The Suit of Swords Overview
The suit of Swords is a masculine/yang suit. It represents creativity, the mind, ideas, cunning, logic, and communication. Thinking, objectivity, leadership, power, and the strategy and planning it takes to do something are all under the Suit of Swords. While it represents the masculine principles, it’s probably the most masculine of the two yang suits, the other being Wands, and the one with the most extremes.
The harshest of Swords cards are very harsh. In fact, this suit tends to have the harshest of cards, since it’s the one most void of emotion, feeling, or a need to get along with others. It’s focused on what it thinks is right, or the plain, unvarnished truth. The Three of Swords is total, abject heartache and personal devastation, with no end in sight. The Ten of Swords is betrayal and absolute end, with no way to deny the fact.
However, wherever Swords cards show up, the querent has a sort of superpower. They can turn off their emotions and their needs and focus on what they think and plan. It’s where they have the ability to cut through and focus.
The Suit of Swords’ element is Air. It corresponds astrologically to the air signs of the zodiac: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. These are the more intellectual and objective signs, less focused on feelings or action.
Sword Story Arc:
The Suit of Swords is a story arc of trial and error, and perhaps the bumpiest and most extreme of the stories of the suits. It starts with an idea, then a choice, and then devastation and recovery. However, the recovery isn’t quick or painless. There are choices to be made, sides to choose, and plans to be made. They’re not easy, and they won’t always result in a happy ending, but they must be done.
The Suit of Swords is, in a way, the opposite of the Suit of Cups. There are times where being emotional and subjective is the worst choice. Being cool, calculated, and deliberate is what’s needed.
Sure, in this day and age, where we place a lot of value on individual feelings, this may seem cold and cruel. But imagine if you were in a car accident and were taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. Which would you rather have: 1. A surgeon who takes one look at you, starts crying, and holds your hand, wishing it was they who were feeling the pain, or 2. A surgeon who assessed objectively and wasted no time getting the pieces of metal out of stomach so you stop bleeding internally? The sane would choose the latter.
An Abundance of Swords in a Reading
In a reading with a lot of Swords cards, the Universe is trying to tell the querent that they need to be more objective, to use their minds more than their hearts, and that if they want to win, they have to focus on the tasks at hand. Many Sword cards may also indicate interpersonal problems, usually because the querent is investing less in relationships, perhaps even using people.
An abundance of Swords cards can also mean that the querent has a hard road to walk to success, but that they’re learning how to be the person they need to be in the world in order to succeed. They’re getting tougher, sharper, quicker, and cooler.
Swords Spiritual Lesson
The spiritual lesson of the suit of Swords is to use the fantastic brain that humans were given to compete and to win. This is our evolutionary advantage; this is what separates us from the rest of the animals, and yes, it has put us on top, for better or for worse.