The Three of Swords signifies understanding on the intellectual level of human expression. Three of Swords upright: correlation. Three of Swords reversed: reductionism.
Understanding is always contextual. Understanding can’t work in a vacuum. Hence, to understand a problem, we must grasp its context.
According to an article in Forbes, there are two types of observation, which the author calls holistic and analytic. If you asked a person with an analytical mindset to observe an aquarium, she would zoom in on a fish or another object in the aquarium. If you asked a person with a holistic mindset to observe an aquarium, she would try to understand the whole thing, like what kinds of fish are in there, how the fish interact, how the aquarium works, and who owns it. In short, she could observe the relationships of the things that the aquarium consists of. Understanding implies situational awareness, which is the basis of collaboration (Three of Pentacles).
Sometimes, people say one thing but mean another. For instance, arguing with a spouse about where to go on vacation may look like a conflict of interest, but could indicate a relationship problem. To identify the context of social and relationship adversity, we need to understand subtext.
Lack of understanding leads to misunderstandings and failure, which, in turn, create adversity. The body responds to ongoing adversity with sorrow — a chronic despondency. This is where the secondary meanings of sorrow, suffering, and hurt come from.
But the Three of Swords can also signify a turning point that puts an end to sorrow, like a catharsis or breakthrough. This is where the secondary meanings of understanding through sorrow and the beginning of deep understanding as to the cause of a problem come from.
All intellectual faculties build on the ability to discern. While discernment is indispensable for survival and success, it introduces the sense of separation, which is the root of intellectual illusions and vices such as polarization, pigeonholing, and cynicism.
Intellectual illusions may lead to psychological challenges and even suffering. For example, the sense of separation may produce a sense of loneliness.
Remember that an inauspicious Two of Swords may indicate fixed ideas and bias? Fixed ideas produce ideological contexts, which polarize and promote black-and-white thinking (reductionism).
In the case of undertakings, an auspicious Three of Swords calls for understanding and navigating circumstances. Imagine you own a business and want to launch a new product. In order to succeed, you need to understand the target market, the current state of that market, and the risks and opportunities involved.
Hence, an inauspicious Three of Swords may signify that the querent is trying to fulfill her undertaking in the wrong place and/or time. This is where the secondary meanings of disappointment, delay, and interruption of cherished projects come from.
In case of a challenge, an auspicious Three of Swords calls for attentiveness to subtext and a thorough analysis of the challenge’s circumstances.
Three of Swords Symbolism
The triangle in the picture symbolizes the triangle relationship between the intention behind a venture (Ace of Cups), the principles that apply to a venture (Two of Cups), and its context (Three of Cups).
The triangle in the picture symbolizes the triangle relationship between the intention behind a venture (Ace of Cups), the principles that apply to a venture (Two of Cups), and its context (Three of Cups).
Triangles are stable, like tripods. In architecture, triangular structures distribute weight. Think of the Three of Swords as distributing intellectual intent (the weight) to the principles and contexts of ventures.
The left and right swords point upward, emphasizing intention. However, the image suggests an equilateral triangle, with all three angles measuring sixty degrees — giving equal importance to each sword.
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Three of Swords
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life. In the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Three of Swords represents Binah of Hod, i.e., understanding 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 Three of Swords:
- Power of consciousness: Contextualizing
- Constructive use: Correlation
- Unconstructive use: Reductionism
- Auspicious state of mind: Coherence, holism
- Inauspicious state of mind: Incoherence
Reflective Questions
If the Three of Swords appears in your spread, it may be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions:
- If the Three of Swords appears in your spread, it may be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions:
- May fixed ideas or an ideology narrow my ability to perceive reality as it is?
- In which areas of my life don’t I see the wood for trees?
- Where have I crossed a contextual boundary without noticing?
- What correlations am I overlooking by focusing only on one part of the picture?
- Is a conflict I perceive rooted in surface disagreement, or is there a subtext?
Three of Swords Summary
The Three of Swords correlates the principles of a context, establishing a stable foundation for a venture.
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 Three of Swords
Let’s explore what various tarotists wrote about the Three of Swords.
Tarotists emphasize the astrological significances of Tarot cards since these lend themselves to divination and fortune-telling. The Three of Swords corresponds to the second decanate of Libra, ruled by Venus and sub-ruled by Aquarius, Saturn, and Uranus.
The main Libran characteristics are: artistic, just, and cooperative.
