Category - Tarot Card Meanings

Four of Cups

June 10, 2017
Psychic Reviews
Tarot Card Meanings
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Four of Cups

Suit: Cups
Element: Water
Function: Emotions, love, spirituality, imagination

A young man sits under a tree in contemplation and meditation. There are three cups in front of him, and a mystic hand comes from a cloud offering him one. However, he ignores them all, sitting and contemplating. The sky is clear blue, the color of the spirit and mind, and the grass is a lush green, the color of life. In the distance is a mountain, the symbol of stability and permanence. He’s dressed in a muted green, symbolizing stifled life, and red, the color of magick and passion, and blue, the color of the mind.

It’s unclear whether the man doesn’t realize that he’s been offered a cup, or whether or not he’s just passively refusing it. Either way, he’s made a choice to be alone under the tree, contemplating lofty things above this world.

The cups represent emotions, love, togetherness, imagination, and creativity, but they also represent spirituality, particularly the spirituality that one acquires through giving of themselves. Here, the young man neither takes nor gives. Even though there’s a miracle happening right in front of him, and he’s been given a divine gift, he shuts his eyes. If only he opened them for just a moment, he’d see that there’s more to enlightenment than isolating one’s self; that enlightenment doesn’t necessarily mean being away from the world and being disengaged from it.

The Cup represents love, and this is what the man is missing. The Four of Cups card shows what happens when one tries to find everything only within themselves. Humans are not meant to be solitary creatures, and even though it is good to contemplate, this is not all there is, and that growing as a person means learning to give and take.

Thus, the Four of Cups shows what happens when we miss the opportunities right in front of our face because we’re so engrossed in our current idea of the right way to do things or the way we want to do things. This is often like the rigid idealism we have as youth when we think we know everything and are enamored with our own abilities to think. Anyone who has lived beyond their youth knows the regret of forgoing those sweet opportunities staring us in the face because we were too concerned with being right.

When the Four of Cups is Reversed:

When reversed, the Four of Cups indicates that the querent will have to work for what they want, because even if opportunity is right in front of their face, it isn’t immediately for the taking. The Four of Cups reversed can thus mean that the querent isn’t entirely or sincerely self-focused and contemplating, but rather doing it for show or to appear more spiritually developed than they actually are.

This card reversed can also indicate a querent who is intentionally avoiding reaching out and avoiding emotional connection, even when others reach out to them and give them love. The querent either actually wants to be alone or is afraid to get involved emotionally.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent spent most of their time in their own head, eschewing intimacy and ignoring the opportunities around them.

Present: Currently, the querent is spending most of their mental energy on introspection and doesn’t see the opportunities for intimacy in front of them.

Future: In the future, the querent is going to retreat from the world and spends time in contemplation, possibly giving up opportunities to connect with others.

Three of Cups

June 10, 2017
Psychic Reviews
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Three of Cups

Suit: Cups
Element: Water
Function: Emotions, love, spirituality, imagination

Three young women dance in a circle like muses, holding their cups up in celebration. They have laurel wreaths in their hair, signifying success and protection from harm. Ripe fruits surround them, and the sky is clear and bright. Everything is wonderful, and these women couldn’t be happier. One wears yellow, the color of intellect, white, the color of innocence and purity, and red the color of passion and magic. The sky behind them is blue, the color of the mind and spirit. They have every skill and talent at their disposal so long as the three of them are together.

They stand close and have their arms around each other and their arms intertwined. They’re close, like friends or sisters. They’re not a couple, but a community, a group of friends who come together because they want to be together, not because they have to be together. In this card, there is no indication that they have to be together to do anything, or that they even need each other. And we’re not sure what they’re celebrating. Perhaps it’s a holiday, or an accomplishment, or simply the good fortune of one of them, which makes them all happy.

The Three of Cups has people coming together out of choice for the benefit of being together, simply because they want it and enjoying it. It’s about unbridled joy, not concerned with who sees them, or if they’re being ladies and behaving as expected. No one is around to get in the way of their good time with the rule of social convention.

The Three of Cups reminds the reader of the sweetness of friendships. It is about union in a group, but about choosing to become part of a union and knowing that the you all operating together is more effective, pleasurable, or powerful than operating alone. And it’s far more fun to share a good time with others whom you like and who accept you as you are than to celebrate life alone. Even if one has a life partner, it’s good to be part of a larger community, especially those who are like you in some way. The Three of Cups definitely says “the more the merrier,” of those who make life merry. The team is important.

