Minor Arcana – The Suit of Swords

The Suit of Swords is representative of the element of Air. Swords are associated with action, change, force, power, oppression, ambition, courage and conflict. Action can be both constructive and/or destructive, sometimes resulting in violence. This suit can also mean hatred, battle, and enemies, and of all the suits, this one is considered to be the most powerful and dangerous.

The Suit of Swords deals with the mental level of consciousness that is centred around the mind and the intellect. Swords mirror the quality of mind present in your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Swords themselves are double-edged and in this way the Suit of Swords symbolises the fine balance between intellect and power and how these two elements can be used for good or evil. As such, the Swords must be balanced by spirit (Wands) and feeling (Cups).

The negative aspects of the Suit of Swords (i.e. when the Swords cards appear reversed) include anger, guilt, harsh judgement, a lack of compassion and verbal and mental abuse. To find out more, read How to Interpret Reversed Tarot Cards.

Ace of SwordsSwords represent the Air signs of Aquarius, Libra and Gemini. Swords people (as typically seen in the Court Cards) are intelligent, thoughtful, rational, logical and excellent communicators. They are rational beings and like to experience the world by understanding and analysing what is occurring around them. On the flipside, Swords people can be ruthless, domineering, confrontational and rigid.

When referring to timing in a Tarot reading, the Suit of Swords traditionally represents Winter or Spring, or months. In a deck of playing cards, Swords corresponds to Spades.

Should a Tarot reading be predominantly Swords cards, then you can be sure that the client is seeking solutions to what are primarily mental struggles, conflict and arguments, and decisions which must be made. Also, there could be many arguments or even violence at present. While Swords can carry with them many negative or very strong, forceful messages, Swords serve also as a warning to be more cautious of what is occurring around you.

The Suit of Swords – Keyword Descriptions

Ace of Swords – Raw power, victory, imaginative, anxiety, perceived threat, anxious thoughts, mental force, definition, courage, justice, break-through
Two of Swords – Karmic balance, stalemate, blocked emotions, tenseness, tense balance, impending conflict, anticipation, truce, doubt, path of discernment
Three of Swords – Painful separation, heartbreak, conflict initiated, tension and stress, integrity, sorrow, suffering, without fear
Four of Swords – Meditation, recuperation, reflection, withdrawal, contemplation, regrouping, retreat, peace, truce, prophetic powers
Five of Swords – Blocked path, selfish, self-interest, humiliation, facing one’s limits, cheat to win, salvage, betrayal, defeat, loss, passive endurance
Six of Swords – Passage, pulling up stakes, insight, understanding, easing of stress, bridge over troubled waters, determination, assistance, journey, transition, as within, so without
Seven of Swords – Trust issue, sneaky, being evasive, guile, use of tact, shrewdness, cunning, diplomacy, stealth, theft, mistrust, futility, dishonesty, betrayal
Eight of Swords – Isolation, restriction, no choice, stifled, immobilized by fear of consequences, stuck, imprisonment, interference, danger
Nine of Swords – Depression, nightmares, worry, hopelessness, between a rock and a hard place, concern, intense anxiety, despair, misfortune, stress
Ten of Swords – Darkest just before dawn, desolation, catastrophe, defeat, foreboding about the future, disillusionment, extreme disappointment, transformation, crisis, unlucky, disaster, back-stabbed
Page of Swords – Talkative, curious, mentally restless
Knight of Swords – Opinionated, well-developed communication skills, action-oriented
Queen of Swords – Quick thinker, organised, perceptive, cuts to the chase
King of Swords – Clear thinking, practical, logical, sharp mind, good communicator

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