The Five of Swords represents laws on the intellectual level of human expression. Five of Swords upright: diagnosis. Five of Swords reversed speculation.
The corresponding faculty of consciousness is rationality — the intelligent and constructive use of laws.
Laws (Five of Swords) pertain to contexts (Three of Swords). Physical laws apply to physics, biological laws to biology, and relationship laws to relationships. Competence is knowledge of the laws, rules, and regulations that pertain to a particular context.
Some tarotists think the Five of Swords is a bad card. This is short-sighted because laws are neutral. Breaking laws leads to failure, and complying with laws leads to success. For instance, early airplane inventors tried to copy birds and failed. The Wright Brothers made proper use of the laws of aerodynamics and succeeded. As you can see, engineering thrives on competence, the faculty of the Five of Swords.
In case the querent’s question pertains to an undertaking, the Five of Swords indicates the need to analyze applicable laws, rules, and regulations. You know this type of assessment as judgment calls.
An inauspicious Five of Swords may signify over-ambition and the temptation to violate laws and social rules. This is where the secondary meanings of winning at all costs, unbridled ambition, conflict, disagreement, competition, and surrender come from.
In case the querent’s question pertains to adversity, the Five of Swords indicates that the adversity in question is a karmic response. This is where the secondary meanings of a time of trial, need for transformation, and an enemy/adversity triumphs at the last moment come from.
An inauspicious Five of Swords may also indicate that the querent uses her competence to take advantage of people or situations. Mind that we are on the level of intelligence, which is naturally prone to manipulation. This is where the secondary meanings of sneakiness, deception, desire to get something for nothing, overreaching somebody, or the desire to get rich quickly come from.
Long term, karma always adjusts advantages gained through manipulation. Hence, an inauspicious Five of Swords may signify karmic adjustments. That’s where the meanings of failure, defeat, walking away, self-sabotage, and disaster stem from.
An auspicious Five of Swords calls for analyzing karmic responses and identifying applicable laws and rules. It may also herald a karmic turning point. For instance, the querent’s suffering may have instilled in her the readiness to look her karma in the eyes. This is why tarotists arrived at the secondary meanings of due regard, thoughtfulness, sobriety, and a new phase of growth and comprehension come from. Think of the Five of Swords as the herald of corrections.
Five of Swords Symbolism
The five swords in the picture form a pentagram.
We know from the Five of Wands that the pentagram signifies the rulership of the soul over the four basic human faculties: intent, imagination, intelligence, and bodily action.
On the intellectual level, the pentagram symbolizes the soul’s ability to control intelligence. Intelligence is a tool: garbage in, intelligent garbage out. Hence, it is important what we feed it.
How can the soul guide the intellect? With values, for example, freedom, justice, and equality.
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Five of Swords
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life. In the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Five of Swords represents Geburah of Hod, i.e., necessity on the intellectual level of human expression.
Every Tarot card represents a faculty or power of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively, which produce either a fortunate or an adverse state of mind. Hence, every Tarot card has five core meanings.
These are the five core meanings of the Five of Swords:
- Enlightenment Tarot title: Rationality
- Power of consciousness: Rationality
- Constructive use: Diagnosis
- Unconstructive use: Guesswork, speculation
- Auspicious state of mind: Competence, a sense of leverage
- Inauspicious state of mind: Defeatism
Reflective Questions
If the Five of Swords appears in your spread, it may be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions:
- Which laws — natural, social, or personal — have I misunderstood or resisted, and what were the karmic consequences?
- In what area of life do I need to apply rational discernment or analysis before acting?
- Have I ever mistaken ambition for competence, and what does that teach me about success?
- Which challenges help me improve my karma?
- Do I use my intelligence to promote my values, or am I prone to manipulating people and situations?
- Which principle, if honored, would unlock progress right now?
- Am I ready to face the truths I’ve avoided and use them to improve my life?
Five of Swords Summary
The Five of Swords invites you to rise above adversity and conflict by aligning with truth, understanding the laws that rule circumstances, and transforming challenges into success.
Where Do Tarot Card Meanings Actually Come From?
The meanings of Tarot cards come from various sources. The most common are:
- The position of the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life
- Astrological correspondences (signs, planets, & houses)
- The symbolism of Tarot cards
- Intuition
- Meanings that pertain to fortune telling
Most of the Tarot card meanings you can google are astrological correspondences and go back to the Golden Dawn and Arthur Edward Waite. Astrological meanings have dominated because Astrology favors fortune telling. But Astrological meanings are unsuitable for (psychological) Tarot readings.
If you are interested in an overview of the astrological correspondences, you can download a high-resolution chart by subscribing to the Enlightenment Tarot.
Tarot card meanings are a bit of a mess since the meanings that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life mingle with astrological correspondences, symbolic interpretations, and fortune-telling connotations. That’s tedious to memorize. Further, tarotists’ opinions, knowledge, and linguistic backgrounds shaped some of these interpretations. Last but not least, many meanings are fuzzy, contradictory, and overlap. If you want to understand why they overlap, read the article How to Deal With the Overlapping Meanings of Tarot Cards.
The meanings of the Enlightenment Tarot are based on an objective and holistic framework: the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. The resulting meanings are transparent and logical and, hence, easier to memorize.
What Do Various Tarotists Say about the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Let’s explore what various tarotists wrote about the Five of Swords.
Tarotists emphasize the astrological significances of Tarot cards since these lend themselves to divination and fortune-telling. The Five of Swords corresponds to the first decanate of Aquarius, ruled by Saturn and Uranus.
Aquarius is associated with the Revelation/Star card.
The main Libran characteristics are friendly, inventive, and humanitarian.
The first decanate vibes add the following characteristics to the mix: scientific, reserved, and brusque.
