Element: Air
Suit of Swords
Nine of Swords Meaning
A figure sits bolt upright in bed, hands covering their face in anguish, nine swords mounted on the dark wall behind them. A quilt patterned with roses and astrological symbols covers the bed. The Nine of Swords is the nightmare card — anxiety, insomnia, rumination, and the crushing weight of fears that grow most menacing in the dark of night.
↑ Upright
↓ Reversed
Quick Meaning
What does Nine of Swords mean?
Nine of Swords represents a figure sits bolt upright in bed, hands covering their face in anguish, nine swords mounted on the dark wall behind them. A quilt patterned with roses and astrological symbols covers the bed. The Nine of Swords is the nightmare card — anxiety, insomnia, rumination, and the crushing weight of fears that grow most menacing in the dark of night.
Upright meaning
Fear, Anxiety, Terror, Negativity
Reversed meaning
Light at end of tunnel, Recovering, Improving, Letting go of negativity/stress
Love
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Nine of Swords indicates that your relationship is not a happy one at the moment.
Career and money
In a career Tarot reading, the Nine of Swords suggests that you are deeply unhappy in your work at the moment.
Spiritual lesson
In a spiritual context, the Nine of Swords indicates that the anxiety and stress you are experiencing at the moment has left you feeling overwhelmed, ungrounded and out of touch with your...
Nine of Swords as Advice, Feelings, and a Yes or No
Yes or No
In a yes or no tarot reading, Nine of Swords is best read through its condition. Upright, it points toward Fear, Anxiety, Terror, Negativity. Reversed, it suggests Light at end of tunnel, Recovering, Improving, Letting go of negativity/stress. The answer depends on whether the situation is moving with the upright lesson or stuck in the reversed pattern.
As Advice
As advice, Nine of Swords asks you to work with the card's main lesson rather than react from fear. Start with the upright meaning: In a general context, the Nine of Swords is another of the fear and anxiety cards in the Suit of Swords.
As Feelings
As feelings, Nine of Swords can describe someone experiencing the card's emotional tone. In love readings, its upright energy is: In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Nine of Swords indicates that your relationship is not a happy one at the moment.
Reversed Advice
Reversed, Nine of Swords points to what may be blocked, avoided, or expressed in a harder way. Use the reversed meaning as a prompt to slow down and address Light at end of tunnel, Recovering, Improving, Letting go of negativity/stress.
Upright Nine of Swords Meaning
In a general context, the Nine of Swords is another of the fear and anxiety cards in the Suit of Swords. Similar to the other fear cards, this card is not an indication of negative events actually happening, just that your fear and anxiety levels are so high they are making you feel that things are worse than they are. In short, you may be making mountains out of molehills. It represents stress, burdens, negative thinking and deep unhappiness. You will be feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with or face situations, problems or just life in general and may have reached your breaking point. It is a Minor Arcana card of mental anguish, remorse, guilt, regret, joylessness and despair and you may wish you could go back in time and re-write the past when it appears. It can also signify feeling isolated and being the subject of gossip and it can represent nightmares and insomnia.
Love & Relationships
Upright
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Nine of Swords indicates that your relationship is not a happy one at the moment. This Minor Arcana card signifies guilt, remorse and regret so it can be sign that keeping secrets, infidelity or deception is taking its toll on the relationship. Again, this card can be indicative of abuse or bullying and the mental and emotional anguish that goes with that. However, it can also simply signify that one of you is overwhelmed with stress or burdens or suffering from an anxiety disorder or hormonal issue that is making the relationship a challenge at the moment. If you are single, the Nine of Swords indicates that you may be dwelling on the past. Feelings of remorse, guilt or regret relating to past relationships may be overwhelming you and causing you deep unhappiness. You may be wishing you could go back in time and change the past. However, dwelling on it will not change it. You need to find a way to heal from the past and learn from it. Once you do that, you future will open up before you. This card can also indicate that you may find yourself being the subject of gossip.
Money & Career
Upright
In a career Tarot reading, the Nine of Swords suggests that you are deeply unhappy in your work at the moment. The stress and burdens of your work are overwhelming you. You may feel unable to cope and have reached your breaking point. It may be that the fear and severe anxiety are affecting your perspective and making you believe things are worse in your career situation than they actually are in reality. In a financial Tarot spread, the Nine of Swords indicates that your financial worries are overwhelming you and causing you severe stress and anxiety but you may be making mountains out of molehills. You need to get your negative thinking under control and look realistically at your finances. Are they really as bad as you think or can you resolve your issues?
