In this chapter of the tarot course we will see, The 5 of Swords and its meanings. What does the 5 of Swords mean in the Tarot? What does the 5 of Swords card mean in love, work, money or health? What is its spiritual meaning and what does it reveal to us? What does the 5 of Swords card mean upside down or reversed?
The 5 of Swords in the tarot
The Five of Swords is a card of conflicts and tensions, which presents some duality in the figure.
Graphic description of the card
- The Five of Swords presents us with a young man, with a look of contempt on his face, who stares at his conquered enemies.
- He possesses five swords, most of which he has taken from the other people in the figure.
- Two other people appear walking away from him, slowly, with a sense of sadness and loss. One of them appears to be wounded or crying.
- But then again, perhaps there was no such fight and the others simply give up, because the fight was not worth the expenditure of energy, so the man gets a hollow victory.
- The sky is cloudy and tumultuous, indicating that all is not well even though the battle is apparently over.
What does the 5 of Swords mean in the Tarot?
The Five of Swords right side up, General Meaning: The Five of Swords is a clear indication of your involvement in tense situations, conflicts and tensions where there is no agreement with others.
After these hostilities, you may think you have won the battle, but this has to be looked at from different angles.
Maybe they just let you win, or your victory makes you the big loser in reality, since the other participants in the conflict may have fled, been hurt and have moved away from you, leaving you alone.
It is the typical situation when you want to make things right later but others do not trust you or your words or attitudes.
The Five of Swords can represent a situation where you are pitting everyone against each other, a bit of “you against the world”, with the consequent loss of affections along the way. If this is the case, you must evaluate how important this fight is, whether it is worth the cost of so many losses along the way.
But the Five of Swords is also a card of many interpretations. It could indicate, for example, that by being aggressive you will achieve your goals, regardless of the challenges you encounter, and if on the contrary, you take a passive attitude, withdrawing from the scene like men who walk away, you will give up everything.
It also indicates to you that even if you are fighting and putting up a fight, there is always one more obstacle, one more conflict ahead, facing the opinion or desires of others, fighting against their wills.
There is a lot of negative ambition in this card. If your ambition surpasses your values you may turn out to be a person without regard, who tries to win at any cost, the end justifying the means, without regard for the consequences this could bring not only on others but on yourself.
Whether you are the victorious and insensitive character in the figure or the men who walk away defeated, the overall idea is negative and of loss for all. It is a false victory.
When you just go for your goals without considering the price, you may find out later that the victory was not worth it, and your arrogance and pride may play tricks on you. You should also know that even if you win a difficult battle, you are not invincible and that sooner or later someone stronger than you will defeat you.
Something you should keep in mind is that if your triumph has been through fraud, deceit and far from ethical behavior, there may be retaliation and revenge from the defeated.
In a reading, The Five of Swords can show you something unpleasant: there is perhaps a painful betrayal by one or more trusted people you would never suspect a backhanded attack. This could be a corrupt partner, someone jealous and envious of you and your life, or perhaps a partner who is unfaithful.
This is not conclusive by itself with this card alone, you have to look at the other cards in the reading to support or deny such an occurrence.
Beyond that, the card indicates that you should still be careful at this time and look carefully at who you trust, as you may be under direct attack or gossip and gossip that runs behind your back.
On the more negative side, instead of a victory the Five of Swords may point to the side of defeat. Perhaps you fought with all your might and were defeated anyway. This should not fill you with unhappiness or resentment. Many times you have to learn from defeats and use those lost battles to gain wisdom and knowledge for future actions.
A final consideration of the card could indicate that sometimes nothing is gained by fighting, or that all you get is a hollow, empty triumph, with no one really having won or lost.
In this way, the Five of Swords teaches you that you have to know how to choose very well the battles you fight, not all of them are to fight, sometimes it is worth it, and in others, the real victory consists in withdrawing in time.
You cannot go around fighting everything, either to show that you are right or as an attitude of defense when you are attacked.
Sometimes withdrawing or standing aside is much more positive and profitable than entering the conflict. Therefore, choose very well which fights make sense and which do not.
What does the 5 of Swords card mean in love?
In the realm of love. The Five of Swords unfortunately signals inevitable conflicts. In the worst case, there may be betrayals and infidelities, but in general, it signals that there is disagreement on things that are elementary for peaceful coexistence.
In the first place it is necessary to assume the reality as it is, not to lie to oneself mainly. Each one must express their truths and reasons while recognizing the flaws and mistakes that impede the forward flow of a couple.
If you are lonely and looking for a relationship, it may not be the best time. You may be a victim of betrayal or there may be no understanding at all with potential lovers.
What does the 5 of Swords card mean for work?
Regarding work. The Five of Swords signals conflicts and tensions, but basically it indicates that there may be no worse enemy than yourself. You want to go against everyone or against the system, but just because you want it, this will not be different, so determine which things you can fight and confront and which ones you cannot.
There may be situations of injustice in your work, even unethical behavior. You must remain incorruptible and do your best.
If you are looking for a job, be prepared to face a lot of competition, you can win of course, so try to focus on those activities in which you have more mastery or knowledge to have an advantage in the fight for the job.