When the Three of Cups is Reversed:

The Three of Cups reversed is a sign that the querent feels left out in some way. Either they feel like a third- or fifth-wheel. There may be someone intervening in their relationships and edging them out, or they’re unable to enjoy being part of the group, as they feel forced to compete. The querent feels that they have to endure it or leave it.

This card reversed can also indicate a querent who feels left out because they’re without friends or don’t feel accepted in their community. They may also feel that they get lost in the shuffle, or that they’re forced to conform and disappear as one face among many, no better or important than others.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent was happily a part of a community in which they played an important role and were appreciated.

Present: Currently, the querent feels wanted in their community and enjoys a place among a large group of friends.

Future: In the future, the querent will feel as if they belong and have much to celebrate with their community or friends.

Two of Cups

June 10, 2017
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Two of Cups

Suit: Cups
Element: Water
Function: Emotions, love, spirituality, imagination

A man and woman, possibly at a wedding ceremony, exchange cups. They are to become one. She wears blue and white, the colors of spirituality and purity, and laurel leaves in her hair, symbolizing victory and high status. The man wears yellow, the color of the mind, with black flowers on it, symbolizing the dark, lusty side of life. His wreath is of red roses, symbolizing magic. It’s a fair day, perfect for an outdoor event. Yet, there are no well-wishers, no other people present. Ultimately, that is what a wedding is: a covenant between two people taken out of their own free will, and everything else is peripheral to that agreement.

Between them is the staff of Hermes, two intertwined snakes facing each other, symbolizing exchanges. Above it is a lion’s head with wings, an ancient symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist, a “voice crying out in the desert,” and incidentally, the patron saint of Venice, famous for its canals and Carnival: truly a marriage of the sacred and the profane, just like the one on this card.

There are rolling hills and a house in the distance, presumably where they will live together. This card is about togetherness. Notice that she is taking the cup given to her, and she takes it with both hands. He is offering her the cup of which to drink on this agreement, and she is accepting it. They look each other in the eye. They both know what they’re getting into and they do it willingly with clarity of mind and good faith, and this relationship is going to be the two of them together.

“Blood is thicker than water,” is often misquoted to emphasize familial relationships over the bonds we choose. However, the actual quote is “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” meaning the exact opposite of what it was thought to mean: relationships we choose to enter are stronger than the ones we are born into.

The Two of Cups is about putting those differences aside and making a conscious, proactive decisions to live in peace despite those differences. Of course, differences cause fascination, which cause attraction and a desire to file in the gaps of our own psyche and personhood by finding someone who has those qualities we lack.

When the Two of Cups is Reversed:

When the Two of Cups is reversed, the querent is dealing with disharmony, perhaps of their own making. They’re choosing not to put differences aside, and they may be actively involved in a dispute. There may be problems in their closest relationships. They may be dealing with impending separation or divorce.

The Two of Cards reversed can also signify a querent who is shy and avoids intimacy. They may be dutiful, and they may go through the motions, but they don’t share their hearts. They may also be holding a grudge that keeps them from existing in harmony with other people. They don’t respect other people’s differences or think themselves superior.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent either entered into a harmonious close relationship, or they were amenable to joining others in union.

Present: Currently, the querent is or desires to be in harmony with someone else as their equal.

Future: In the future, the querent should be living in harmony and peace with others, and particularly a person closest to them.

Ace of Cups

June 10, 2017
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Ace of Cups

Suit: Cups
Element: Water
Function: Emotions, love, spirituality, imagination

A white hand comes from a cloud offering a golden chalice with a W on it…or is it an M? W is for water and woman. M is for man and the Moon. Perhaps it’s both. The cup overflows into the water below, where lotus and lily pads float on the surface. It’s as if the cup fills the body of water. There are five streams of water and 25 droplets of water. Five is a creative number, and there five streams feeding the lake, and five times five of them falling from the cup.

A dove, representative of the Holy Spirit, and it holds the Eucharist in its beak, as if to dip it in water. The Eucharist represents the Body of Christ, and the merging of man into god, and god into man, and thus spirit becoming flesh to become a person. The host goes into the cup, which represents the sexual congress of man and woman to creative life. Should you take this cup, you are taking in more than creative potential: you are sipping the very mysteries of existence.

