9 of Spades
How can one describe what true despair is or what it feels like? It is one of those emotions that locks us into silence and takes away our power of movement. That sense of despair can be greatly heightened if we can see what we want to achieve or where want to be; only to have it tantalisingly out of reach.
There is more space than there is sword behind this lone figure, yet the gaps are not large enough for them to squeeze through. How cruel fate has been to them. There will no doubt have been many times each of us have felt we could not get through, so we hang our heads and give up the fight. It is at those times we need even greater clarity of thought to understand if we cannot get through, we must find another way round. Looking at the web of swords I cannot help but wonder, the figure only needs to remove one (possibly the most prominent one) and the whole web would come tumbling down. Therefore, what appears to be a formidable barrier is actually weaker than it appears. It is for us to realise that weakness and remove it.
What do you make of the woman above the figure? She is actually looking at us horizontally. Is she confirming my thoughts? That we need to look at perceived problems or barriers from a different angle?