All Aces are new beginnings. The Ace of Swords is a new chapter in life that maybe you wouldn’t have chosen and won’t feel too happy about, but I promise you, it’s a powerful new start and you will one day look back and thank your lucky stars for the opportunity.A good example of this card is being told that your partner is leaving you and suddenly finding yourself on your own as a single mother, struggling. However, you may well look back in a few months time and realise that you never really were happy – and the new partner that you’ve now been free to meet is much better. You look back and thank your lucky stars that life gave you a second chance.
The 2 Swords shows a picture of two paths to choose from. But look closely – they both lead to the same place – happiness! All you have to do is make a choice of which way to go – which path in life to take. The anxiousness felt in this card is strong, having to make a decision can often be worse than the end result you fear. The gypsy meaning for this card is Divorce…
The 3 Swords is a very sad card. The woman in the picture is upset and cradling her stomach. This card is telling us of heartbreak, arguments, rows, and even physical illness; particularly problems in the stomach area, Gynaecological, pregnancy issues etc. But, it’s only a three, meaning that the situation will heal and life will improve, making the problems short lived.
The 4 of Swords is telling us to rest. It says do not rush into a situation – you will deeply regret it if you push. Our lady is now lying on top of a bed, healing, letting herself heal physically and emotionally. A simple word linked to this card is – wait!
The 5 of Swords is not a nice card. It quite literally says NO. No, it will not work; no it isn’t going to happen, no, you will not be happy with the outcome. Look at the anger in the guy’s faces. This card tells of arguments, violence, and really unpleasant times if you proceed. If you push this, you will have egg on your face and people will take great pleasure in telling you “I told you so.“
The 6 of Swords – Wow – about the only nice card in this suit! This one says finally, an end to a difficult cycle. Calmer times are ahead but …you have to do whatever it takes to change the current situation you are in. The gypsy meanings are change of job/home. But they aren’t going to happen all by themselves. You have to instigate them, to create the life you want and the end to your problems. There is nothing to be scared of with this card, in fact there is a lot to look forward to – positive calm happy times ahead. A journey over water is also a meaning of this card.
The 7 of Swords – The bad luck card. A simple image of a woman about to walk under a ladder that tells us things aren’t going to work out as we hoped. It also means that someone is not telling you the whole truth here; basically you are being lied to. Confusion, more arguments and also a sign that a youngster is getting involved with the wrong group of kids…uuugggghhhh, told you these cards weren’t pleasant, didn’t I ? – However to be forewarned is to be forearmed as the saying goes!
The 8 of Swords – Now our lady is too frightened to leave the house, things have got so bad. Here she is cowering behind a door, frightened of what’s behind it or what’s going to happen next. The message that comes with this one is “You are worrying yourself sick UNNECCESARILY.” This is going to start affecting your health now, so go slow and try to stop worrying. Unfortunately the gypsy meaning for this one is – a woman wanting revenge on you.” (Don’t say I didn’t tell you)
The 9 of swords is a very sad card. We can see grave stones in the picture so hopefully it’s clear that this is actually known as the death card, not the 10 of swords as most people think. But be very careful when using that meaning please – as most times, the meaning of this card is a very sad ending to a situation or a “death of a situation,” or an ending to a relationship, which can be totally heart breaking for anyone involved. The pain that comes with this card is overpowering, so be gentle when reading for people with this card in the spread. Always try to look for positive new things coming up and focus on those.
The 10 of Swords! The worst has already happened in the 9 swords; the ending, the break up, the disaster. Now, we have to concentrate on rebuilding our lives. Sometimes, we look around and think we have nothing left, nothing to start again with but this is not true. We are still living and breathing, so anything is possible. I feel silence when I look at this card. It indicates an acceptance of life to me, I hear birds tweeting behind me – even when my world has collapsed those damn birds keep waking up in the morning and singing. The bulldozer in the picture is clearing away all the debris and making room for me to rebuild a new life. This is a heavy card. It can also indicate bankruptcy and redundancy.
I hope this has explained the suit of Swords to you in an easy and simple way. Now go out and make yourself smile again – and if I’ve taught you right, you should be feeling quite low!
I have a new 2 hour DVD – in both UK and US formats. It teaches you how to read these cards for yourself. The DVD is available through my website and also amazon.com and amazon.co.uk.
If you have any questions related to reading the tarot, or suggestions as to what you would like to see in this column next month, please contact Rhiannon at 