The Ace of Cups offers emotions and emotions exploration, for water is symbolic of emotions. It thus offers love and empathy, and compassion. From there, it offers imagination, as on cannot imagine if one cannot get outside of their own point of view. The cup is not clasp, but rather, gently handed to the reader. It doesn’t wield the cup. This is all a gift to the reader.

In the distance, there is the faint outline of a green hill where life proliferates. However, one would have to get through the water to get there. One has to experience the cycles and the trials and tribulations of life and experience it all internally before they can start over and bring the water to land.

And this is what’s different about this suit. The wand and the sword can be used and wielded. A pentacle (also known as a coin) can be moved and traded for other things. But only the cup can carry one thing from one place to another. It doesn’t have to be water, but it usually is. Like the human heart, the Ace of Cups offers an abundance of emotion and spiritual experience for those who will take the cup.

When The Ace of Cups is Reversed:

When the Ace of Cups is reversed, the querent is usually running from or in denial of their emotional life. They either cannot or will not show and experience their true emotions. Thus, they don’t have a developed spiritual life either, and they tend to not grow emotionally or spiritually. They’re afraid of being vulnerable or dealing with things that cannot be contained.
The Ace of Cups reversed can also indicate someone who can’t control their emotions and tend to be moody or unstable. They may not have deep emotions, but fleeting, shallow ones. Or, the querent may just be going through a difficult time in which they’re dealing with multiple, conflicting feelings.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent had a spiritual or emotional awakening, opened their heart, and those experiences has led them to the present.

Present: Currently, the querent is experiencing an emotional Renaissance and may be embarking on a spiritual journey.

Future: In the future, the querent will have an emotional breakthrough and become more aware of and in touch with their feelings and spiritual self.

 

King of Swords

June 10, 2017
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King of Swords

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind, truth, objectivity

A stern man sits with a sword in his right hand and his left hand closed. The land underneath him is green, and the trees behind him are still. We cannot see his feet, so we don’t how he’s grounded. He’s dressed in blue, the color of the mind and spirit, purple, the color of royalty, and red, the color of passion. His crown has an angel on it, symbolizing transcendence and divine messages. He looks straight ahead as he sits on his throne. There are butterflies carved into it, symbolizing transformation.

The King of Swords is a stern man, but not cruel. He means no harm. He is smart, capable, wise, and just. He will not suffer fools, nor will he argue with them. He doesn’t need to prove anything. He’s not just clever. He’s wise. He picks his battles, and he never chooses them on impulse. He’s a leader, and he doesn’t want to set a bad example.

The King of Swords is aware that he is looked at and mimicked, and that others will do as he does. He is careful about how he presents himself to the world, but he never lies, and he never deceives. The King of Swords is a master of thought, analysis, communication and intellectual pursuits. He need not prove himself to anyone, and he need not continue to challenge himself, either, to prove himself. It’s the king against whatever is new and interesting, not against the world.

The King of Swords shows mastery of the intellect and the mind. It also shows that one appreciates the truth so much that they share it, no matter what the consequences. They are more afraid of perpetuating a lie than they are in letting the truth be known. In fact, when the King of Swords speaks, others may be afraid to test or cross him, knowing that they’re entering a losing battle. The King of Swords, like his Queen, brandish their swords with confidence.

The King of Swords is a decision maker, one who weighs and measures all the options, and like an expert, judges and plans accordingly for maximum results. There is nothing impulsive. Fear, and any other emotion, have no role in his decision making process. He likes rules, and he prefers that they are not broken. Nay, he demands it.

When the king of swords is Reversed:

When the King of Swords is reversed, the querent is just as sharp and intelligent as the King of Swords upright, but uses them for his own gain, to manipulate others, or to hurt others. He may be so in love with rules and ruling that he becomes a tyrant and a bully, and he changes the rules as they suit him, and not as they are fair to others or accurately reflect what is true and just.

The King of Swords reversed may be a poseur, someone who puts on airs but isn’t nearly as smart as they think they are or pretend to be, an intellectual poseur.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent exercised sound judgment, probably as a leader, and made wise decisions which led them to the current moment.

Present: Currently, the querent is exercising sound judgment, using their wisdom, making sound decisions, and applying rules justly.

Future: In the future, the querent will be better able to use their intellect with courage, and to make decisions that are best for everyone.

