And I can try defending myself as much as I want, but the reality is that I can't do anything to change this.  I've fought this change as long as possible and now it may be reaching a resolution, whether I like it or not.  So whether I'm the hen or the fox, I know what the agenda is and there is no hiding from it anymore.  That really feels ominous to me.