swords – Page 3 – Just the Tarot

Ten of Swords

The meaning of the Ten of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

And you thought the Eight of Swords was a scary card! A man lies on the ground, obviously dead, his body pierced with ten swords. The sun is either setting or rising in the background.

Upright: This is the ultimate ending to the power cycle. If we approach life in terms of power and dominance rather than love and compassion we end up face down, defeated, and full of swords. This is a card of basic karma: whatever you put out there comes back to you ten fold.

This card indicates treachery, deceit, changes for the worse. It can signal a very bad ending to a relationship or the loss of a job.

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Reversed: Things will gradually get better. The swords will fall out and the situation will improve. If the questioner has been having health problems there will be a slow, but steady, improvement.

EXAMPLES: An alcoholic or drug addict who has really and truly – finally – bottomed out and is ready to admit that he or she is powerless.

Going through bankruptcy and losing everything.

Nine of Swords

The meaning of the Nine of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

This card shows an individual sitting bolt upright in bed, face buried in her hands, with nine swords lining the wall behind her. This is a card of waking up in the night screaming in terror. It represents the sudden, conscious realization of the bad results of power games and aggression.

The swords on the wall appear to be locked together, hilt to hilt. They’re like the bars in a jail cell, showing that there is no escape from the consequences. The patches on the quilt are embroidered with the signs of the zodiac, suggesting the bad karma of many lifetimes coming to fruition.

Upright: To put it simply, this is a card of your chickens coming home to roost. The negative energy that the individual has put out into the world is coming back to bite her in the ass.

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Reversed: The anxieties, fears, and bad karma are gradually fading away.

EXAMPLES: Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Future. Suddenly realizing that you’ve really screwed up, there are consequences to pay, and you’re all alone.

Getting a wake up call that you’ve been acting like a real jerk and your friends and lovers have all walked away from you.

Eight of Swords

The meaning of the Eight of Swords in a Tarot reading. Definitions are included for both the upright and reversed positions.

A woman in a red gown with her arms heavily bound and a blindfold over her eyes is surrounded by eight swords planted firmly in the ground. A castle rises behind her and oily water lies at her feet.

Upright: Obviously, this is a nasty assed card and you shouldn’t expect any positive meanings for it. The subject is completely immobile and helpless, bound in place by the powers that surround her and blind to what has caused her dilemma. There is really nothing she can do to help herself because she doesn’t even understand how this happened to her or why. This isn’t just about being a victim; there’s also a lot of denial and refusal to face reality.

Reversed: The forces that restrict her will gradually loosen their grips, but there are still hard times ahead.

EXAMPLES: The alcoholic who just got busted for his fourth DUI but refuses to get into recovery.

The abused wife who insists that her abuser, “really loves her,” and is going to change.

Seven of Swords

The meaning of the Seven of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

A man with a mocking grin on his face is seen sneaking away from an encampment bearing five swords in his arms while two swords remain thrust upright into the ground.

Upright: This card hearkens back, therefore, to both the five of swords and the two of swords. The same sort of merciless, sadistic power games are being played as in the five of swords, but there is an element of secrecy, concealment, and being underhanded about his malice. The individual is causing just as much harm but doesn’t want others to know about it.

Swords represent power and he is literally stealing someone else’s power from them. As a result of it he is leaving them power-less, locked into the same state of stalemate as the two of swords and no longer able to function.

Reversed: The person doing the stealing and deception is about to get caught. His or her behavior will be revealed and the problem will resolve.

EXAMPLES: The employee who is constantly undermining her supervisor with malicious gossip.

The, “friend,” who is gossiping about you behind your back and destroying your credibility and reputation.

Six of Swords

The meaning of the Six of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

A woman and a child huddle in a boat surrounded by a cluster of upright swords. Behind them a boatman propels the boat forward with a long pole.

Upright: This is a card of leaving troubles behind and moving toward better times. A journey from rough waters to waters that are placid and calm. There is a definite element of escape, of fleeing in this card. It springs naturally from the brutal power games of the Five of Swords. The subject of the card has had enough and is taking a leave from it all. Note that the woman and the child are hooded and their heads are down, as if concealing their identity from the dangers they are leaving behind.

There is also an element of turning your power over to someone else, of letting a third party make decisions for you if that will get you to safety. It is the man who is the motive force here, not the woman and child and he is transporting them to a safer place. On a mundane level this may indicate a journey across a body of water.

Reversed: Difficulties in travel and travel arrangements. Missed connections, lost tickets. It may indicate loss due to inattention or a failure to move rapidly.

EXAMPLES: An abused woman fleeing to a shelter for battered women, perhaps being escorted by the police.

Quitting a horrible job with no notice.

Five of Swords

The meaning of the Five of Swords in both the upright and reversed positions with examples of both.

A grinning man gathers up fallen swords while one person walks away from him and another person has his face buried in his hands, as if crying. Storm clouds gather over a stagnant sea.

