Four of Swords

Four of Swords - Tarot Card Description

The Four of Swords depicts the effigy of a knight lying upon a tomb. His hands are clasped in the position of prayer and the tomb is clearly inside a church. The stained glass behind the statue depicts a woman and child together, and Three swords hang from the wall behind the tomb in addition to the one affixed to the side of the bier.

Four of Swords - Tarot Card Meanings

Seclusion. You need seclusion to deal properly with your situation. Retreat from pain, conflict and distractions, and rid yourself of stress and anxiety. Ground and re-charge yourself. Look inward for a real change. Meditate daily. You can!

This card, contrary to what might be its initial indication, is not a card of death. Rather, it is a card of solitude and the need to experience time apart from others to gather one's thoughts and feelings. Following upon the painful image of the Three of Swords, the Four of Swords indicates our need to spend time alone to re-evaluate our lives and situations. Solitude, although often difficult to bear, is necessary for us to be able to "recharge our batteries" and rejuvenate our spirits. Despite the fact that we often desire to get out into the world and interact with others to get our minds off our troubles, sometimes it is more beneficial to us to find a place apart and spend a little time by ourselves. This solitary experience always bears fruit in an experience of greater inner strength and confidence. If we are able to face ourselves directly and not run away from our difficulties we will ultimately become more alive and more aware of the good in our lives, and we will develop the inner strength necessary to cope more readily in the future.

The Four of Swords indicates a time when you can relax. Some actions may be abandoned during your retreat from the situation. The retreat maybe necessary to regroup your resources and conserve your energy. Your work environment will be very unpleasant due to tension you can cut with a knife. You will want to help or make amends with your family, but are at the end of your rope. This could also indicate a death if other cards or categories support it.

Getting away from the situation, or even escaping. Could be that by making it totally different, the artist is emphasizing that sometimes, in order to gain perspective on a situation, we need to get into a completely different "place" mentally.

This card represents the negotiating mind, the conflict/resolution mind, or the meditating mind. In any kind of negotiation, one must be open to staying in balance and non-positional. The truce-making process is a four fold process that's experienced on all four levels of consciousness, mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. Truce is an opportunity to move through conflictual issues. In order for conflict resolution to be successful, there are four peaceful principles that come from native tradition which is referred to as the four-fold way. In order for truce to be truly experienced, one must show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and not be attached to the outcome. The results of this is renewal and regeneration. This usually means that in the next four weeks, or next four months, there will be an opportunity for truce making or conflict resolution or negotiation of important issues or with important people in your life.

Time for resting and retreat. There will soon be a change back to the active life. Solitude and quiet. Need to plan and think.

Rest, recovery, working on a problem. Renewal through truce. Hospitals and people who work in hospitals. End to conflict. Recuperation. A need to retreat from troubles. A peaceful interlude. Preparation. Withdrawal, even for the purpose of recovery, can shut a person off from the world, creating a kind of spell only outside energy can break.

Four of Swords - Reversed Tarot Card Meanings

The Four of Swords reversed can indicate that you are feeling restless and wanting to do a lot more than you are currently doing. Even if your body is telling you need to rest and relax, your mind may be pushing you forward, trying to accomplish a long list of tasks for the week! You may need to force yourself to pause for a moment to ensure that you do not become completely run down and unable to do anything!