9 of Swords

Keywords & phrases

• Nightmares
• Self-doubt & loathing
• Spiritual crisis
• Existential dread
• Fear worse than reality
• Facing your fears & foes
• Personal growth

First impressions

Instantly, we can see that this is a challenging card and the phrase that comes to mind is ‘dark night of the soul’.

What is happening in the card?

The character in the 9 of Swords, wakes from a bad dream in the the middle of the night. They sit bolt upright in bed, head in hands, now experiencing a waking nightmare, 9 Swords hover above.

The patches on the quilt feature red roses alongside astrological, elemental symbols and zodiac signs.

How can we relate to this card?

You don’t need to have much experience of Tarot to relate to the energy of the 9 of Swords.

We’ve all been there, alone, feeling isolated with thoughts of the past crowding (and clouding) our minds – pain, guilt, loss, shame, regret, and of course all the self-limiting beliefs and insecurities that we might hold about ourselves and relationships.

You name it, the subconscious will throw up those moments that we are least proud of or when we have been most hurt just as we are looking to move on. We need to move through these thoughts, acknowledging them and then letting them go in order to move on.

Don’t be put off by the 9 Swords. The Tarot holds a mirror to the full spectrum of human experience and these ‘darker’ cards serve to recognise and acknowledge us as we really are (scars and warts and all) and what we’ve been through to get here. Life and Tarot ain’t all fairy dust and unicorn farts.

Message & affirmations

Today, I face my fears and release them so that I may move forward with hope and create the life of my dreams. I love, respect and accept myself just the way that I am and I know that I am worthy of love.

My personal experiences of this card

This is an important card for me personally…. it represents the small but insistent voice that comes in the night. It may be frightening, but it comes with an important message.

Wake up! Face your fears. Save your life. Move on.

One of my favourite versions of the 9 of Swords is from The Spacious Tarot. See below my recent post on Instagram.

Below are three other renditions of the 9 of Swords that have contributed to my understanding and feel for this challenging card.

The 9 of Swords as depicted in the Fountain Tarot conveys to me a sense of this person cringing from danger, real or imagined. This is the pose of a fearful child, or someone in utter terror or despair, making themselves as small as possible to avoid harm. It serves as a reminder that monsters don’t disappear if we just close our eyes and shrink ourselves. In fact, monsters feed on fear. Nor do problems tend to resolve themselves if we do not face and tackle them.

I have also included the 9 of Swords from Lacey Bryant’s Slow Tarot because it offers such a vivid take on the Rider Waite card and conveys so well the isolation and desperation of insomnia. And the addition of the black stallion charging above the bed shows and how thoughts can race uncontrolled through your mind in the dark hours before the dawn.

Finally, in the Light Seer’s version, we see a girl in a nightmare dreamscape. She is on her knees, head in hands, with the crows circling, like dark thoughts, above her head. I also see that there is hope in this card – a shard of light breaks through the clouds and a white dove can be seen amongst those birds – a messenger of peace and love. Is this the chance to move on?

Events, situations & readings

In a relationship spread:
The number 9 can indicate that you have come a long way already in dealing with any negative thoughts and associations you might have about past relationships. But there’s still more work to do to release some of those doubts and limiting beliefs that may be preventing you from embracing a deep romantic involvement. So that you can fully commit to the idea of a relationship with you fully in it: loved, loving and deserving of love. 

Reversed:
An inability to release fear and negative beliefs.

People & interaction with other cards

When the 9 of Swords appears with The Hermit or The High Priestess,  you may be called to look within to examine your inner most fears and dreams. 

With hopeful cards like The Star, the Ace of Cups or other card indicative of new beginnings, the 9 of Swords suggests that you may be approaching some kind of closure and that you should focus on that.

Questions, prompts & insights

What fearful beliefs are you holding on to? How can you face and release these fears?

What is keeping you up at night?

Who do you need to forgive to move on? Whose forgiveness do you seek?

Featured decks & credits:
Main image from The Rider Waite Tarot. Also featured, images from The Spacious Tarot by Carrie Mallon and Annie Ruygt, The Fountain Tarot by Jonathan Saiz, Jason Gruhl and Andi Todaro, The Slow Tarot by Lacey Bryant and The Light Seer’s Tarot, by Chris Anne.

The other featured image of the 9 o Swords is part of an ongoing AI art Tarot project by Still Small Voice Tarot.