Nine of Swords
Sleepless with worry in the night. Fears are often larger than reality.
- Card
- Minor Arcana · Swords (Air)
- Upright keywords
- Anxiety, Nightmares, Worry, Self-blame
- Reversed keywords
- Easing anxiety, Recovery, Hope, Excessive worry
- Yes or no
- Leans no
Traditional correspondences Golden Dawn: Lord of Despair and Cruelty / Thoth: Cruelty / 2nd decan of Gemini · Mars / Sephirah: Yesod (Foundation)
Upright meaning
Anxiety and sleepless nights. Fears grow larger in the dark.
A woman sits up in bed, face in her hands, with nine swords on the dark wall behind her. The Nine of Swords is anxiety, worry and nightmares. Upright, it shows a mind caught in fear, often worse than reality. Talk to someone and look at the facts in daylight.
Reversed meaning
Anxiety easing and hope returning.
Reversed, anxiety begins to lift. You find support, perspective or relief. Sometimes it means worry has grown excessive; seek help.
For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.
Love
Worry about a relationship, or guilt.
Fears easing.
Work
Stress and anxiety about work.
Relief and perspective.
Money
Money worries keeping you up.
Finding solutions.
Relationships
Worrying about what others think.
Reassurance.
Health
Anxiety or insomnia. Seek support.
Better sleep and recovery.
Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.
Mind and spirit
Facing inner fears.
Hope returns.
As a person
Someone anxious or overwhelmed.
Someone recovering.
Timing
Worry is worst at night, and eases with time. In the calendar, early June is also a guide (roughly June 1–10).
Advice
Talk to someone and check the facts.
Let hope back in.
Questions to ask yourself
- What am I afraid of?
- Is it as bad as I think?
- Who could I talk to?
A common misreading
The Nine of Swords is mostly about fear rather than events. Things are often less bad than the mind imagines.
The story of this card
Nine shows the mind turning on itself. Thoughts become nightmares.
The Waite deck’s picture and symbols
In the Waite deck a woman sits up in bed with her face in her hands. Nine swords hang horizontally on the black wall. Her quilt is patterned with roses and astrological symbols.
History and differences between traditions
The Golden Dawn named it Lord of Despair and Cruelty.
Words for today
My fears are not facts.
I reach out for support.