MINOR ARCANA
Five of Swords Tarot Meanings
There is a sense of chaos with the Five of Swords, but as it is a swords card, this chaos takes place in our logical, conscious mind. It could be influenced by external sources, but more often than not it is chaotic energy that we need to harness within our own minds. I often liken it to when you come back from work after a long break and your brain feels like it can’t grasp hold of anything.
The best way to imagine the Five of Swords is to think of a time where you felt under pressure to make a decision or when you’ve been completely lost and panicked as to what you should do. Often the answer to moving through this card is a very logical one, but the whirlwind of our own thoughts can make it hard to gain clarity.
Five of Swords Upright Meanings
In the upright position, Five of Swords can hint at a situation that we need to find clarity. This could be spending time thinking about different solutions or even just recognising how we are self-sabotaging our own efforts. Some of the key meanings of Five of Swords upright are:
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Solutions
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Limitations
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Self-importance
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Conflict
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Respect
Commonly, the Five of Swords comes to us when we are finding it hard to grasp the reality of a situation, this could be due to overthinking, anxiety, or even an inflated ego. When this card comes up, it’s always a good idea to take a step back and look at both your behaviour and your thought patterns.
Five of Swords Reversed Meanings
With the Five of Swords in reverse we turn this energy directly to ourselves and really open up to the lessons it’s trying to teach us. Often Five of Swords in reverse is a need to take responsibility for your own actions. Some of the reversed meanings of the Five of Swords are:
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Resolutions
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Resentment
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Openness
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Self-respect
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Compromise
You can see how in this case, the reversed meaning is a little softer and more compassionate. It becomes more about conscious introspection, rather than critiquing our mindset and behaviours.
Reading Five of Swords in a Tarot Spread
If there was one single phrase that summed up the Five of Swords, it would be ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. If you let the little things get to you, then they soon start to pile up and that’s when things start to feel like too much to handle. Take a big deep breath and try and look through the panic and tunnel vision to see the whole picture.
Five of Swords as An Invitation
The Five of Swords has a core invitation that it presents to us when it appears in our spread and that invitation is to see the bigger picture. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but the Five of Swords offers a hand to show you how you can start to do just that.
For Five of Swords, this invitation could be the following:
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An invitation to expand your vision to see the whole of a situation rather than small parts of it
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An invitation to think outside of the box when it comes to finding solutions to a problem
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An invitation to check your own ego and self-importance, are you being unreasonable?
Five of Swords as Sage Advice
The Five of Swords really helps us to check our own behaviour, especially when we’ve been getting carried away with things. It suggests that we see ourselves from someone else’s perspective or a moment, in order to see ourselves for how we truly are and not how we think we are.
Some advice Five of Swords may offer is:
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To assess whether you’re showing the right level of respect to others
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To take the high road within a conflict and to not allow others to drag you down into pettiness
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To let go of resentment, as it will only make you bitter and act out of character
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To stand up for yourself and stop worrying about what others might think
Five of Swords as a Lesson
The Five of Swords aims to teach us about self-awareness. It suggests areas where we may have lost awareness and how we can find our way back. It can also be a lesson on being able to identify manipulation in others and when we are being taken advantage of.
Some lessons that Five of Swords may offer you are:
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Not everyone will have your back and you need to learn to identify those people before they can influence or derail you
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To learn where the line is between confidence and arrogance
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To learn what mutual respect looks like and how you can build it with others
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To learn how to be open and forward with others so as to not unintentionally manipulate or deceive people
Five of Swords as a Redirection
The Five of Swords is a big pivot away from what is happening in the present. It’s a strong sign that the way you are currently tackling a situation is not the right way. Five of Swords suggests a better way forward that will benefit everyone involved.
As a redirection, Five of Swords could symbolise a need to:
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Take a look at your role within a conflict and see where you could make changes to your approach
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Assess your own behaviour and question whether you are being the ‘bigger man’ or if you’re being equally as petty or stubborn
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Look at what your intentions are and whether they are genuine or if they have an undercurrent of negativity
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Be the one that brings solutions to the table instead of adding to the problem
Swords
As we’ve come to understand, the Swords work within the mental and communicative realm. I like to imagine the cycle of the Swords visually, seeing more and more swords added to our pile and thinking about the outcome of this ever growing collection.
When we get to the Five of Swords, we start to have to juggle a lot more, things become harder to grasp hold of and therefore we may not be as cohesive as we once were.
Air
All Swords relate to the element of air. In the Five of Swords we start to feel this air start to pick up once again. It’s not overwhelming, but we start to feel it making things harder to control and disrupts our focus.
As we’re coming out of the restful reflection of the Four of Swords, imagine simply stepping out of your resting place on a windy day and think about what that might feel like.
Fives
Within numerology, the number five is the number of humanity. It refers to imperfection and struggle to comprehend that. It’s a feeling of starting to lose your grip but still maintaining some control to help you feel like you’ve got your hands on the wheel.
In the Five of Swords we deal with the idea of chaos, not complete destruction, but definitely a conflict that needs to be fully thought through. Solutions need to be found, even if they are only temporary.