Queen of Swords

June 10, 2017
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Queen of Swords:

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity

The Queen of Swords is more like a goddess, raising her hand to the sky and looking forward, as if addressing the crowd. Perhaps she is making a proclamation, a decision, or is imparting wisdom to her people. In the distance, there are trees blowing in the wind, but to billowing clouds are still, and the land is smooth. There is water running behind her. She wears blue and white, the colors of thought, serenity, and purity. Her head and feet and covered in red, the color of passion. She thinks with passion, and she moves with it, too. Her robe is the pattern of a cloudy sky.

The Queen of Swords is serene. With water meeting land, there’s a chance that something may grow. She wears a crown of butterflies, symbolizing transformation. Her stone thrown has an angel and butterflies carved into it. The angel symbolizes the impartial nature of the Sword: it is the messenger. It takes a clear mind, and a clear conscience. The Queen of Swords also wears meditation beads, showing her ability to focus.

The Queen of Swords is the exaltation of the mental faculties and intellectual ability. It is not tainted by emotion – or by ego –when she shares her thoughts and makes her decisions. It isn’t cold, and it isn’t without consideration of others, but she is fair. She doesn’t rely on anyone to do her thinking, and she never lets anyone else tell her what to think. Her mind is her own. No apologies. No hedging. No softening or asking for permission to be herself. The Queen of Swords is sharp, witty, and can cut to the bone if challenged.

The Queen of Swords is about having one’s own mind and speaking it as it is, using one’s unique intellectual gifts to charm, persuade, and move others. It’s about having quiet confidence in one’s own learning and experience. It’s about being confident that one can use and apply this in the world and to their own benefit. The Queen of Swords has nothing to prove to anyone else. And, chances are, people love her as she is and look to her to put to words what they’re too afraid to say.

When the Queen of Swords is Reversed:

When the Queen of Swords is reversed, the querent is giving up or has lost their mental and intellectual strength and independence. The querent may be insecure, scared, and unsure of themselves when making decisions or communicating. They may allow others to do all of their thinking for them, and they follow the crowd, wherever it’s going. They don’t lead, and they certainly don’t go at it alone.

The Queen of Swords reversed can also mean that the querent isn’t honest or diplomatic. The querent is anything but regal: the may be evasive, passive-aggressive, sarcastic, or just downright nasty when speaking to people. It’s also possible that the querent is not doing much thinking at all, but reacting, making decisions based on fleeting emotions and not on rational thought.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent found confidence in their own intellect and rational mind and used it well.

Present: Currently, the querent is remaining objective, fair, rational, and intelligent in their decisions.

Future: In the future, the querent will develop confidence in their own independent mind and let that lead the way.

 

Knight of Swords

June 10, 2017
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Knight of Swords

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity

The only one who isn’t afraid when the Knight of Swords charges is the Knight of Swords, because even his horse is unsure what’s going on, and if they’ll survive. The Knight of Swords is on the fine line between bravery and foolhardiness. He’s bearing his teeth. His sword is up. One can imagine that he’s making a battle cry as his horse, that is less sure about what they’re doing, gallops forward at his command.

The horse is white, the color of purity, so even if purity is a little apprehensive, you know that they’re going where angels fear to tread. The saddle and bridle are decorated with red birds and yellow butterflies, indicating that the purely passionate and purely transformational nature of his actions and desires. And that may be at the very heart of the problem. He may just foolish enough tot get hurt badly, or he may just be foolish enough to make it. He’s betting 100% on the latter. After all, he’s wearing shining, silver armor, and a cape with birds on it.

The knight’s horse gallops over the same rocky hill and passed the same trees in the wind that the page stood on. Nothing is going to stop the Knight of Swords, and that’s his hallmark: single-minded, obsessive zeal for an idea that he absolutely must see through, come Hell or high water.

The Knight of Swords is brash, outspoken, and smart as a whip. He’s cocky about it; he knows he’s good, and he knows he can outsmart everyone around him. This is what’s most important to him. Anyone who dares to get in his way is trampled with cold, hard, logic. This isn’t one to stop and consider the feelings of others. This isn’t one who really cares about what anyone else thinks or feels.

Enthusiasm is needed to get something new underway, and often, when one has a unique idea, they’re the only person they can rely on to get it underway, and sometimes, enthusiasm is just a cover for the fear of failure and humiliation when one fails. After all, when doing something untested and theoretical, one has to go at it alone with the eyes of the world watching them.