Health
Upright
In a health context, the Nine of Swords can signify anxiety disorders, mental health issues, insomnia and migraines. If you are struggling to cope, again this card indicates that you need to find healthy ways of managing your stress and anxiety. Do not self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. This card can also indicate hormonal imbalances or menopause so if you have been struggling symptoms that could be hormonal, go get your levels checked! It can also signify a miscarriage, termination or problems conceiving.
Spirituality
Upright
In a spiritual context, the Nine of Swords indicates that the anxiety and stress you are experiencing at the moment has left you feeling overwhelmed, ungrounded and out of touch with your spiritual side. Reiki, grounding exercises or meditation would be beneficial to you right now to help you to get back in touch with your spirituality and bring you back into balance.
Reversed Nine of Swords Meaning
In a general context, the Nine of Swords reversed represents seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after dark times. When reversed, it is a Minor Arcana card of recovering from depression or mental illness or issues improving, letting go of negativity, releasing stress and learning to cope. It signifies opening up, accepting help and facing life. Alternatively, this card can signify a worsening of the issues, depression, problems or fears associated with the upright card. As such, it can represent extreme guilt, remorse, shame, regret, burdens, negative thinking, self-pity, self-loathing or giving up, nervous breakdowns or total collapse. It can be an indication that there is malicious gossip or scandal around you. It can also represent night terrors, hallucinations and psychosis.
Love & Relationships
Reversed
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Nine of Swords reversed can indicate that if there has been infidelity or deception in the relationship it will now come to light. If you have cheated on your partner you may have come clean or been caught out as this card can indicate a scandal and extreme remorse, regret, guilt or shame. If you have had suspicions about your partner, unfortunately, the appearance of this card can signify that your fears will be confirmed. However, there is a release associated with this reversed Minor Arcana card as it shows the issues being brought to a head so you can face them and move on. Again, if not relating to deception, this card may relate to you or your partner having mental health/ anxiety issues. They will either improve, bringing light into the relationship, or spiral, causing more upheaval in your relationship. The supporting cards should give you an indication of which applies. If you are single, the Nine of Swords reversed can indicate that you are starting to see the light at the end of tunnel after a period of despair. You are finally starting to let go of feelings of remorse, guilt or regret relating to past relationships that were haunting you and causing you deep unhappiness. You are getting ready to go back out and re-join the world. Alternatively, this card can indicate a worsening of those feelings and sinking deeper, what are you beating yourself up for? You can’t change the past. You can only learn from it and move forward the best way you know how. So give yourself a break! This card can also indicate that you may find yourself in the middle of scandal, so make sure you are acting with integrity and that potential suitors are not already spoken for!
Money & Career
Reversed
In a career Tarot reading, the Nine of Swords reversed suggests that the stress and burdens of your work either get better or worsen. You may have found a way to release your worries and realise that your career is not as bad as you thought. Or you may have lost your job or business or you may have collapsed or suffered a breakdown because of the stress. It is two sides of a coin with this reversed card so the supporting cards will tell the story. In a financial Tarot spread, the Nine of Swords reversed again indicates that either you financial worries have passed and things are looking up again or they are overwhelming you to the point of a breakdown. If it’s the latter, seek professional help or share you concerns with friends. Don’t allow financial worries to take over your life. It’s not worth sacrificing your mental health over.
Health
Reversed
In a health context, the Nine of Swords reversed can represent overcoming depression, anxiety or fear related mental health issues and feeling able to cope with life again after such issues. Alternatively, as a reversed card it can signify an escalation in such issues, representing psychosis, hallucinations and extreme night terrors. Look to supporting card to find out which meaning applies. It can also be an indicate of hormones coming back into balance so if you have been suffering from a hormone related issues such as PCOS, thyroid problem or symptoms associated with menopause, you should find the symptoms reduce or go away completely when it appears.
