Understanding Tarot - The Swords

Written By: Dr. Nikki

Arguably, the most standard of the representations from deck to deck in the Tarot, you can find Swords are in nearly every deck. For example, the suit of Cups can be represented as Bowls or Chalices in different decks; Pentacles can become Coins or Disks; and the Wands can become Staves or Rods. However, the Swords – the suit that responsible for the hidden motivations and thought processes – are nearly universal and seen in almost all decks. Even in the standard playing card deck, the Swords are very easy to identify. The Italian word for sword is “spada.” It is not difficult to see how the suit of “Spades” got its name.

Aligned with the element of Air, the Swords are the cards that speak to the internal intellect. Air as an element is associated with the spiritual realm and relates to things such as thought, speech, communication, your connection with your Higher Power and your own decisions. This element is associated with the head and thinking. It is said that the element of Air allows and encourages your thoughts to soar – for the higher you take your thoughts, the higher you can take your dreams and goals and the closer you can come to your Higher Power. Your thoughts are never stagnant, always in motion and ethereal, much like the element of Air itself.

Swords are said to cut through self-deception because the symbolism on the cards is the more direct and to the point. The Swords will indicate the core of the matter and can cause the deepest intellectual realizations. Yet, at the same time, the Swords can show the greatest truths. Always encouraging you to go inside and to make the choices that are in accord with your inner knowing, the Swords remind you of your responsibility for the choices and decisions you make.

If there are a predominance of Swords in your spread it is time to pay close attention to the message. Yes, many of the depictions on the Swords are uncomfortable to look at. The Swords have an undeserved reputation for negativity. More often than not, the Swords challenge you to see things in another way; to look beyond your personal perspective and see the bigger picture of what your choices create. The discomfort you see in the suit of Swords is normally related directly to a need to change your current path or direction in some way.

While they mean so much more than a few keywords, here is a key-word primer on the cards in the suit of Swords.

Ace – New direction of thought or process

Two – Choices, time for decision

Three – Pain, heartache, emotional distress

Four – Rest is needed, healing through introspection

Five – Loss sustained, defeat, time to move on

Six – Leave trouble behind, travel – especially over water

Seven – Victory through cleverness, time to respect others’ ways

Eight – Stalled emotion, end of a struggle, decision to change is needed

Nine – Grief, loss, sorrow; time to mourn that which has been lost

Ten – Painful endings can make way for new beginnings

Page – Rebellion against the norm, detachment is best now