Card 63, Communion, from the Egipcios Kier Tarot deck, depicts a couple seated on ornate chairs. Their feet are firmly planted on the floor, symbolizing stability. The wife lovingly embraces her husband, her right arm around him like the sheltering wings of Isis, with her hand resting on his shoulder. She is bare-breasted, adorned with a sheer sarong and a beautiful necklace. Her ornate wig features a dangling lotus flower emitting a pleasant fragrance. Her husband, in a shorter wig and elaborate necklace, wears a knee-length green tunic and holds a lotus fan to gently shoo away flies.
The profile style of Egyptian art might make it seem like the woman is seated behind her husband, but her arm encircling him suggests closeness and partnership. Each holds or wears a lotus, symbolizing luxury and shared prosperity. Their union suggests mutual reliance. The contrast between his green clothing and her orange clothing highlights their individuality even within connection.
Above the central image are four symbols: a sigil resembling the letter Alef or a stalk of grain, an owl hieroglyph, a pentagram with two inward-pointing arrows, and the actual Hebrew letter Alef (א), the breath that carries sound. The large symbol at the bottom of the cartouche is, according to Stuart Kaplan, an incense burner. Releasing fragrant smoke, it suggests spiritual awareness and elevated intention.
In the title field, we see the astrological symbol for Mars, the Latin letter H, and the number Nine suggesting great happiness. While Kaplan interprets the card as representing joy, pleasure, peace, love, contentment, and harmonious family life, another layer emerges when we compare Communion with the Two of Swords.
The upright Two of Swords speaks of unwillingness to acknowledge change, confusion, indecision, stalemate, defensiveness, and even lashing out when pressured. It often depicts a figure who has closed herself off emotionally in order to maintain balance. That guarded stillness can look like peace from the outside.
The Communion reflect the joy, peace, and love that can be found in relationships. This card encourages us to explore the dynamics of connection.
In Communion, the couple appears composed and united. Yet they sit upright, formal, almost posed. Their connection is present, but contained. The symmetry of the image suggests equilibrium, but perhaps also careful restraint.
The owl above them symbolizes wisdom, but also the ability to see in darkness. The Two of Swords asks whether we are truly seeing what needs to be addressed, or whether we are protecting ourselves from uncomfortable truth. The pentagram with inward-pointing arrows may suggest internal tension or energy turned inward rather than expressed.
The incense burner below suggests that what is unspoken still rises. Communication, like smoke, cannot be fully contained. The Hebrew letter Alef, the silent breath before sound, may represent what has not yet been spoken between the partners.
Reversed, the Two of Swords signals a painful but necessary choice, growing clarity, inner resolution, meditation, weighing options, releasing the past, and lowering defenses. In this light, Communion may represent the moment when two individuals decide to move beyond stalemate.
The card may reflect the work required to achieve marital harmony. True communion requires a willingness to face difficult truths together. The card reminds us that relationships can appear stable while difficult conversations remain unspoken.
Card 63, Communion, invites us to examine where we may be maintaining peace by avoiding necessary change. Communion is not merely shared comfort. It is shared truth.