Spirituality
Reversed
In a spiritual context, the Nine of Swords reversed can indicate that you have overcome the darkness and once again can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Alternatively, it can signify that you are in an extremely dark place and are being far too hard on yourself. Feelings of guilt, remorse and regret are simply the universe’s way of letting you know you have gone slightly off course and guiding you back to your spiritual path so if those feelings are overwhelming you simply change direction in your life and allow the universe to guide you. Don’t give up on yourself!
Nine of Swords Tarot Card Combinations
Nine of Swords and Ace of Swords
Together, Nine of Swords and Ace of Swords blend the lesson of nine of swords with the energy of ace of swords. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and a hand emerges from a cloud gripping a gleaming sword crowned with a wreath of laurel and olive.
Nine of Swords and Two of Swords
Together, Nine of Swords and Two of Swords blend the lesson of nine of swords with the energy of two of swords. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and a blindfolded figure sits with two swords held in crossed arms before her chest, the sea choppy behind her under a crescent moon.
Nine of Swords and Three of Swords
Together, Nine of Swords and Three of Swords blend the lesson of nine of swords with the energy of three of swords. This pairing asks you to read the cards as a relationship between the central theme and three swords pierce a red heart suspended against a stormy, rain-lashed sky.
Common Questions
What does the Nine of Swords tarot card mean?
In a general context, the Nine of Swords is another of the fear and anxiety cards in the Suit of Swords. Similar to the other fear cards, this card is not an indication of negative events actually happening, just that your fear and anxiety levels are so high they are making you feel that things are worse than they are. In short, you may be making mountains out of molehills. It represents stress, burdens, negative thinking and deep unhappiness. You will be feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with or face situations, problems or just life in general and may have reached your breaking point. It is a Minor Arcana card of mental anguish, remorse, guilt, regret, joylessness and despair and you may wish you could go back in time and re-write the past when it appears. It can also signify feeling isolated and being the subject of gossip and it can represent nightmares and insomnia.
What does the Nine of Swords reversed mean?
In a general context, the Nine of Swords reversed represents seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after dark times. When reversed, it is a Minor Arcana card of recovering from depression or mental illness or issues improving, letting go of negativity, releasing stress and learning to cope. It signifies opening up, accepting help and facing life. Alternatively, this card can signify a worsening of the issues, depression, problems or fears associated with the upright card. As such, it can represent extreme guilt, remorse, shame, regret, burdens, negative thinking, self-pity, self-loathing or giving up, nervous breakdowns or total collapse. It can be an indication that there is malicious gossip or scandal around you. It can also represent night terrors, hallucinations and psychosis.
What does the Nine of Swords mean in love?
In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Nine of Swords indicates that your relationship is not a happy one at the moment. This Minor Arcana card signifies guilt, remorse and regret so it can be sign that keeping secrets, infidelity or deception is taking its toll on the relationship. Again, this card can be indicative of abuse or bullying and the mental and emotional anguish that goes with that. However, it can also simply signify that one of you is overwhelmed with stress or burdens or suffering from an anxiety disorder or hormonal issue that is making the relationship a challenge at the moment. If you are single, the Nine of Swords indicates that you may be dwelling on the past. Feelings of remorse, guilt or regret relating to past relationships may be overwhelming you and causing you deep unhappiness. You may be wishing you could go back in time and change the past. However, dwelling on it will not change it. You need to find a way to heal from the past and learn from it. Once you do that, you future will open up before you. This card can also indicate that you may find yourself being the subject of gossip.
What does the Nine of Swords mean for career and money?
In a career Tarot reading, the Nine of Swords suggests that you are deeply unhappy in your work at the moment. The stress and burdens of your work are overwhelming you. You may feel unable to cope and have reached your breaking point. It may be that the fear and severe anxiety are affecting your perspective and making you believe things are worse in your career situation than they actually are in reality. In a financial Tarot spread, the Nine of Swords indicates that your financial worries are overwhelming you and causing you severe stress and anxiety but you may be making mountains out of molehills. You need to get your negative thinking under control and look realistically at your finances. Are they really as bad as you think or can you resolve your issues?
Is the Nine of Swords a yes or no card?
The Nine of Swords is best read by context in yes or no questions. Upright, it points toward Fear, Anxiety, Terror, Negativity. Reversed, it suggests Light at end of tunnel, Recovering, Improving, Letting go of negativity/stress.
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