A Guide to Tarot Card Readings

Suit of Swords

Click a card image to see more about the card.

Ace of Swords

Keywords

Logic, objectivity, intellect, choice

Range of Meaning

Light: Making objective decisions. Applying logic. Reasoning your way out of a difficult situation. Solving puzzles. Thinking things through. Emphasizing the facts. Clearing your mind. Seeking clarity.

Shadow: Applying ruthless or twisted logic. Gloating over your own superior intellect. Using quick thinking to deceive or confuse others. Confusing snap judgments with quick thinking. Making decisions without thinking through consequences.

Two of Swords

Keywords

Denial, debate, impasse, truce

Range of Meaning

Light: Refusing to make a decision without getting the facts. Exploring both sides of an argument. Arguing passionately for what you believe in. Weighing the issues. Encouraging the open exchange of ideas. Discussing political or religious issues without getting “hot under the collar.”

Shadow: Rejecting evidence that conflicts with dearly-held beliefs. Arguing with others just for the sake of doing so. Nit-picking. Putting off a decision because you’re afraid to face the consequences. Preventing others from getting the information they need to make good decisions.

Three of Swords

Keywords

Variance, difference, dissatisfaction, heartache, rejection

Range of Meaning

Light: Being brave enough to see things as they really are. Exercising your critical eye. Being your own best critic. Acknowledging that things don’t always turn out as planned. Moving past heartbreak to embrace a painful truth.

Shadow: Wallowing in despair. Allowing yourself to be completely crushed by the thoughts, words, or deeds of another. Judging yourself too harshly. Holding yourself to an unrealistic standard of excellence. Wearing your heart on your sleeve while carrying a chip on your shoulder.

Four of Swords

Keywords

Meditation, contemplation, perspective, mindset

Range of Meaning

Light: Thinking over your plans before putting them into action. Pausing to meditate or clear your mind. Taking time to understand someone or something before criticizing it. Resting. Occupying your thoughts with a healthy distraction.

Shadow: Failing to think things through. Mistaking procrastination for thoughtfulness. Adopting a point of view and refusing to reconsider your conclusions, even when presented with refuting evidence. Allowing chaos and whimsy to dominate your thoughts.

Five of Swords

Keywords

Selfishness, hostility, irrationality, self-preservation

Range of Meaning

Light: Acting in your own best interest. Choosing to stand up for yourself. Not backing down from disagreement and discord. Taking a stand. Refusing to go along with an unethical plan. Knowing when to bend the rules.

Shadow: Taking advantage of others. Intimidating others. Acting in an unethical manner. Picking fights. Using words to goad others into violence and irrationality. Ignoring rules you’ve agreed to abide by. Looking out for yourself while allowing harm to come to others. Gloating over victory.

Six of Swords

Keywords

Adaptation, adjustments, science, travel

Range of Meaning

Light: Making the best of a bad situation. Recovering from defeat. Resetting expectations. Making allowances for unexpected circumstances. Helping others who find themselves in dire circumstances. Changing the way you see the world. Broadening your perspective through study or travel.

Shadow: Refusing to accept that things have changed. Playing the victim. Rejecting the idea that your actions have consequences. Applying scientific criteria to matters of faith, or confusing faith with science. Believing the whole world should be like your small corner of it.

Seven of Swords

Keywords

Dishonesty, presumption, sneakiness, assumptions

Range of Meaning

Light: Refusing to do something dishonest, even when there’s no chance of ever being caught. Handling a difficult situation with finesse. Pointing out assumptions. Acting ethically in public and in private. Living a life that is beyond reproach.

Shadow: Stealing or lying. Doing whatever you can get away with, simply because you can. Looking for a way around consequences. Justifying wicked behavior by focusing on the wickedness of others. Failing to examine your own motives and prejudices.

Eight of Swords

Keywords

Restriction, limitation, confinement, helplessness

Range of Meaning

Light: Honoring limits. Respecting the rules. Deciding to go on a diet for your health’s sake. Recognizing you cannot always be in control. Identifying obstacles to further progress. Refusing to think about unhealthy or unethical options. Asking for assistance.

Shadow: Feeling trapped. Being lost in a maze of rules and regulations. Giving in to despair. Playing the victim. Allowing others to dictate what you can and cannot do. Being rendered helpless. Having very few options. Failing to look for a way out.

Nine of Swords

Keywords

Remorse, worry, distraught, conclusion

Range of Meaning

Light: 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: 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.

Ten of Swords

Keywords

Exhaustion, ruin, disaster, stamina, obsession

Range of Meaning

Light: Seeing the signs that you’ve reached your limits. Paying attention to what your body is trying to tell you. Giving in to the need for rest and renewal. Acknowledging that you’ve hit bottom. Committing to a turnaround. Knowing the worst is over.

Shadow: Accepting defeat prematurely. Driving yourself to total exhaustion, especially mentally. Experiencing a mental breakdown. Obsessing on a problem to the breaking point. Giving up. Refusing to move from thought to action. Deeply unhealthy thoughts.

Page of Swords

Keywords

Student, apprentice, scholarship, information

Range of Meaning

Light: Pursuing a course of study. Asking good questions. Investing time in study and practice. Doing research. Making a habit of learning new things. Starting an investigation. Outlining what you need to know. Finding a mentor or teacher.

Shadow: Pretending to knowledge or sophistication you do not possess. Cheating on an exam. Feigning interest as a way of gaining favor. Considering only the evidence that supports conclusions you’ve already drawn. Rejecting the wise counsel of experienced teachers.

Knight of Swords

Keywords

Bluntness, intelligence, incisiveness, investigation

Range of Meaning

Light: Speaking your mind. Making your opinions known. Offering constructive criticism. Sharing your knowledge. Making insightful observations. Pinpointing the problem. Clarifying what others have said. Giving clear direction to others. Uncovering the truth.

Shadow: Stating your opinions as fact. Picking fights. Starting arguments. Using clever insults to undermine the confidence of others. Tossing reason out the window. Speaking without taking the feelings of others into account. Going on a witch hunt. Distorting evidence.

Queen of Swords

Keywords

Grace, skill, wit, charm, aptitude

Range of Meaning

Light: Exercising tact or using diplomacy. Defusing a tense situation. Knowing what to say and how to say it. Making others feel comfortable and confident. Bringing out the best in everyone. Having a way with words. Telling jokes. Possessing a knack for music, math, art, or science.

Shadow: Knowing exactly what to say to destroy another person. Withholding critical information. Using a barbed tongue to upset others. Employing sarcasm. Mimicking others unkindly. Making light of the less fortunate. Being disrespectful. Failing to use the talent you’ve been given.

King of Swords

Keywords

Genius, expertise, decision, verdict

Range of Meaning

Light: Expressing yourself with firmness and authority. Rendering a final decision. Consulting an expert. Calling in advisors and consultants. Coming to a final conclusion. Reaching a beneficial agreement based on sound information.

Shadow: Insisting on having the last word. Flaunting your intellectual capability. Talking “over the heads” of others. Waffling on an important decision. Constantly changing your mind. Refusing to make choices that are in your own best interest. Wishing in vain you could take back what’s been said.