Accordingly, the intellectual capabilities of the Five of Swords promote science and innovation in the service of mankind.
Aquarius rules the eleventh house of social networking, aka the house of friends. This house rules the collective influence of society and other groups, as well as friendships, acquaintances, and other non-transactional relationships. Think of this house as the house of kindred spirits, who enjoy each other’s company.
This is also the house of meditation, dreams, and revelations, including revelations that lead to the invention of new technology.
Last but not least, it is the house of hopes and fears, wishes and aspirations, and gain or loss through acquaintances and friends.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
For the Five of Swords, Paul Foster Case proposed the keyword
defeat, and added the following secondary meanings: failure, slander, and dishonor.
According to Paul, the defeat in question serves a purpose. He wrote: The decision is adverse to the querent in any matter of material nature. In spiritual matters, this card portends apparent troubles, which work out ultimately to a good result. Thus, this Key is one of trouble and anxiety, but rightly comprehended, can be the turning point for positive good.
Behind this is the idea that karma leads us to insights, and insights lead us to adjust our thinking and acting, which leads to success.
Paul also wrote that the querent’s troubles may be due to and intensified by her lack of understanding of the true nature of the situation (i.e., the laws and rules that pertain to her situation). Since the Five of Swords signifies the intellectual grasp of laws and karma. This requires an open and scientific attitude, which is very Aquarian.
Paul continued that if the question is one of speculation, the querent is likely to be disappointed due to his desire to get something for nothing, to over-reach somebody else, or to get rich quickly. Hence, this card may indicate intellectual laziness.
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Arthur Edward Waite suggested that the Five of Swords is inauspicious, whether it appears in the reading upright or reversed, and that it foretells an attack on the querent’s fortune. That’s a dramatic way to label unwanted karma.
Arthur offered the following secondary meanings:
degradation, destruction, annulment, and loss, as well as the social consequences thereof, like dishonour and infamy.
He added that the Five of Swords may even foretell mourning and funerals.
The astrological correspondences (Aquarius and the house of social networking) don’t suggest these meanings. The card’s position on the Tree of Life signifies laws and karma. If we ignore or act against laws, we fail. If we align with laws, we succeed. What prevents us from aligning with laws? Laziness, ignorance, impatience, short-term thinking, and pride.
So, while an inauspicious Five of Swords may signify unwanted karma, an auspicious Five of Swords may indicate that the querent is in the right place of mind to turn her karma around – the open, scientific approach.
What Etteilla Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Etteilla, a French occultist and the first known professional tarotist, offers the meanings of loss and death.
This is an extreme take on unwanted karma, too.
What Papus Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, suggests that this card foretells that an enemy will triumph at the last moment.
This is an unwise interpretation because enmity isn’t real. It’s an appearance caused by the sense of separation. True, there are misunderstandings and conflicts of interest, but we can negotiate conflicts of interest. And ladies and gentlemen can always come to an agreement.
Having said that, a karmic adjustment may indeed spoil the querent’s efforts in the last moment.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Gregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, agreed with Arthur, Etteilla, and Papus that the Five of Swords signifies mourning, sadness, losses, and trouble, whether the card is reversed or not.
Karmic adjustment would have framed the underlying meaning better.
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meanings of the Five of Swords
Mme. Le Marchand, a 19th-century celebrated Parisian fortune teller, believed that this card is predominantly auspicious.
She wrote that the querent would have sleepless nights from joy. If she drank a glass of water and fasted every morning, she would obtain her wish. A time of trial would come, but if the querent wouldn’t lose courage, the trouble would be over soon, and great things would be at hand.
The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot
Every Tarot card represents a faculty of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively. This produces favorable and adverse experiences.
We can express faculties of consciousness on four levels:
- The spiritual level (wands/fire/intention)
- The creative-feely level (cups/water/imagination)
- The intellectual level (swords/air/intelligence)
- The bodily level (pentacles/earth/bodily action)
The four tools on the magician’s table symbolize these four levels:
- The wand (spiritual)
- The cup (creative-feely)
- The sword (intellectual)
- The pentagram (bodily)
These tools correspond to the four so-called elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
For this reason, the Enlightenment Tarot wands are made of fire, the cups consist of water, and the pents are composed of earth. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to illustrate something made of air, since air is invisible. For that reason, all swords are made of crystal to show at least transparency.
The Enlightenment Tarot derives its meaning from the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. This is an objective, holistic framework that reveals the psychological imports of Tarot cards and their faculties of consciousness. Read more about this framework in the article The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot.
The Enlightenment Tarot project attempts to rediscover the original meanings of the Tarot cards that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life. These meanings are simple, clear, and easy to memorize.
*This framework is compatible with Paul Foster Case’s qabalistic system.
Do you want to learn more About The Enlightenment Tarot?
If you want to delve deep into the psychological meanings of Tarot cards, read the book Tarot of Life.
If you are curious about how the Enlightenment Tarot came about, read this article.
If you are interested in learning how to perform psychological Tarot readings, subscribe to receive a free copy of a guide on how to perform psychological Tarot readings.
If you are looking for a psychological Tarot deck, you have come to the right place. The Enlightenment Tarot derives the cards’ meanings from a holistic and transparent framework that is easy to learn and memorize. All major and minor arcana carry psychological titles, and the court cards display psychological profiles. Have a look at the Enlightenment Tarot deck here.
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This exceptional Tarot deck is based on an objective and holistic, psychological framework: the Tree of Life. All minor and major cards feature psychological titles. For example, the Magician has the title ‘Attention’, and the Six of Cups has the title ‘Decision’. The court cards exhibit psychological profiles. For instance, the Queen of Wands stands for a willful woman: generous or stubborn, resolute or revengeful, intense or tyrannical, magnetic or dangerous.