The suit of Swords is associated with problems. Perhaps there is some kind of action that can be taken to resolve these problems?
- Ace of Swords
- Think of the Ace of Swords like a music player. When this card is upright the sound is amplified, and when this card is reversed the sound is barely audible. Think of it this way: upright the Ace of Swords gives every card in the reading extra significance; the other cards are very loud, perhaps even distractingly so for the client. When reversed, the influence of this card is barley felt by the client.
- The Ace of Swords in general, indicates a sense of power or strength. In events it can indicate right timing, and in matters of health it can indicate surgery; ‘going under the knife’.
- Two of Swords
- Tension! I once read an excellent description of this card which indicated the kind of tension that is usually felt after an argument. Things have seemingly moved forward but still a tension remains. This card also indicates a dilemma, settlement or agreement.
- Three of Swords
- Stress, sadness, separation and loss.
- Four of Swords
- Taking time off work and recharging the batteries (usually associated with illness). However, this card can apply to other situations such as the client taking time off work as a result of enduring months of bullying.
- Five of Swords
- Defeat; or an empty victory. I usually see this card in relationship readings. It normally indicates one of two things: the person has been betrayed and this card indicates both the betrayal and feelings of anger or, this person ‘wins’ the affections of the desired person but ends up asking themselves, “was it worth it”?
- Six of Swords
- Going on a trip, literally. Also indicates that things are going to get better, usually because there is a movement away from a difficult or emotionally challenging situation; can also indicate solving problems.
- Seven of Swords
- Theft, deception and lies. In relationships this card indicates evasive behaviour.
- Eight of Swords
- Limited options within the client’s life. Also indicates communication difficulties and misunderstandings. As with most Sword cards there is a feeling of helplessness.
- Nine of Swords
- I have found this card to indicate a renewed connection to divinity. Also, there is usually a strong sense of the client worrying about other people when this card appears, along with sleepless nights, stress and despair.
- Ten of Swords
- The key concept behind this card is endings. If it’s a relationship reading then a relationship is ending. In fact, for any area of life this card indicates an end, usually an undesired ending of what they want most.
- Court Cards
- Page of Swords
- Not a likeable person under most circumstances. When we view this card as being something other than an individual person, gossip being spread about the client, feelings of being unfairly criticised, and finally, communication which is usually upsetting.
- Knight of Swords
- This card often indicates swift changes happening within the client’s life; new people, new opportunities. It can also indicate a person that is assertive and a good problem solver. Occasionally (very occasionally) this character provides excellent professional advice to the client.
- Queen of Swords
- A strong willed woman who is independent and very intelligent. Traditionally this card has been seen to indicate a widow.
- King of Swords
- A cold yet rational person that would probably have a position of authority or responsibility.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Nine of Swords I have found this card to indicate a renewed connection to divinity.
What an interesting concept! I would love to see you expand on this perhaps in a separate post?
Thank you for giving me some suggestions. I had not planned on writing posts on the individual cards but it’s certainly something I shall consider. I might just pick random cards, such as the 9 of Swords and write a more in depth account of them.
Admittedly, I have not gone into a whole lot of detail with these definitions. However, my reasons for this are to assist people in learning the Tarot. I feel it might unnecessarily complicate matters to have vast descriptions of the cards.
When I think about this further though, I’m only doing this in relation to people learning how to read Tarot cards for other people. It might be good fun to write some posts that get ‘into’ the cards on a deeper, more philosophical, occult and mythical level. Thanks again for your suggestions.
In relation to tarot card definitions, when you consider how much depth of description is available across many formats, it would indeed be fun, and more interesting to see explorations of the cards that are more philosophical and mythical – a different slant or angle that we haven’t considered or learned about before.
I hope you do this on Tarot Eon – it would be something I would like to see, and would love to contribute to.
Watch this space!
Hi… I just saw this post and it’s a good quick reference. Thanks!
