4 of Swords

Keywords & phrases

• Rest and retreat
• Temporary respite
• Recovery from burnout
• Healing from trauma
• Mental health concern
• Physical tiredness/mental fatigue
• Self-care/love, wellbeing
• Peace
• Meditation and prayer

First impressions

A quiet and peaceful card suggesting much-needed restorative break in some form or other.

What is happening in the card?

Inside a church, we see a knight or his effigy laid out in death, or just sleeping, above his tomb, hands in prayer. Perhaps he is neither dead nor sleeping, but in a deep meditative state.

One sword is set into the side of the tomb, the other three hang from the wall next to a stained-glass window, featuring a biblical scene – perhaps of Saint and sinner – an image of benediction and forgiveness.

Is this the peace and rest before the battle or after?

How can we relate to this card?

Most of us have experienced physical, mental or emotional exhaustion at some point. Over-work, mental stress, difficult relationships can all lead to overwhelm, burnout and ill-health. We can feel out of alignment, off balance or unwell.

The 4 of Swords, the suit relating to the mental realm and the psyche, suggests that it’s time to take a break. An act of self-care and love.

Positioned between the 3 of Swords and the 5 of Swords, two of the most painful and ‘difficult’ cards in the Tarot deck, the 4 offers a moment of respite, indicating that it’s time to practice loving-kindness (the essence of Chesed, 4th Sephira on the Tree of Life) on yourself. To give yourself time to heal. To rest and nurture yourself mind and body, heart and soul, and restore equilibrium in order that you may ‘live to fight another day’.

Sometimes, this can involve removing yourself entirely from a situation or relationship that is no longer healthy, if only for a while.

My personal experiences of this card

The more words I put down on this page the stronger my feeling is that this card is all about mental health. And it’s more relevant now than ever. This is a card of love for the worn and weary, the broken-down and the survivors.

Personally, when I look back on a particularly difficult period of my life, self-care was almost non-existent. From missed medical and dentist appointments to unhealthy eating, drinking and sleep habits, I did not care well for myself. And I positively avoided any deep thought on the subject (such avoidance made all the more easy by the bad habits themselves) for fear of what I might uncover and what uncomfortable steps I would have to take to remove myself to recover and repair.

Which I had to eventually, of course.

Ironically, it was during this time that the still small voice within was at its loudest. It would poke me awake at night – ruin my already not very restful rest – and ask me what I was doing with my life?

So, for me, this card is a reminder to tune into and pay attention to that voice.

Another interesting note – It wasn’t until I read Mark Horn’s Gates of Light that I looked closely enough at this card to see the word ‘pax’, meaning peace, in the halo of the Saint depicted in the stained glass. This further promotes the idea of needing a quiet space within to find peace of mind in an unpeaceful world.

I particularly love the 4 of Swords from The Light Seer’s Tarot, shown above. A girl, curled up in the safety of her nest, sleeping soundly. It always brings to my mind the somewhat erotic Klimt painting of Danae – symbol of divine and love and transcendence.

Events, situations & readings

In a personal/spiritual development spread:
Highlighting the importance of meditation (in whatever form that might take) for spiritual growth and development.

In a relationship or health and wellbeing spread:
If a relationship or situation is causing mental and emotional stress/distress, the 4 of Swords urges you to take care of yourself – to make yourself and your healing the priority.

In a work/career/business spread:
The workplace and business can be a source of huge stress. So much depends on it and we spend so much of our time in this activity. It may be time to check in on the effects of work stress on physical and mental state. Perhaps it’s time to take a ‘mental health’ day.

People & interaction with other cards

When the 4 of Swords appears in a reading with The Hermit or The Hanged Man you may be called to take time out for some introspection.

The self-care message of this card is amplified by the presence of healing cards such as Temperance and The Star. 

Questions, prompts & insights

Are you overdoing it at work or in your personal life? Do you feel drained or like you are headed for overwhelm?

Are you neglecting your own wellbeing? Perhaps too often you are prioritising the needs of others over your own. Maybe their demands are so loud and so many that it’s easy to let your needs fall by the wayside.

Can you pause, and make space and time for yourself to rest and recover? Regroup before you carry on?

Featured decks:
Main image from The Rider Waite Tarot and featuring images from Chris-Ann’s The Light Seer’s Tarot