Upright: Trouble, arguments, strife, perhaps degenerating into physical violence. This is a card of extreme power games where the only objective is winning despite the pain and injuries that are being caused by them. There is an element of merciless sadism and mocking to the central figure. He fails to understand that people are disgusted and hurt by his actions and that they are literally leaving him alone. If the card represents the questioner, he needs to take a serious look at the damage he’s causing to the people around him. This may also represent a seriously spiteful person causing pain in the questioners life.

Reversed: The troubles are leaving the questioner life, perhaps because he or she has made the decision to just walk away from it.

EXAMPLES: The bully, school yard or otherwise. This is the person who enjoys inflicting pain just for the sake of making other people suffer. A petty sadist.

The so-called, “friend,” who is constantly making sarcastic, hurtful remarks about you and undermining your self-confidence and sense of self-worth.

Four of Swords

The meaning of the Four of Swords in a Tarot reading. This includes definitions of the upright and reverse positions of the card.

The card shows a figure lying in repose, hands clasped in prayer, three swords suspended above him and one sword lying below him. In the upper corner is a stained glass window or a bright tapestry.

Upright: This is a card of rest and repose. The three swords above him hearken back to the Three of Swords and its’ incredibly painful trauma. He is taking a break from life and slowly healing.

Note that there is a definitely creepy feeling to this card. He doesn’t look like someone having a nice nap, he looks like a corpse laid out in a tomb. The sickly yellow tinge of the lower half of the card reinforces that impression. This isn’t just resting; this is a deep withdrawal from normal life. The sword below him represents the next step, the strength he needs to regenerate in order to start over. His folded hands and the stained glass window suggests the power of prayer in healing. On a more mundane level this may indicate that a person who has been physically ill is recovering.

Reversed: The period of rest is over and it’s time to get on with life. Things are falling apart because this person isn’t taking care of business. Laziness, a lack of motivation, or a masochistic dwelling on grief and pain.

EXAMPLES: A friend who has withdrawn from all social contact after a bad break up and sits in her house alone and crying and thinking.

A person who is quietly healing from deep hurt through intense prayer and meditation and wants to be left alone.

Three of Swords

The meaning of the Three of Swords in a Tarot reading, with definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

There is a heart pierced by three swords and rain is falling from dark gray clouds in the background.

Upright: On the most obvious level this may indicate a relationship which has failed because one of the parties is screwing around. Someone’s heart is broken and there is deep grief, tears, confusion and a sense of profound betrayal. Trauma of any sort.

Reversed: The swords are falling out and the heart is beginning to heal. This usually shows that period after a bad break up when a person is beginning to put the pieces of her life back together and starting to move on. It is a card of recovery and coping with reality.

EXAMPLES: That period after a break up, divorce, or even the death of a life mate, when your heart is so broken with grief that you can’t think straight, can’t sleep, and can’t eat. Deep, profound grief.

Discovering that your lover has been going to bed with your best friend and lying to both of you.

Two of Swords

The meaning of the Two of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for both the upright and reversed positions.

This card shows a robed and blind-folded figure, arms crossed, holding two swords in perfect balance. A sea or lake in the background appears to be totally still, perhaps stagnant.

Upright: The main thing to note with this card is the stasis, the lack of motion and movement. Even the sea is motionless. Swords are about power and aggression and in this case the power is frozen in place and any progress is stalemated. Two opposing people, ideas, or forces are equally strong and nothing is moving or changing.

In a marriage or romantic relationship this could indicate two people who are locked into an emotional power struggle. Neither party is willing to compromise or empathize with the others feelings. In fact, the blindfold on the figure indicates that they may not even be able to see or comprehend the other person’s feelings. The relationship isn’t ending but neither is it growing or thriving. It’s become all about the power rather than love.

The quarter moon in the sky indicates that the stalemate may last about a lunar month before any changes can be expected.

Reversed: Things are finally moving and changing. In a relationship it may indicate that one party has decided to leave.

EXAMPLES: Your friends who are constantly bitching at and about each other but are completely unwilling to consider ending the relationship.

Being locked into a business relationship with someone who refuses to listen to your ideas for improving the business.

Ace of Swords

The meaning of The Ace of Swords in a Tarot reading, including definitions for the upright and reversed positions.

The card show a ghostly hand grasping a sword. The tip of the sword pierces a crown draped with laurels.

Upright: This card represents power and action beginning to manifest in the Earth plane. It may indicate the start of a new enterprise or the beginning of a very strong, power based sexual affair. There is the suggestion of an excess of force, of pure, undirected physical strength. The crown hints at positions of authority held by fear and intimidation rather than by merit or morality. This card is also linked to minor surgery and small cuts.

Reversed: This shows someone who is pushing too hard or coming on too strong. It warns against over-reactions and loss of temper. If the Querant is entering a new business deal be warned that it may go very, very wrong.

EXAMPLES: A new boss or supervisor who immediately starts reshaping things to his or her own model through intimidation and sheer force of personality.

A new lover who is way too dominant and controlling.