The Suit of Swords in a Tarot deck is a representation of the element of Air. Air is something that one can’t really see – but one can feel it. It is invisible, but one can sense its presence when it flows. And Air can flow both slowly or fast – it can be a welcome breeze on a hot summer day, or it can be a gust of wind that topples trees and houses.
Air can therefore represent thoughts and ideas – the products of the realm of the mind. And we all know that the mind is a labyrinthine maze.
Let us look at the Suit of Swords and how the energy of Air manifests itself – and how the labyrinth of the mind unfolds itself in this journey of the cards.
The Cycle Begins…
The cycle begins with the first burst of a thought – an idea, a concept – something that is pure mind.
If we look at the Ace of Swords, we can see a hand emerge from a cloud, holding a sword that is decorated with a crown and leaves and fruit. This is the sword that brings about the first mind thought into existence. The idea has now taken its root into the mind, and there is no way that one can stop someone from taking such an idea towards its full completion.
Moving Along…
When an idea comes to birth, the next stage is the interaction of that idea with the other mind and feeling related scenarios around it.
In the Two of Swords, we see how that thought energy has now created choices. The lady in this card is making a choice – either she is relying on her intuition to do so, or she is deliberately choosing not to see the consequences as she chooses – but the choice has to be made.
In the Three of Swords we see how thoughts that come from opposing directions cancel themselves out – and somehow even manage to threaten the presence of the original thought or concept. Pain and suffering, naturally, will follow this process.
In the Four of Swords, contemplation and meditation are shown to be the only way that one can bring about stability to all these thoughts which seem to be at cross purposes to each other.
Changes…
No matter how one tries to stabilize the forces of the mind, they will never bow down.
In the Five of Swords, we see how the fight has become a reality. Here we see many opposing forces faced to combat each other for superiority – a few win, while others lose and walk away.
And it is in the Six of Swords, that one can see the transition take place – such a transition is full of burdens and baggage – but there is still some desire, some hope of creating emotional tranquility and balance.
Towards The End…
And yet, the mind is the biggest trickster of all!
In the Seven of Swords, we see how the mind takes away our semblance of control – and sneaks in and plays its con while we are distracted by our over confidence at having controlled it.
In the Eight of Swords, we then find ourselves bound, yet again, by the shackles of the mind – we fall prey to its tricks are overwhelmed by the sense of being trapped into its clutches yet again.
Naturally, in the Nine of Swords, these thoughts, these ideas, these tricks of the mind manifest in the kingdom of the mind – the dream world – where all the thoughts play in the garden of our subconscious, and monsters from the shadows loom large over us.
Changes, Again…
Finally, at some point, we all give up. This fight against the forces of our own mind, against our own thoughts can wear one out thoroughly.
In the Ten of Swords, we see what happens if one gives in completely to the forces of the mind and lets the shadows take over the subconscious. And yet, within that very picture, we see dawn breaking through. Sometimes, it is at the very depth of the abyss that one can see the way out towards the light.
The Journey Continues
The journey of the Suit of the Swords is a journey that deals with all the different aspects of the mind and its power. If one uses the power of the mind, then it is quite possible to be victorious over these forces. However, if one allows the mind to become the ruler of us, then these forces will only bring about a lot of pain and suffering. One should, therefore, find a way to distinguish between these different forces of the mind and use its power in a better way. It is with this lesson from the Ten of Swords, that the journey of the Suit of Swords takes its next step forward into yet another cycle.
Your Turn
What are your experiences with the Suit of Swords? Why do you think that most of the pictures in this suit are painful and depict only hurtful situations? Are mind and thoughts such ‘bad’ things to have? Lets talk about it in the comments section below.
- The Suit of Wands
- The Suit of Swords
- The Suit of Pentacles
- The Suit of Cups
You have great intuition! I haven’t come across it before but I am hoping that this interpretation would “jump out” for me as well if it did ever signify heart health problems.
Thanks Gina! Yes.. sometimes the pictures are way too symbolic and sometimes they can just be so literal in their interpretation… the cards are funny like that aren’t they?
Ah, so you made the whooshing connection, too! 🙂 Can I ask you: how can you tell that a three of sword card stands for a physical heart problem rather than emotional heartbreak (in a general spread)?
Well, for the most part the 3 of Swords does come up as heartbreak… but there were these couple of times when I looked at the picture during my reading, and then I just felt heartache – heart ache – heart pain – heart problem… And when I spoke it out loud, the client was nodding like I had told him something so very unexpected… well.. it happened a couple of times but yeah..
Plus with all the swords going through the heart like that – its a connection I simply couldn’t miss… 🙂
Hello!
I have always had problems relating to the air – sword connection. Swords are made of metal! What’s that got to do with air? Apart from the whooshing sound a sword makes …. :o)
The three of swords is a very powerful card in my opinion. I have only ever had it come up very few times (well, I am still a bit of a newbie though and do not get too much practice), and all of them were so dramatic that I still remember them: an acquaintance’s marriage in bits, a recently divorced person and a heartbreaking situation for myself. So for me this card is a real indicator that things are very serious, I have never had it come up “lightly”, it always shows up in the traditional meaning (heartache) in my readings.
Greetings!
Hi Gina!
I agree! Sometimes, the connection to the elements is not always so clear.. so I have made a very weird-ish method of remembering them. It goes something like this: Wands can catch Fire, Swords whoosh through the Air, Cups hold Water and Pentacles are coins which are materialistic, and hence Earth. I know, perhaps this kind of connection may not make sense, but then it helped me remember them better… 🙂
The 3 of Swords can come up in situations like you described – it is always a heartbreak and always very painful. But I have had this card show up for some other stuff as well – heart problems for instance. And in one reading, it even told me about someone who had a hole in the heart (I don’t know what the medical term for that is, but that’s what it told me!)…
As such, this is one card I seriously don’t like to see in a relationship reading – because more often than not, when this card comes up, one of the partners has had issues in dealing with the fact that the relationship is indeed over and keeps dragging it on – eventually causing a whole lot of grief and pain for themselves.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Gina… really appreciate it…