What does the 5 of Swords card mean for money and finances?
In terms of money and finances. The Five of Swords points to strong competition within your field or activity. There may also be conflicts with employees or partners, and there is some possibility that your trust may be shaken.
Money should be handled with caution now, save, do not make unnecessary expenses, sell or dispense with what you do not need. You can still come out on top in any of these situations, you just have to make sure it’s worth the fight.
What does the 5 of Swords card mean in terms of health?
In terms of health, The Five of Swords is evidence that you are under a great deal of stress because of the combative nature of the situation. You need to calm down and be gentle with yourself mainly, state your reasons, get out what you think and feel, in a careful way.
Avoid keeping the fury, resentment, anger or sadness caused by the situation inside you. You should be careful with blows and accidents with sharp or pointed elements.
What does the 5 of Swords mean spiritually?
If we talk about spirituality. The Five of Swords warns you that even if you find your fundamental answers, they are yours alone, they serve you, and you should not go around converting anyone or forcing them to think like you.
It may also be a time of breaking down your beliefs, which you now discover are no longer working well for you. Give yourself the time and space to find new answers and new ways of understanding how everything works.
What does the Five of Swords card reversed or inverted mean?
The Five of Swords reversed, General meaning: The Five of Swords, like all the 5’s in the deck, shows its most favorable side when they come out reversed in a reading.
Thus, in this reversed position, it suggests to you that you have considered that struggle and conflict must be overcome.
You know that no one is going to win in this battle and that the best thing to do is to work with forgetfulness, forgiveness and compassion, favoring truces and understandings instead of continuing to confront in vain.
You do this to better yourself, to give your best version, to be better. Now you are finally ready to settle the issue or existing struggles, leave them behind and move forward again.
You are open to change, you have a better disposition to reach agreements and have a new and different approach where before there were only clashes and obstacles.
Somehow everyone lays down their weapons, but mainly you, because you understand that negotiating will be more advantageous for the situation and for everyone involved.
Thus, the Five of Swords suggests that this is an excellent time to resolve conflicts and old disputes, establish agreements and truces and make peace with those with whom you have been in conflict.
On the other hand, the Five of Swords can point to some kind of situation that still haunts you. For example, conflicts that you feel have been overcome and resolved, but which still appear in your life eventually to bother you, even though you have long since left them behind.
It could be, for example, an ex who has not been able to resolve things like you, is still stuck in the conflict and bothers you, preventing you from moving forward, looking for a new relationship or partner for your life. If this is the case, you should avoid these people and situations as much as possible.
In these cases, the Five of Swords shows that old wounds are opening up, bringing things from the past to complicate the present. This may logically cause you to worry and fear reliving those old things and getting hurt again, but you should first of all try to forgive and forget, rather than fear.
If there have been resentments and unresolved issues with past situations or people, you should focus and work on them, as carrying these burdens is an extra weight on your path forward.
Finally, The Five of Swords can point out that you can’t please everyone and that sometimes you don’t have to pay as much attention to the opinions or views of others.
You will never please everyone, this is a fact, and some may become angry or distant from you, especially if they are affected in a more or less direct way by your decisions. This is collateral damage, an almost inevitable cost that you will have to accept.
Your life is yours alone and if others are unhappy they have two problems, the first is to be angry and the second is to work to make it go away. It’s as simple as that.
What does the 5 of Swords card reversed mean in love?
In the realm of love. The Five of Swords may warn you that while a conciliatory attitude of making peace and maintaining harmony is good and positive, you must ask yourself if you are sacrificing some happiness to show that you are okay all the time. Do you want to be what others expect or do you want to be happy?
If you are looking for love, your choices or decisions may surprise others and they may not agree. Your life is your life.
What does the 5 of Swords card reversed in work mean?
In terms of work. The reversed Five of Swords means that although there may continue to be conflicts in your work, you take a different, more conciliatory stance, which allows you to resolve issues or at least gain more time for them to be resolved.
There is also the possibility of a radical change of job or activity. You do not know if this will be right or not, but it certainly creates tensions and conflicting opinions, especially with your family. If you believe you are right, you must follow your instinct even if others do not understand or think differently.
What does the Five of Swords card reversed mean in money and finances?
The Five of Swords shows that conflicts that may have existed evolve favorably or cease altogether. There are understandings and common ground on the subject of money, or business and investments, as the case may be.
You and others admit mistakes and faults, put aside egos to find a common way out favorable to all. It is a favorable time for money as you deal with problems instead of opposing or running away from them.
What does the 5 of Swords card reversed mean in health?
In the area of health. The Five of Swords tells you that for proper healing of your emotional wounds, you must forgive yourself in order to forgive others. You must work on this forgiveness now that the conflicts have ceased, this will relieve you of the great stress that you have been suffering, which logically moves to your body manifesting itself physically as illness or disease.
What does the 5 of Swords card reversed mean spiritually?
In the field of spirituality. The Five of Swords means that you must strengthen yourself internally. This is a time of making personal decisions that may not please others, but you must understand that you come first emotionally and they must accept your changes and decisions.
Rest and meditate on these changes and how you must tolerate the opposition of others, or forgive them in case they are angry or disappointed with you.
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