I have a question, I made a 5-card reading for someone and four of them are swords… plus one devil card. I was thinking that there’s a lot of mental chaos/instability going on. Is there any other interpretation to that?
Hi AJ,
I would agree with your initial assessment.
Alternatives might be:
1. Someone’s ambition is under attack – most likely people don’t want this person’s ambition to succeed.
2. Trying to inspire change into something that’s stubborn and won’t change.
3. Breaking out of the trap – anger remains.
4. Violent arguments that seek to gain control – perhaps enslave.
5. Antagonistic joker – laughing at those who take themselves or their ideas far to seriously.
Hope that helps
Thanks for the tips. It makes sense. I think I’m correct that he’s under some restriction or limitation right now. Hmm… I have to wait for his reply if the reading affects him. Thanks again.
Hi AJ,
No problem – let me know how it goes
I have a question regarding the 5 of swords, if you don’t mind. How do you deal with this card when it shows up surrounded by more positive cards? For instance, I sometimes do an unpositioned five-card spread. It’s laid out in a square with the last card in the center. Sometimes the cards seem unrelated to each other and I interpret them individually. Sometimes two or three will just feel connected and I’ll interpret them in combination.
Recently, I laid out the spread for a general reading and got the following: Lovers (upper left), Empress (upper right), 9 of Cups (lower left), Knight of Cups (lower right), with the 5 of Swords in the center. The other cards are so positive, but the center card seems to be casting a pall over the whole reading. The person in question has trust issues related to love and relationships due to a bad history; the individual also tends to have difficulty reading people correctly and relating to them. I interpreted the 5 of Swords as a warning or comment on the querant’s inner state rather than as part of the sequence of outer cards, which do feel connected to each other as a specific situation, but I wonder if there wasn’t a better way to deal with it. Any comments?
Hi Seawillow,
Thanks for dropping by
Interesting question.
As a general rule of thumb, the 5 of Swords can often indicate a “Victory”, but, and this is the key, at what cost? Whenever you get the 5 of Swords, and it’s surrounded by positive cards, ask yourself, if this succeeds, what is the price being paid?
In the particular context of the reading, you have two basic ways to approach things. The first way is psychological, and the second is literal. Perhaps, for a more rounded approach, we could combine the two methods.
Using method one, I would have said exactly the same as you.
Using method two, I would have been inclined to discuss the outward success – the appearance of things going their way. I would then switch to a more psychological dimension, and ponder what price is being paid.
With the Lovers card present, I would be asking myself if the client has ever really taken responsibility for their actions? The Lovers often indicates people going with the flow, so as not to rock the boat with those around them – in this context, “those” could be friends, family, or anyone who has influence.
With that in mind, the price being paid, is the destablising of the status-quo; which brings us back to responsibility. In this context, the responsibility is in reference to this persons own feelings and emotions. If they ignore them (5 of Swords) then the client will never be free – will always feel like it was an “empty victory”.
As you can see, the two methods are really combination of psychological and literal.
In reality, the cards speak of success – regardless of anything else. However, when we factor in psychology, then we have to look at key concepts, such as responsibility.
Finally, the 5 of Swords is a card that hurts other people.
In the context of the reading, either the client will hurt other through not taking responsibility – and the client will also hurt people by taking responsibility.
Remember, the Empress card is not a spiritual card. It’s a very practical card, based on financial and practical security; feeling safe, and being able to enjoy the physical dimension of life.
I haven’t tried to do the Tarot reading; rather, I’ve tried to offer ideas and concepts that will help you reinterpret the cards in a different way.
With that in mind, I hope those ideas have helped you in some small way.
Thanks, Douglas:
I appreciate the input.
I should say, I’ve been enjoying reading your articles very much.
Hi Douglas,
Would you say that the 2 of Swords is a temporary compromise/agreement, also? I have a few books that say that and also I saw it online. What is your opinion? What have you seen it to be?
Thanks,
Sheri