Nine of Swords
Affirmation
I do not worry about what I cannot control.
Symbolic Attributes
- Element:
- Arcana:Minor Arcana
- Suit:Swords
- Archetype:
- Numerology:9 (The Completion: fullness, readiness, ripeness)
- Hebrew Alphabet:
Keywords
Description
One seated on her couch in lamentation, with the swords over her. She is as one who knows no sorrow which is like unto hers. It is a card of utter desolation.
Light Meaning
- Refusing to worry about what you cannot control
- Rejecting anxiety
- Judging your own performance with kindness and gentleness
- Using meditation to quiet a troubled mind
- Confronting nightmares and fears
- Drawing a conclusion and putting an issue out of your mind
Shadow Meaning
- Torturing yourself with regrets
- Second-guessing your every move
- Beating yourself up for your mistakes
- Depression
- Obsessing on errors and overlooked details
- Refusing to handle stress in healthy ways
- Ruining your ability to appreciate the present by dwelling on the past
- Debating irreversible decisions
Questions to Ask Yourself
- •What role does worry play in your current situation?
- •To what other ends might you devote the energy you're giving to anxiety?
- •How can you know when it's time to stop thinking and start acting?
Personal Meaning
Focusing on your vulnerabilities and feelings of worry, guilt and despair.
Focusing on vulnerabilities and feelings of worry, guilt and despair.
You are focusing on your vulnerabilities and feelings of worry, guilt and despair. Your feelings might be caused by a very real intuition that your current path or direction may be wrong for you and is causing you pain, or your obsession with worry or thoughts of guilt might be unfounded and is causing your needless pain and anguish. Only you can determine the truth.
Personal Reversed Meaning
Be careful not to blithely dive into a situation that might cause a great deal of pain. You need to proceed with caution and carefully examine the possible effects of your actions.
It looks like you dove head first into a situation that caused a great deal of pain. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
You might be blithely diving into a situation that will cause a great deal of pain. You need to proceed with more caution and carefully examine the possible effects your actions with cause.
Fortune Telling
- •If you take the action you're considering now, you'll be sorry in the future
How to Interpret This Card in a Reading
A guide to deepening your understanding of Tarot symbolism.
Context is Key
No Tarot card exists in a vacuum. While the meanings above provide a foundation, the true significance of this card depends on where it lands in your spread. Is it in the past position, indicating a phase you are moving away from? Or is it in the outcome position, suggesting a potential future? Always consider the neighboring cards — they often tell a story that modifies or amplifies the message.
Trust Your Intuition
Traditional meanings are the starting point, but your intuition is the compass. When you look at the card imagery, what draws your eye first? A specific color, a symbol, or a facial expression might trigger a personal memory or feeling. That immediate reaction is often the most relevant message for your current situation, even if it differs from the standard definition.
Understanding Reversals
If this card appears reversed (upside down), don't fear it. Reversals often suggest an internalizing of the card's energy, a delay, or a need to revisit the lesson before moving forward. It can also indicate that the "shadow" aspects described above are currently more active, inviting you to bring them into the light for healing.
Connecting with the Element
Remember the suit this card belongs to. Wands speak to passion and action (Fire). Cups dive into emotions and relationships (Water). Swords navigate the mind and conflicts (Air). Pentacles ground us in the material world and resources (Earth). The Major Arcana represents larger life themes and soul lessons. Filtering the card's meaning through its elemental lens will give you a grounded, practical way to apply its wisdom to your life.