Nine of Swords Tarot Card

Tarot Suit of Swords

Read more about the Suit of Swords below.

The Nines in the Tarot Deck are the last of the single digit numbers. They are cards of completion, the tarot cards representing achievement after which one can reflect on progress made and any associated material gains or earnings.

The 9 of Swords can be interpreted as representing nightmares, difficulties, and despair, or these issues as a route to healing and progress. In either case, it may not be a comfortable mental or emotional situation to experience while it lasts ... but the end is in sight.

The presence of the 9 of Swords in a spread can suggest that self-criticism might be contributing to a problem or adverse situation. Perhaps the people involved might be able to help themselves by releasing negative thoughts, especially those directed at themselves personally.

Take action to move on.


Keywords for possible meanings of the 9 of Swords Tarot Card include:

  • Cruelty (of mind as much as of action)
  • Doubt
  • Pain
  • Sleepness nights, possibly due to worry about oneself or about someone else or a situation e.g. financial concerns
  • Suffering
  • Suspicion

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What about the Nine of Swords Reversed ?

Some interpretations of the meaning of the 9 of Swords reversed include:

  • Feeling of stress and worry being over. Time to start anew.
  • Excessive worry without cause; imagined situation worse than reality
  • Relief: Awakening to find that the nightmare is over, alternatively a real-life 'nightmare' is ending

The Tarot Suit of Swords

The Tarot Suit of Swords is associated with the suit of Spades in standard playing cards - both have sharp edges. Although many tarot decks use the term swords to refer to this suit, it also has other names (that is, for the equivalent suit in other decks), which include daggers, blades or knives.

There are meanings associated with each of the suits in a tarot deck, as well as the more specific interpretations associated with each individual card - and yet more precise meanings pertaining to particular cards in particular locations within spreads.

The suit of swords is associated with the element of air (as in air signs of the zodiac). It is also associated with the season "Spring", and with the direction "East". The suit of swords concerns academic or philosophical thought, intellectual pursuits, truth, and clarity.

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