Orbitarot

Suit of Swords Tarot Card Meanings

Swords are the suit of air: thoughts, words, decisions and conflict. They can be sharp, but they also bring clarity and truth.

Ace of SwordsTwo of SwordsThree of SwordsFour of SwordsFive of SwordsSix of SwordsSeven of SwordsEight of SwordsNine of SwordsTen of SwordsPage of SwordsKnight of SwordsQueen of SwordsKing of Swords

Swords by the numbers

In the Golden Dawn system behind the 1909 deck, Swords belong to the element of air. The suit has 14 cards: Ace to Ten, then four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King).

Upright, 6 of the 14 cards lean yes, 2 lean maybe (Two of Swords and Four of Swords) and 6 lean no (Three of Swords, Five of Swords, Seven of Swords, Eight of Swords, Nine of Swords and Ten of Swords). Reversed, none of them leans yes: 13 lean maybe and 1 leans no. Each card's reason is in the yes or no table.

One card drawn from the full deck is one of the Swords 17.95% of the time (14 in 78). In a three-card reading, at least one Swords card turns up 45.23% of the time (1 minus C(64,3)/C(78,3)). When Swords is the most common suit in a spread, with at least two cards and at least a third of the spread, the story under your reading names it as the strongest suit: thoughts, words and tension.

Quick meanings

CardUpright, in short
Ace of Swordsclarity, truth, a breakthrough, sharp thinking. Yes or no: yes
Two of Swordsindecision, stalemate, a difficult choice, avoidance. Yes or no: maybe
Three of Swordsheartbreak, grief, painful truth, sorrow. Yes or no: no
Four of Swordsrest, recovery, retreat, contemplation. Yes or no: maybe
Five of Swordsconflict, a hollow win, tension, defeat. Yes or no: no
Six of Swordstransition, moving on, calmer waters, leaving behind. Yes or no: yes
Seven of Swordsdeception, strategy, secrecy, getting away with something. Yes or no: no
Eight of Swordsfeeling trapped, self-doubt, limiting beliefs, helplessness. Yes or no: no
Nine of Swordsworry, anxiety, sleepless nights, overthinking. Yes or no: no
Ten of Swordsa painful ending, hitting bottom, release, closure. Yes or no: no
Page of Swordscuriosity, new ideas, alertness, eagerness to learn. Yes or no: yes
Knight of Swordsswift action, ambition, determination, bold words. Yes or no: yes
Queen of Swordsclarity, independence, honesty, clear boundaries. Yes or no: yes
King of Swordsauthority, logic, fairness, clear thinking. Yes or no: yes

Questions

Who are the court cards of Swords?

Four cards: Page of Swords (curiosity, new ideas), Knight of Swords (swift action, ambition), Queen of Swords (clarity, independence), King of Swords (authority, logic).

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