MINOR ARCANA
Seven of Swords Tarot Meanings
The Seven of Swords introduces the concept of deception and dishonesty in all its forms. Whether you aren’t being completely honest with yourself or if you’ve been misleading or flat out lying to someone else, the Seven of Swords appears to make you see the error of your ways.
A lack of judgement is something we can all fall prey too and in the throes of temptation, we can make decisions that are against our true character. The Seven of Swords allows us to stop and take note of the things we are doing or putting out in the world that we know, on some level, are not genuine.
Seven of Swords Upright Meanings
In the upright position, Seven of Swords indicates that there is some dishonesty going around, whether it’s coming from you or it’s directed at you is something that needs to be determined by the accompanying cards or the position within the spread. Some of the key meanings of Seven of Swords upright are:
Deception
Dishonesty
Need clarity
Subterfuge
Betrayal
Something to remember about the Seven of Swords is that you aren’t always the victim, sometimes you are the one that is deceiving others or even yourself. When we talk about the Seven of Swords in the context of guided reading, then we would take the meanings seen above and think about whether we are inflicting them on ourselves before we direct the meanings towards external energies.
Seven of Swords Reversed Meanings
The Seven of Swords in the reversed position can refer to the result of the deception we see in the upright position. It can indicate that we will be getting what’s coming to us or the external energy that is causing the deception will soon be confronted. Some of the reversed meanings of the Seven of Swords are:
Confessions
Conscious
Manipulation
Caught out
Truth-telling
Lies and deceit will always be exposed eventually, the Seven of Swords reminds us of this so that we can take the right course of action. It may mean we do damage control or take responsibility for our own actions.
Reading Seven of Swords in a Tarot Spread
Like I said above, it’s important not to automatically jump to the conclusion that you’re being lied to, this energy applies equally to our internal world as it does our external one. When the Seven of Swords pops up in a spread, take a look at where it is placed, what other cards surround it and how those energies could influence the meaning of the Seven of Swords card.
Seven of Swords as An Invitation
Often the Seven of Swords will be an invitation to look at our own behaviours or the behaviours of those around us, to try and spot where there may be dishonesty. Within more spiritual guidance readings, the Seven of Swords will invite us to assess how we communicate with ourselves and whether we are allowing our conscious mind to access all the information we possess in the most genuine way possible. Are we lying to ourselves? Are we repressing something?
For Seven of Swords, this invitation could be the following:
An invitation to review what we are telling ourselves and whether it is 100% truthful
An invitation to analyse the root of our negative thinking in order to find out where the real problems lie
An invitation to call out bullshit when you see it and to not allow people to think they have control over you
Seven of Swords as Sage Advice
The Seven of Swords is a lesson in both trust and self-communication. When we read the Seven of Swords as a piece of advice, we are being told to look for the truth in the situation and to not just take things as they appear.
Some advice Seven of Swords may offer is:
To always question something if your gut is telling you there’s something going on behind the scenes
Always be honest with yourself, even if it’s a tough pill to swallow
If you are having to deceive someone to get what you want, you haven’t really won
Seven of Swords as a Lesson
The Seven of Swords offers us lessons in responsibility, truthfulness and guilt. Often we are required to swallow our pride and face the music, something that requires a lot of bravery and self-compassion. Owning your faults and flaws is something that can help you reach the next stage in your spiritual and personal growth, so the Seven of Swords is a powerful lesson card.
Some lessons that Seven of Swords may offer you are:
Dishonesty will never pay off in the long term
It feels a lot better to own up to our mistakes than it does burying them
A guilty conscience is one of the hardest things to live with and the heaviest of burdens to carry
Seven of Swords as a Redirection
When it comes to redirection, the Seven of Swords is the card that spins you around and tells you to go back to face up to what you’ve done. Most likely, you’ll be trying to get as far away from the Seven of Swords as possible, whether that’s externally or internally. However, when it comes up in your reading, it is telling you there is no carrying on until you’ve dealt with the truth and accepted it.
As a redirection, Seven of Swords could symbolise a need to:
Own up to your dishonest actions against others
Analyse whether you are being honest with yourself and work through the fog to see the truth of a situation
See someone for who they truly are and not who we want them to be
Tell the truth, whatever that means in the context of your situation, in order to allow things to move forwards smoothly
Swords
The Swords rules over our communication, intellect and belief systems. It is a suit that refers to the mental and communicative cycles we move through day to day. These can range from conversations with ourselves to the simple thoughts that pop into our heads.
In the Seven of Swords we’re looking at our thoughts in a more philosophical way. We are questioning things more, thinking in broader strokes and questioning the things we ‘know’ to be true.
Air
The Swords correspond with the element of air, helping us to cut right to the heart of a situation or problem. It can be fast and destructive or slow and calming.
In the Seven of Swords, we come up against this element of air as it starts to pick up, border-lining on a hurricane. There’s a lot to try and take stock of, but as it whirls around us it can be difficult to grab hold of any one thing in particular. This is the same for our thoughts or even the words we choose to communicate something to others.
Sevens
In numerology the number seven is known as a spiritual number. Many good things come in sevens, from days of the week to the phrase ‘lucky number seven’.
The Seven of Swords looks at our thoughts, beliefs and forms of communication in a more spiritual or philosophical way. It can ask us to really look at and assess the intention behind what we say and do. We can be tasked with thinking more deeply about a situation or trying to find a new perspective entirely.
