The swords suit represents reasoning, honesty, ambition, confrontation, and communication. It is related to the air element. These cards emphasize the dual-edged capacity and force of intelligence in readings, which are similar to the swords themselves. Our greatest disputes typically result from this delicate balance since it can be utilized for good or evil, to serve or to damage. The swords can be cruel, nasty, and lack empathy at their worst.
In This Article...
What are the tarot cards supposed to mean?
What do tarot cards generally stand for? As shamans like to say, “medicine around what is happening in your particular orbit: love, money, work, aspirations, and general life path” is what tarot cards are there for.
What do the four tarot card suits look like?
Wands, batons, or rods are used for clubs; cups are used for hearts; swords are used for spades; and coins, pentacles, or disks are used for playing cards (diamonds). Four court cards are in each suit. 10 numbered cards, a king, queen, knight, and jack, as well as The value sequence in each suit is from aces to ten, followed by jacks, knights, queens, and kings (though the ace is sometimes assigned a high value, as in modern playing cards).
What is the Tarot’s most potent card?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
Can you perform a self-tarot reading?
It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except for a few rare instances. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.
You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. In contrast to astrology, which is quite technical, our consciousness restricts our capacity to read tarot cards. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!
Questions you don’t really want answered
Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing opinion. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises analyzing why you’re reacting the way you are in order to reflect on how to effectively address the underlying problem if you ask the question and aren’t satisfied with the response.
Pentacles stand for what?
- The Ace of Coins is pictured as a hand emerging from a cloud clutching a Pentacle or a coin with a five-pointed star on it. Behind is a lovely garden that suggests a lot. It can also be compared to Eden’s Garden. Two mountain peaks can be seen outside the garden, which could symbolize the right and left pillars of the Qabalah. Both result in increased wealth. White flowers in the garden represent innocence, maybe in innocent relationships like Adam and Eve’s friendship before the fall. One of the blossoms has a cross-like shape, maybe signifying self-sacrifice. Since self-sacrifice is the only way to reach heaven, this sacrifice could be as straightforward as passing away naturally. The Ace of Pentacles, like all the Aces, represents a new beginning and something that is being presented. This is frequently a new source of income for someone. Usually, it is additional recurring money of some kind. It can represent fresh chances that bring about greater fortune. The card suggests a change in one’s financial condition for the better, or at the very least, that opportunities exist to do so. It may also indicate increased cash flow as a result of better financial management.
- When upright, the Two of Coins represents juggling, striving in a positive direction, balancing (in fact, juggling and balancing at the same time), and maintaining. Here, the equilibrium is actively being preserved; part of the preservation is self-realized. The card’s reversed meaning refers to imbalances, excessive juggling and struggling, and the card’s advise is to restore equilibrium.
- The Three of Coins has many positive connotations attached to it, including the accomplishment of perfection, the mastering of a skill in trade or job, creative aptitude, and dignity via recognition, status, or authority. When the card is in reverse, negative characteristics include sloppiness that results in a lower-quality output, a lack of expertise, cliched ideas, and obsession with off-task issues.
- The Four of Coins represents a person who loves material wealth and hoards valuable items with no intention of sharing them. The Four of Pentacles, on the other hand, gives a caution against the propensity for being wasteful when it is in reverse.
- The Five of Coins portends a challenging and terrible circumstance, one from which the victims won’t soon be able to escape. The Querent may be ambivalent, mired in uncertainty, and feeling excluded or cut off, but they are nonetheless resolute. The charities and hopes depicted in the cathedral windows are challenging to realize but nonetheless worthwhile. The man on crutches is not immediately apparent to be the right figure’s friend or foe, implying a tense relationship.
- In The Six of Coins, a businessman is shown weighing money on two scales and giving it to people in need and trouble. It represents satisfaction, but it also calls for attention because not every distressed person can be appeased. The card’s reversed meanings include desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, and illusion.
- The Seven of Coins frequently represents motion.
- In The Eight of Coins, a stone craftsman is seen working on pieces that he displays as trophies. Work, employment, commissions, craftsmanship, business acumen, possibly in the planning stages. These are the meanings associated with divination. persistent patience while keeping success in mind. Ambition, conceit, cupidity, exaction, and usury are reversed. It could also mean having skill in the sense of having an inventive mind that has been bent toward guile and intrigue.