When the Knight of Swords is Reversed:

When the Knight of Swords is reversed, the querent is chomping at the bit but doesn’t have the focus or the courage to see things through. They’re still at least partially concerned with what others think, and they second-guess themselves. The querent is disorganized and unfocused, expending energy just to expend it. The querent ends up exhausted, with little to show for his activity.

The Knight of Swords reversed can also mean the querent is afraid to follow through on their ideas, or that someone or something powerful is actively getting in their way. The querent is trying to charge ahead but can’t surmount the obstacle, so they keep pushing instead of finding a way around, and they push until something breaks and lets them loose.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent was a force to be reckoned with, obsessively following an idea, and this has brought them to the present time.

Present: Right now, the querent is an intellectual juggernaut, bursting forth with an idea and cutting down any opposition.

Future: In the future, the querent is going to be inspired to chase a dream or idea down, letting nothing get in their way.

 

Page of Swords

June 10, 2017
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Page of Swords

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity

A young man stands atop a rocky hill, the wind in his hair, with a sword in both hands, looking ahead with determination. Clouds rise up and swirl in the air, presumably due to the wind that moves the trees in the distance. There are mountains in far back, symbolizing stability. The trees symbolize wisdom. The rocky hill represents obstacles. There are birds in the sky, taking flight like so many thoughts that rise up from the youth’s head.

The young man wears red, the color of passion, and yellow, the color of intellect. He’s facing the wind, so his path isn’t an easy one, and he has his sword up, ready to fight. He’s ready to go, even though from his vantage point alone on the hill, the only thing that can get in his way is himself. It’s uncertain whether he fought his way up the hill, or if he’s fighting his way down from there, or if he’s now just defending his territory.

The Pages of minor arcana always begin things, and here, the Page of Sword is beginning the thought. This is the beginning of big ideas, the spark of inspiration, the first thought or idea that starts it all. And every thought starts in isolation in the mind before it becomes something else, something bigger.

This deals with the beginning of intellectual pursuits. One idea or thought can turn into an analysis, a critique, a theory, a method, or a groundbreaking discovery. It could be an investigation that uncovers or reveals something of great importance. Truth is always important to, and even if it hurts (and cuts like a sword) it will be revealed.

The Page of Swords is pure idealism, the clinging to the idea that something is right, even if it’s untested in reality. It can be the truth coming out pure and simple, without regard for social conventions or sacred cows, and it can be justice, or at least the concept of justice, and being fair. It takes courage to express truth and want justice knowing that whenever and wherever there is a need for truth, analysis and new ideas, there is always someone who doesn’t want those things and actively stops them.

When the Page of Swords is Reversed:

When the Page of Swords is reversed, the querent lacks strength of conviction and intellectual courage. They don’t feel that they match up to others…but they may be prone to putting themselves and others to the test, even if they can’t win. They feel inadequate, and they have something to prove, so instead of spending time sharpening their intellectual skills, learning, or following their intellectual curiosity, they try to prove their supremacy by challenging others. This is a querent who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk.

Thus, this querent may be full of hot air. But they may the thorn in someone’s side, bringing up questions, thoughts, and ideas that disrupt the status quo and challenge the supremacy of those who would rather not think.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent begun an intellectual journey, or was an independent powerhouse of thoughts and ideas.

Present: Currently, the querent is pioneering new thoughts and ideas, far different from the ones from those around them.

Future: In the future, the querent is going to find the courage to think for themselves and blaze new intellectual trails.
 

Ten of Swords

June 10, 2017
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Ten of Swords

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity

The ten of swords is one of the most pessimistic cards of the minor arcana. This is rock bottom. This card almost never indicates a positive thing. However, it can indicate that the worst has already happened, because this is what it means: the worst possible thing has happened. It can’t get any worse.

The darkness is setting in and the yellow sunlight is disappearing. Yellow is the color of intellect, and black is the color of seriousness and despair. Either the sun is setting and the time to think is disappearing, or there is an eclipse, and the moon is covering the sun, creating artificial night. In the distance are mountains, symbolizing stability, and water, symbolizing emotions. Both are still.

A man lays on barren land with ten swords in his back. He’s dead and bleeding out. Perhaps he’s been dead for a while; perhaps he was just killed. There’s no one else around. However, his visible hand has the index finger and middle finger out, as if giving a benediction. Somehow, things will be okay, even though it clearly doesn’t look like it.

