MINOR ARCANA

Knight of Swords Tarot Meanings

The appearance of the Knight of Swords can sometimes feel a little full on because he is the combination of fire and air, a fire tornado if you will. We can even see how this aggressiveness comes across in the imagery on the Knight of Swords card.

He’s charging towards, no second thoughts no time for thinking things through. This is a card that often shows up when we are being too hasty in our decision-making, or we’re letting panic and fear make us feel like we’re running out of time so we do whatever comes to mind first.

Knight of Swords Upright Meanings

In the upright position, the Knight of Swords can represent our confidence of mind, the assuredness that what we have planned or the way we see the world is the right way and worth taking action on. Some of the key meanings of the Knight of Swords are:

Confident (specifically in the realm of intelligence and knowledge)
Ambitious ideas
Impulsive behaviour
Bold actions

The Knight of Swords has evolved from the naivety of the Page of Swords and has now entered into teen energy. It’s an energy that is very sure of itself but without wisdom, in-depth knowledge, or sound logic.

Knight of Swords Reversed Meanings

In the reversed position, the Knight of Swords becomes very overpowering. The reversed position amplifies the card’s already fiery and out-of-control nature and turns it into something that quickly becomes an obstacle. Some of the main reversed meanings of the Knight of Swords are:

Egotistical
Doing without thinking
Aggressive communication

The Knight of Swords reversed is a card that lacks self-control or moderation. Often it is an energy that we have to stay mindful of and check in with to make sure that it’s not taking full control over how you act, react and behave.

Reading Knight of Swords in a Tarot Spread

When the Knight of Swords comes charging in full pelt, no holds barred and no questions asked, we have to look to see what he is charging towards. Is his goal beneficial for what we are trying to accomplish? Will this energy cause more obstacles or issues, particularly in our external world? Really analyse to see what effect the Knight of Swords could have if left to go on unattended.

Knight of Swords as An Invitation

As an invitation, the Knight of Swords asks us to check ourselves at the door. We have to take a look at our reasoning behind the actions we choose to take and get clear about what it is we are charging towards and why.

For Knight of Swords, this invitation could be the following:

An invitation to act on an idea that has really captured your passions
An invitation to assess whether you are being proactive or impulsive
An invitation to take a risk and attack a challenge head-on

Knight of Swords as Sage Advice

All the knights are very active cards, which means their advice can be very direct and to the point. With the Knight of Swords, the advice we receive is all about being confident with our ideas, being held responsible for our own impulsive behaviours and being held accountable for our actions.

Some advice Knight of Swords may offer is:

When things feel like they are moving too quickly, stop and take a second to breathe and re-group
Don’t overthink the things that your gut is 100% sure on
Never be afraid of ambitious ideas
Sometimes to get to where we want to be, we have to take bold actions which we never thought we’d take

Knight of Swords as a Lesson

The biggest lesson the Knight of Swords swoops in to teach us is that we always have to have a balance of gut instinct and logical thinking. We have to find a way to make the fire and air in us work together in harmony, instead of allowing one to overpower or fuel the other.

Some lessons that Knight of Swords may offer you are:

A lesson in managing impulsive behaviour
A lesson in communicating compassionately with others and listening to the opinions, ideas and thoughts of others without judgement or being defensive
A lesson in the power of ego and how to identify when ours is becoming inflated

Knight of Swords as a Redirection

As a redirection, the Knight of Swords can show us when we are taking too much of a heavy-handed approach. It often tells us that we need to pull back and try and find a gentler way of dealing with our situation or problem.

As a redirection, Knight of Swords could symbolise a need to:

Pull back a little and spend some time observing and listening
Think before we leap
Break down ambitious ideas into bite-sized chunks to make them easier to achieve
Be confident, but not impulsive or egotistical in our actions

Swords

The Swords are the suit of communication, intellect, thoughts and beliefs. They are the tools we can use to really cut to the very heart of a situation. They allow us to speak and think truthfully and question when something needs more thought or a new perspective.

With the Knight of Swords, the Knight uses the sword as his weapon of choice, swinging it at random hoping it will finally strike his target.

Knight of Swords Tarot Meanings - Elemental

Air + Fire

The Swords are the suit of air however the Knights are filled with the element of fire, forcing these two elements to come together. Sometimes we can see amazing results from the collaboration of these two elements, however it can also be devastatingly destructive.

Often the Knight of Swords appears when we have been too hasty in a decision or too forward with how we have communicated something.

Knights

In history we all recognise the figure of the Knight as being a soldier. He spends most of his time on the battlefield and therefore has a fiery and action led demeanour.

When we apply this trait to the airy Swords, we get someone who can be very argumentative, quick to speak their mind and brutally honest. This can cause a great deal of conflict if the circumstances are not perfect.