- The Nine of Coins shows an aristocratic woman surrounded by a big estate’s worth of grapevines, most likely signifying a high level of material status. She is wearing a floral-patterned robe, and a hooded falcon is lazily perched on her arm. The ancient sport of falconry was particularly well-liked by historical nobility and kings. Given that falcons are predators, it is likely that the woman is familiar with the money and power that this sport entails and feels at ease with it because she clutches her falcon without any excitement or fear. It is also important to note that the falcon is hooded, which means it is not actively pursuing its prey. This implies that the woman is conscious of her influence yet chooses to restrain it. She is wise because she is aware of her power and knows when and how to use it. She comes across a young snail with a blue shell that is moving across her path. She has no idea that it could be fatally close. Being upright entails having wealth, sophistication, knowledge, and success.
- The Ten of Coins arranges the coins in a tree-like pattern that corresponds to the kabbalistic Tree of Life. It shows an elderly man conversing with a woman while being guarded. It frequently has to do with either family issues, financial issues, or a combination of the two. Some sources link it to wealth or even luxury. It might represent a workplace. This card is referred to as Wealth in the Thoth Tarot deck and is connected to Virgo’s third decan, which is ruled by Venus. Mercury is said to rule Virgo’s second decan, which is said to be ruled by Venus.
- A youthful individual is frequently represented by the Page of Coins.
- The young guy with a dark complexion and features is represented by the Knight of Coins. This mixes the imagery of knights and black completeness, as well as the suit of coins and male adolescents and young adults. The card could also stand for someone who is determined, tenacious, serious, or set in their ways. This card can also be used when a person is struggling with a dilemma where one of those problems is involved, such as when they are debating whether to stick up for themselves in a conflict or not. With the exception of the Knight of Swords, the knights of the tarot represent defense. The Marseilles Tarot and other earlier representations of these Knights were disarmed, but the Rider-Waite deck gave them armor. The Knight of Coins might therefore stand for protecting one’s assets or one’s well-being.
- “Sensual and earthy, she appreciates abundance in many facets of her life,” is how the Queen of Coins is defined. She enjoys luxury and is generous with her wealth. A pregnancy or fertile times are suggested by the Queen of Pentacles. The Queen of Coins, like all court cards, is typically taken to refer to a person who has some significance in the questioner’s life, however it could also symbolize the asker. According to legend, queens stand for mothers, mature women, or young women who are wise beyond their years. She can also be a hard worker for material success, a businesswoman, a supporter of the arts, a provider, etc. She is a caring, maternal, down-to-earth individual who is interested in the wellbeing of others, particularly those she looks out for. Dark hair and eyes, a dark complexion, and a strong physique are among the physical traits associated with the suit of coins. In the Reversed version, this Queen disregards her duties while maintaining her persona regardless of the situation.
- The King of Coins shows a wise, experienced adult with significant earthly power; he is typically shown as a diplomatic businessman. The King of Pentacles has a reputation for being frugal. He enjoys receiving material presents and sensuous treats. This man has social prestige and values keeping up with the Joneses highly. On the down side, he could have an ego so enormous that the querent would be foolish to offend him. The image on the card shows a man who may assist the reader in gaining the social and practical understanding necessary to get money or respectability. The occurrence of this card, like the other court cards, could indicate interaction with a person of this great standing. Unless previous cards have further backed this, it does not always represent material wealth to the querant. A guy is shown seated on a black throne that is decorated with a gold bull in the Rider-Waite deck. His clothing is covered in grapes, and a castle may be seen in the distance.
What do swords in tarot represent?
The suit of Swords is used in divination to represent masculinity, intelligence, grief, and bad luck. The suit has been linked to the element of air. Etteilla and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers compared the Swords suit to the French pack’s Spades suit.
- The Swords Ace exhibits a capacity for decision. clearing up confusion adopting an extreme stance or choice. the capacity to spot lies and expose them.
- The Swordsmen’s Two The two swords represent uncertainty in judgment. apathy and a sense of helplessness giving rise to fear The Two of Swords can represent impartiality and absence of bias if the other cards in the spread are favorable.
- The Swordsman’s Trio The element of the intellect that is unduly critical, especially of itself, is represented by this card. the irrational need to analyze a situation more thoroughly than is necessary. A bleeding heart is frequently shown being pierced by the three swords. The swords stand in for the mind and the heart, which are invariably the victims of this treatment.
- The Swordsman’s Four The four of swords represents avoiding something. putting issues (the swords on the wall) to one side and pleading for deliverance. This card may also be used to denote submission or, in some instances, pacifism.
- The Swords’ Five This card represents success via betrayal. the void that follows a difficult struggle. the exclusion of others by hostility.
- The Swordsman’s Six risky travel. Regarding this card’s alignment, readers frequently disagree. It may portend a fruitless undertaking or, on the other hand, suggest leaving hazardous seas. It also conveys accountability to others.