The man wears a red cloak, the color of passion. He’s wearing a yellow tunic, the color of intellect, and white, the color of purity. The red cloak covers his lower half, but the swords go through his entire body. Even if he were alive, chances are that he couldn’t get up. This is the end, and there’s nothing that can be done.

The Ten of Swords is an absolute, tragic end, the end of an era, the absolute succumbing to the powers that be. There is nothing more that can be done. No reasoning. No arguing. No debating. No bargaining. There is no way out. The only thing that can be done is to stop trying. This is the letting go of reason and intellect. There is only so much thinking and talking that can be done, and by the looks of the man on the card, sometimes, one can talk and think there way into tragedy.

The Ten of Swords is about coming to terrible ends even when one thought it through and seemed to do everything right. In the end, the power of reason and intellect wasn’t enough to save the day, and the querent has to abandon it and try something new. After all, they couldn’t create something worse, right?


When the Ten of Swords is Reversed:

When the Ten of Swords is reversed, the querent is refusing to recover from rock bottom. They’re spinning their wheels trying to rationalize it, solve the problem, or fix things instead of moving on and moving up. The querent may also be too focused on the tragedy or failure and not thinking about what’s next. They have the option of moving on, which is the only option, but they won’t take it. They’d rather wallow and go over painful thoughts and memories. Or, the querent may refuse to recognize that things have come to an obvious and total end.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent hit rock bottom and had to abandon their old way of thinking and all the things that brought them to that end.

Present: Currently, the querent has hit rock bottom and now has to change their mindset in order to move on.

Future: The querent is heading for a final, tragic end to something in which they’ll have no choice but to move on.

Nine of Swords

June 10, 2017
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Nine of Swords

Suit: Swords
Element: Air
Function: Intellect, the mind,truth, objectivity

A woman awakens from a nightmare, holding her head. Her hair and gown are white, the color of purity. There are nine swords on her wall. Her bedspread is decorated with roses and astrological symbols. The astrological symbols indicate a desire to know what is going on in the universe and what its plan is for you. The roses are symbolic of magic.

There’s a carving of the end of a duel on her bed. One fighter has bested the other, and it’s unclear whether the victor is going to finish the deed. It’s also unclear whether the wall is black with nine swords fixed to it, or if it’s a black sky above her and nine swords are just floating down oppressively from the heavens she’s trying to figure out using astrology.

The thing about nightmares is that they feel real, and they can be terrifying, but they’re not real. They can, however, have a profound affect on the dreamer and stick with them because the nightmare comes from the inside out, and the nightmare reflects what the dreamer fears. After all, a dream becomes a nightmare only because it makes the dreamer afraid.

A bad dream brings up things we would rather not think about. Things that make us sad, things that cause shame and guilt, things that cause doubt and despair. Even though those feelings start and originate in the mind, we may think that the universe is trying to tell us something.

The Nine of Swords is about worry, doubt, despair, guilt, fear, and helplessness, and being mired in these feelings despite all of our efforts to know what’s ahead, and what’s going on. This can cause us to wake up terrified from our sleep, unable to relax, and feeling oppressed. The swords appear to be coming down on her, as if the universe is trying to push her down. She doesn’t get out of bed and she doesn’t leave. For the moment, she is stuck in her despair.

The Nine of Swords is a card that describes the moment of terror and helplessness when the picture is still fresh in the mind, seeming as real as if it actually happened. It’s not the moment before waking up, and it’s not the moment after, when realizes it’s just a dream and the mental pictures start to rapidly fade away. It’s the gasping, awful moment that whatever is in your mind is somehow real, and it is awful.

When the Nine of Swords is Reversed:

When the Nine of Swords is reversed, the querent is not coming out of the dream, but winding themselves up more and more and feeling more worry and despair. They may not be able to sleep, literally, and are falling into a deeper hole with every passing night.

However, the Nine of Swords reversed can also mean that the querent has realized that their worries and fears are all in their head, and that they don’t have to sit in bed and do nothing about their problems anymore.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent was stuck in their head, paralyzed by fear and despair, which has brought them to the present moment.

Present: In the present, the querent really thinks that their fears and anguish come from real things, even though they’re all in their head.

Future: In the future, the querent is going to get so worked up about their own unpleasant thoughts that they’ll lose sleep and fall into anxiety.