The second decanate Aquarius vibes add the following vibes to the mix: modest, orderly, and imaginative.
Venus rules Libra, and that’s where the artistic and aesthetic traits come from.
Libra rules the 7th house of relationships and partnerships. This house governs all transactional relationships, like the relationship with our spouses, children, and business relations. That’s where the cooperative trait comes from.
Accordingly, the 7th house also rules diplomacy, negotiations, agreements, deals, and legal matters.
Last but not least, this house governs our relationship with the external world, which is ruled by karma.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
For the Three of Swords, Paul Foster Case proposed the keyword
sorrow.
Sorrow is an emotional response to unwelcomed karma – the Libra/karma connection.
With this association, Paul empasizes the inauspicious meaning of the Three of Swords. This is his reason: The Three of Swords is a Key depicting sorrow, disappointment, and tears, but it can be the beginning of deep understanding as to the basis and cause of our problems.
Paul suggests that in money matters, this card is almost always a symbol of loss, but adds that whatever money matters are under consideration have been fair and that no blame attaches to anyone for the loss.
This empasizes the karma connection, too, which is, according to Paul, undeviatingly just.
Karma does more than establish justice — it guides us to a deeper understanding of life and its challenges. Think of karma as the cosmic psychologist.
While proposing the keyword sorrow, Paul may have also considered an inauspicious influence of Saturn, the Great Limiter (Saturn co-rules the respective decanate). Many failures are the consequences of trespassing boundaries, rules, or laws of contexts, which are Saturnian in nature. Boundaries define contexts, and the understanding of a challenge’s context is the first step toward framing adversity.
That Paul considers the Tree of Swords mostly inauspicious is questionable. While the respective faculty of consciousness may be difficult to handle, it robs the querent of the understanding of how to apply it positively.
Applying a lack of understanding to the house of partnerships, Paul arrived at the inauspicious meanings disruption of friendship, quarrels, separation, and absence.
The following meanings apply to failing ventures (Ace of Swords): interruption of cherished projects and delays.
Last but not least, Paul wrote the Three of Swords may indicate platonic friendship. This pertains to the house of partnership. Why platonic? Because we are on the intellectual level of human expression.
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
Arthur Edward Waite agrees with Paul Foster Case that this card is predominantly inauspicious.
He attaches to this card meanings like confusion (the opposite of understanding), distraction (losing sight of a context), disorder (noncompliance to context), error (the result of lack of understanding), and mental alienation, the estrangement from one’s mind (think of the total of your mind as your mental context).
Like Paul, he also applied lack of understanding to the house of partnerships, suggesting the following additional meanings: removal, absence, division, rupture, and dispersion.
For a female querent, the Three of Swords may signify the loss of her lover (house of partnerships). It may also predict that the querent will meet someone whom she compromised (betrayal of a partnership).
In the context of a venture, the Three of Swords may foretell delay and loss.
Last but not least, the Three of Swords may signify a nun. How Arthur arrived at this attribution is unclear. A nun is a woman of religious devotion that sacrifices sexuality and motherhood for enlightenment. Devotion is a predominant character trait of Pisces. Also, the second decanate Libra qualities, modest, orderly, and imaginative, don’t associate with piety. But maybe Arthur made a connectin between platonic friendship and nuns.
What Etteilla Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
Etteilla, a French occultist and the first known professional tarotist, offers the meanings of detachment and bewilderment.
The meaning detachment (from a person) pertains to the house of partnerships. Bewilderment results from a lack of understanding.
What Papus Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, suggests that this card signifies hatred.
Hatred is an emotional response to a failed partnership and offers an inauspicious interpretation of the Three of Swords. Mind that while the Three of Swords may hint at a failing partnership, it depends on the querent how she will react to it.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
Gregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, suggested that an auspicious Three of Swords of Cups signifies separation, removal, rupture, quarrels, and disorder. We can trace back those meanings to the house of partnerships.
He wrote this card may also signify misrule (misruling a context), error (the result of a lack of understanding), and confusion (the misunderstanding of context).
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meanings of the Three of Swords
Mme. Le Marchand, a 19th-century celebrated Parisian fortune teller, believed that the Three of Swords signifies victory over an adversary (conficts).
It may foretell that the querent will take a sea voyage, and, on the ship, become acquainted with someone who will have great influence upon her happiness (house of partnerships).
Last but not least, it may signify that when the querent reveals her secret to a certain person, the wish that she cherishes in the most secret corner of her heart will be obtained (house of partnerships).
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.