- The Swords Seven This card symbolizes clandestine actions. the excessive attempt to get away with something that ultimately compromises you. In a positive interpretation, the card can allude to making sacrifices in order to advance. Simplifying. It could also imply that deceptive or manipulative behavior is being used.
- The Swords’ Eight feeling unable to change and being oppressed and trapped by others Although the disease is frequently brought on by oneself, outside factors are often blamed for its origin. The persistent dedication to an ideal is another meaning of this card.
- The Swords Nine The Nine of Swords is undoubtedly the most feared card in the deck, despite the fact that tarot readers traditionally dislike classifying cards as good or bad. However, it can also represent the grieving or letting go process and, when combined with other healing cards like the Queen of Wands, can be very helpful.
- The Swordsman’s Ten The Ten puts a stop to the nightmare from The Nine of Swords. Even if the outcome may not be perfect and there may be tiredness, the ordeal is over and the truth has been revealed. The Ten of Swords can also represent the conclusion of a recurring pattern. Divorce.
- The Swords Page the capacity to closely watch others while hiding one’s own nature. the capacity for secrecy. Maintaining composure in the face of peril. the capacity to withstand suspense.
- The Wrath of the Swords Knight. Impatience. Fanaticism. blind addiction to doing instead than thinking. Possibly also a sign of bravery and innovation.
- The Swords Queen The epitome of independence is represented by this card. strength, wisdom, and strategic thinking. the capacity to quickly and easily identify a solution to an issue. The Queen of Swords’ negative connotations include loneliness, melancholy, and ruthlessness.
- The Swords King Passionate discipline. Strength and wisdom. can represent despotism.
Essentially a pip tarot deck is similar to a deck of regular playing cardswhich is how Tarot began, before illustrations were added, to help one visualise the meanings behind each of the cards.
There are the face or royal cards, or the jack/page, king, and queen, in both pip Tarot decks and standard playing card decks. The pip cards are the final ten cards in each suit.
As a result, each minor suit’s cards 1 through 10 feature few images, much like a standard deck of playing cards.
As this is my first ever Pip Tarot deck, learning numerology and understanding what each suit represents seem to be two key factors that are helping so much.
Without as many visual cues to tell me what each card signifies, it’s also really challenging my understanding of the Tarot. When you first utilize pip cards after becoming accustomed to the traditional Waite-Smith Tarot method, you’ll undoubtedly realize how much you’ve visually memorized versus how much you know simply by thinking of a particular card.
Don’t rule out anything that comes to mind for you intuitively while reading any cards for divination. There’s a good chance you need to hear this message.
How do you personally use tarot cards?
I discovered early on in my tarot excursions that knowing the meanings of each card isn’t necessary, even if there is much value and wisdom to be gained from them. Your intuition holds the key to learning how to interpret tarot cards. And this makes sense given that they are instruments for receiving and deciphering messages from the universe or our inner selves. Get the best advice from readers below to learn how to read tarot cards for yourself instinctively and without memorization.
After a breakup
Draw one card for each of the following inquiries if you’ve recently broken up with someone and want to know more about the reason or determine whether you’ll get back together:
- How energetic is the partnership right now?
- What caused the divide in the first place?
- What do they really think of me right now?
- What do they intend for me right now?
- What kind of relationship will this be in the future?
- Which action is ideal for me to take right now?
When job searching
You can use this spread to explore what kind of career guidance the tarot can offer if you’re feeling uncertain about your career path or thinking about a new employment. Draw one card once more for each query.
- How active am I in my career right now?
- What challenge must I overcome?
- What is my calling in life?
- How can I follow this calling more closely?
- What should I do to prepare for the upcoming month?
When deciding between two options
This spread can highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each option, guiding you toward the best decision if you’re using tarot to pick between two possibilities (two job offers, two apartments, perhaps a love triangle???). Getting the deal Per card, ask one question.
- What’s the underlying root cause of this crossroads?
- What is the likely result of choosing option A?
- What is the most likely result for option B?
- What more should I take into account that was overlooked?
- What’s the best thing I can do right now?
When something is off with a friend
If you’re concerned about the state of a friendship or feel like something is wrong but are unable to pinpoint the cause, you might be interested in seeing what conclusions and solutions this spread offers. Ask one question per card, once more, I repeat.
- What makes this friendship so crucial?
- What led to this sudden change in tone, and why?
- What has changed, in my friend’s opinion?
- What can I do to make this matter more urgent?
- What is the future of this friendship?
- What should I do at this moment?
