Upright Keywords
fear, anxiety, negativity, breaking point, despair, nightmares, isolation
Reversed Keywords
recovery, learning to cope, facing life, finding help, shame, guilt, mental health issues
The Nine ofSwords depicts a woman that is sitting on her bed while she holds herhead in her hands. It appears as though the woman has justawakened from a very bad nightmare. She seems to be upset,anxious and fearful. Nine swords are hanging on her wall, and a carvingthat depicts a person defeated by another can be found in her bed. The quilt hasbeen decorated with various astrological symbols and roses. Here we see thesame woman in that we saw earlier in the Eight of Swords - and perhaps, she wasfinally released, but haunted by the nightmares of the suffering she enduredwhile she was left and deserted.
The Nine ofSwords is often associated with fear and anxiety, about all thethings that worry you and keep you up at night. Sometimes this card can beassociated with trauma - one which may be shameful for you to confide with othersabout, and all the psychological responses that come from experiencing thattrauma.
Sometimes this cardcan be associated with trauma - one which may be shameful for you to confidewith others about
When we arenever released from the entrapment depicted in the Eight of Swords, we escalateinto the Nine of Swords, where we are plagued by nightmares. The suit of swordsis one that is concerned with the mind, with logic, with intelligence, and withcommunication, but somehow the Nine of Swords was caught on the destructive endof the mind, the one which turns inward on itself, multiplies and festers.Questions are plaguing you, and you find yourself reciting all thepossibilities - all the things that can happen to you. You are haunted by whatcould be.
There is asense of repetition within this card, that some event which has troubled youbefore, and one which you managed to either repress or run away from, is comingback again. Sharing your grief does at least provide an outlet for yourpain and may release you from carrying this burden alone. Is there anyone thatyou can feel comfortable speaking to?
Sharing your griefdoes at least provide an outlet for your pain and may release you from carryingthis burden alone.
In cases whereit is less about trauma and more about general anxiety, analyze yourself andthink if this is a feeling that is within your control or if there are otherfactors that contribute to your anxiety. Concentrate on the matters which youcan control, and learn to ask for help.
Upright Love Meaning
not trusting partner, suspicious of partner, regret from past
Upright Career Meaning
anxiety, paranoia, stress from work, no coping mechanisms
Upright Finances Meaning
panic about finances, all-consuming worries, feeling deprived
Anxieties andfears can escalate with the 9 of Swords tarot love meaning. Some nightmaresituation may be keeping you up at night. Oftentimes, this card suggests thatthe fears are not as terrible as they are in your head. You may be strugglingwith guilt, remorse, insecurity, trusting your partner, or mental healthissues. You’ll need to understand for yourself whether these feelings are trulyrational. Anxiety may be causing you avoid looking at the problem and facing ithead on, but if you took the effort to open your eyes, you may find that youcan work through these issues. If you’re single, past relationships can be asource of remorse, sadness and regret, and these feelings must be workedthrough before going into another relationship.
Stress andanxiety are the biggest features of your current work situation right now.Sometimes this card can also point to paranoia, and that things are really notas bad as you believe they are, which can be good news. Regardless of thecircumstances, work may feel incredibly overwhelming right now, and you mayreach burnout if you continue without changing anything. If your stress is dueto external factors, you may need to take concrete action, such as searchingfor somewhere else to work, or changing your career path. If your stresses aremostly due to anxiety and mental health issues, you may need to learn how tothink more positively. Internal shifts may be needed, and you may benefit fromthe help of a professional or a trusted friend to give you a more objectiveview of everything.
Financially,you may be under a lot of pressure and stress right now. The suffering you’refeeling is real, but the 9 of Swords often points towards anxiety and worriesthat come from exaggerating the situation instead of looking at itrealistically. If this is the case, your panic may be from your own negativethinking. It may be helpful to enlist an outsider’s perspective to give youadvice on what you can do.
To come acrossthe Nine of Swords reversed still signals something similar to the uprightversion - that you may find yourself being terrorized by nightmares, by anxietyand stress. Some trauma from your past is coming back, and you find the griefof unresolved issues overwhelming.
But here wealso see hope, at least there is the desire to leave this nightmare. You mustunderstand that this suffering will not cease until you yourself put in theeffort to leave it. There is much work that you must do to drag yourselftowards release. But just as you have a ways out, you must understand that youcan still fall deeper into despair. Your job is to avoid that outcome, if youpush forward you may find yourself out, but if you do not, you may findyourself sinking deeper.
Reversed Love Meaning
getting help from partner, alleviating stress by sharing
Reversed Career Meaning
clarity about work, finding peace, stresses becoming real
Reversed Finances Meaning
clarity about finances, peace, poverty, lack of resources
You may beready now to be honest and face the truth with the reversed 9 of Swords tarotlove meaning. If you’ve been suffering quietly, being honest with your partnercan be give you the release you need. It is not easy to carry the weight ofyour anxieties alone, and if your partner is supportive, they can be there togive you the reassurance you need. Through discussion, you may learn that thethings that are keeping you up at night are not as bad as you had thought theywere. If you’re single, you may be working on yourself, so that you can enter ahealthy and loving relationship again. The time is almost there, and you may befeeling ready to find love again.
The issuesthat you’re facing in your workplace can either start to lesson, or get worse.Ideally, you have figured out that your work situation isn’t as bad as itseemed, and you only needed to develop some changes in your attitude,perspective, or behavior in order to solve the problems you’ve been dealingwith. The negativity you had about your work is fading away towards brighterdays. Alternatively, your situation truly may have collapsed and gotten muchworse. You may be truly burnt out, unable to go to work because of your stress.To understand the whole picture, look at other cards in your tarotspread.
Sometimes, thereversed 9 of Swords can indicate the stress around your financial situation isgetting better - or worse. Other cards in your tarot spread will give you anindication of which. Either you’ve learned how to get a more realistic view ofyour money, or it’s gotten worse, and your fears may now be realized. Findhelp, others can be useful for support right now.
BooksArtworkBlanketPremium boxPresentatieThis project is made by Jan Otte for his final project at Ap hogeschool.
You can find more of his work at his personal website.