Five of Swords At A Glance
Keywords: Disagreements, conflict, loss, arguments, compromise, resolving confrontation, revenge, regretting actions
Season: Spring
Element: Air (thoughts, ideas and communication)
Five of Swords Tarot Card Description
The Five of Swords is the fifth card within the minor arcana suit of Swords within tarot. The traditional artwork depicts a man with a disgusted face holding five swords. He has won these in a fight from the four other people visible within the card.
Two of his opponents appear to be walking away and talking conspiratorially together. A gray background hints that though the man may have won the fight the situation isn’t over and trouble is definitely brewing.
Five of Swords Upright Meaning
When upright the Five of Swords is suggesting we may have indeed won the conflict like the man on the card holding all the swords, however the way in which we went about it or the way the situation unraveled means this is not over. It warns that we will probably face further repercussions because of the nuances of this interaction.
In the card it appears the man not only won but proceeded to gloat about it to his competitors. This is evidenced by the deriding look he gives them. The Five of Swords is not suggesting explicitly that we have done something like this in a malicious way but rather an oversight on our part has lead to an outcome where we technically get what we want but we also might get a lot of what we don’t want thrown into the mix too.
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” - Michael Jordan
Five of Swords Reversed Meaning
In its reversed position the Five of Swords is very positive. It suggests that we have managed to solve the conflict successfully in a win/win scenario for all people involved. The best part is that the friendships or relationships are not only saved by our well-handled response but actually deepened.
It can also mean we need to compromise and not prioritize the pursuit of our own ‘win’ at this time. If we live our life constantly trying to one-up everyone or step on others for our own success we will face repercussions at some point, the Five of Swords reversed warns us to learn how to play nice quickly before it’s too late.
“We need to boost each other to get to the top. It is much more effective than stepping on each other.” - Teresa Mummert
Five of Swords: Yes or No
The Five of Swords is a yes card. However with this card we learn the difference between getting what we want Vs getting what we need. It says we ‘can’ say yes to this opportunity but we may need to be careful of what we wish for.
This applies whether the card is upright or reversed.
Let’s Break Down the Five of Swords In Our Lives
How the Five of Swords discusses the different areas of our life and what it means in more specific detail.
Five of Swords In Love
The Five of Swords in love questions can indicate a period of bickering and fighting between relationships. If single it can represent a period of not clicking with any prospective lovers. For whatever reason we feel like consistently we are not being understood correctly.
Reversed the 5 of Swords suggests we have recently or will soon compromise on an issue which will finally heal a long lasting debate that we have been having. This is the same in either a platonic or a romantic relationship.
Five of Swords With Money
When we receive the Five of Swords for money questions it forewarns us that we are currently pushing too hard in a project and we can’t see the pitfalls of our rushed actions until it’s too late. We need to pull back and look more closely at the holes in our plan before we push it past the point of no return.
Reversed the Five of Swords says we have successfully avoided a financial catastrophe because we listened to good advice from an expert. We had resistance here at first and didn’t want to surrender control to change our plan. However now we feel relief because we acted on the expert advice we were given.
Five of Swords At Work
When we receive this card regarding career questions it can suggest we are being a bit too competitive in the workplace. Whether this is consciously or subconsciously it seems we have been stepping on others, micromanaging or otherwise acting in ways which are a little anti-social.
Reversed the Five of Swords stands for us beginning to use team work in the workplace and feeling the positive effects of doing so. We surrendered to giving up a little bit of control but what we have received back is tenfold in quantity. This could be for example dividing a task to conquer it quicker or socializing outside of work.
Five of Swords With Others
When we receive the 5 of Swords card and we have asked a question about the world or society it means we could be putting ourselves before others. It could suggest we are losing touch with our community as these anti-social sentiments compile. The result is us feeling extreme loneliness and bitterness.
Reversed the Five of Swords can signify we are beginning to let our guard down around others. Surrendering a bit of control in life leads us to trust in people people and gives us a better sense of well being and confidence as we navigate the world.
Five of Swords With Self
The Five of Swords with our self implies we are putting too much pressure on ourselves. The act of expecting perfection in all we do is unrealistic and leads to anxiety and low self-esteem. We must be more forgiving of ourselves because we are human not programmed machines and mistakes are how we learn.
Reversed this card suggests we are healing an area of cognitive dissonance or internal debate and we are finally able to make a decision or move on from something we have been in two-minds over for a long time. This conflict we have with ourselves is gone freeing up mental space for joy and inspiration.
Five of Swords As Feelings
The Five of Swords feels like an initial rush of pure giddy victory but is followed quickly by guilt when we recognize what we did to get the success we now have.
It can feel reckless and powerful to do whatever it takes but in the process we can step over others and cause harm.
