I’ve already brought up The Tarot, speaking a little about two of the cards that I’ve most seen showing up in horror stories. Nevertheless, I’d like to go further with it and bring up The Suit of Swords.
In the Tarot cards system, there are 4 suits: the Suit of Wands, the Suit of Pentacles, the Suit of Cups, and the Suit of Swords. Frequently, given the deck, they go by other names but remain the same in essence. All 4 suits can be intriguing and fascinating in their own way, but the Suit of Swords stands out to me as the one holding some of the most painful and torturous cards.
Its element is air, which you can visualize as the space in which the sword moves. But symbolically, it represents the plane of thought and ideas, as well as the truth that comes with, from, and because of them.
The swords, which may also come as other sharp weapons, such as knives and daggers, indicate what cuts through and penetrates matters, issues, or any other thing. You likely have heard the phrases “they have a sharp mind” and “their words were sharp”. Or even “it stung”. All of these relate to what the Suit of Swords is about and encompasses.
The Ace of Swords, being the first card and the one that holds the potential for the rest, can be an auspicious one to receive - especially if you’re a cerebral person who appreciates clarity and accuracy. It marks the beginning of a venture that may be quite intellectual in nature and grant you many answers to your questions, making rational sense of everything as you go. However, what horrors (or disruptive events) you’ll encounter as you proceed are not foretold with exactitude, merely vaguely implied. Yet, some of them may be neatly defined in a few of the following cards.
There are three cards that can be particularly unnerving to receive in a personal reading: The Three of Swords, The Eight of Swords, and The Nine of Swords. All of which can often be perceived as filling or driving horror stories.
• The Three of Swords
This card is basically about heartache and heartbreak. The first time I read about it, I was confused. Isn’t instead the Suit of Cups supposed to cover matters of the heart while the Suit of Swords covers matters of the mind? Well, there are certain overlaps. And in this case, the Three of Swords still focuses and highlights the effects of the mind, how hurtful realizations and knowing can be, how traumatic an enlightening experience can be when it’s metaphorically (or quite literally) equivalent to being stabbed multiple times in the chest. And the heart, naturally, responds to that.
• The Eight of Swords
This card is basically about being or believing that you’re trapped. May refer to a situation that is difficult to break out from, that you have trouble figuring your way out of. It may point to the hopelessness that you feel because of it. Still, it hints at how you may be missing something, how you may be blind to resources or escape routes - which shows that perhaps you’re not as helpless as it seems.
• The Nine of Swords
This card is basically about anguish and torment. Whether you’re having nightmares while you're asleep or living a nightmare while you’re awake, making you distraught and consuming you. You may be acting as your own worst enemy, actively attacking yourself, or you may be struggling with intrusive and lingering images and voices that are destructive or too much, all at once, for you. But while the number 9 points to the severity of it (so many goddamn swords), it can also be a reminder that it will be all over if you pull through.
In the Tarot, not all suits end on a happy note with their tenth card. In fact, only the Suit of Pentacles and the Suit of Cups do. The Suit of Wands ends in burnout. Whereas, the Suit of Swords ends in what would resemble taking the red pill and ultimately unplugging from The Matrix to face up to a crude reality.
The good news is that, regardless, there are Court cards. And rather than being at the mercy of swords, you may wield their power as a Page, Knight, Queen, and/or King of Swords.
Is ignorance bliss and are you content in it?