In this chapter of the tarot course we will see, The King of Swords and its meanings. What does The King of Swords mean in the Tarot? What does the King 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 King of Swords card mean upside down or reversed?
The King of Swords in the tarot
The King of Swords and its authority in the tarot deck.
The King of Swords presents us with a scene common to court figures of the highest position, queens and kings, seated on a solid throne, with his great sword held high.
Graphic description of the card
- The King of Swords sits on his throne with a double-edged sword in his right hand, while the left hand rests gently on his lap.
- He wears a large ring on his middle finger, a symbol of power and that he takes his responsibilities seriously.
- He wears a blue robe, symbolic of a desire for spiritual understanding, and a purple cloak, representing compassion combined with intellect.
- The back of his throne is decorated with butterflies, signaling transformation, crescent moons and an angel, just near his left ear, placed there as if to give him subtle guidance.
- The sky is relatively clear with some clouds, representing general mental clarity. The trees in the background appear motionless and reflect the stern judgment of the King.
What does The King of Swords mean in the Tarot?
The King of Swords in the right, General Meaning: Like all kings, he undoubtedly has great power, but this power is based in this case on his intellectuality, from which emanates great authority. Through the use of his intellect and great intelligence, this king has the courage to realize everything he dreams and desires.
He is a clear ruler, with an implacable judgment, with commanding qualities and born to rule. His strong and temperate character favors a leadership that is based on keeping emotions at bay so that they do not influence in the heat of a battle.
It is not that he does not have emotions, he has them and lots of them, it is just that he has learned to keep them under control. He could be compared to military or literate generals who face tough battles in their field and do not let their emotions decide the course or outcome of that dispute.
Thus, when the King of Swords appears in a reading before you, he basically asks you to leave subjectivity aside, to base yourself only on the objective, and to be independent of what is happening, for that is the only way for the truth to emerge.
To prove your conclusions, you will undoubtedly need your intellect and all that you have cultivated in it over the years: your knowledge, your education and your experience will be the tools that will lead you to the correct and objective conclusions, supported also by the observation of the rules and laws, the forcefulness of history and diplomatic action.
All the figures of the court, especially those who are “seated” as queens and kings, can talk about you, your attitudes or refer in the reading to another person, but all of them always appear as a kind of advisors, either to give you concrete advice on the situation or to guide you on how you should act to resolve the situation at hand.
In this case, our king suggests that you should adopt a serious, severe, but at the same time impeccably fair position. You cannot let yourself be overwhelmed by the emotions that will undoubtedly arise in you, you must maintain independence and through your intellect, relying on reason and logic, with the greatest possible mental clarity to see the truth.
Thus, your vision of the matter in question is probably correct and with it you can enlighten the rest or demolish the limiting behaviors of others.
Surely your role will not be well received or there will be resistance, because sometimes no one is really willing to listen to the truth, and that should not affect your emotions, you must keep them firmly attached to be able to impose your point of view.
You may have to negotiate, discuss or reason with others in order to do so, but you must be strict and firm, even if they do not find it a sympathetic attitude, but this division with the emotional will be necessary to arrive at a fair and above all, true result.
This justice is not only for the result, but must be evidenced in your dealings with others, so that in this way they will abide by your firm decisions, and being guided by reason and impartiality, there will be no opposition.
The King of Swords speaking directly to you asks you that this is your attitude to have, in order to get to the heart of the matter and be able to resolve it.
If the king refers to another person, he could well be pointing to a stern but informed advisor, such as a private advisor, a judge, a competent lawyer, an accountant, a notary, or someone who advises you on taxes or economic matters and whose knowledge, experience and impartiality are his backing to give you accurate, detailed and concrete information.
They may be a cold person or someone who keeps an emotional distance from you or your circumstances, but that does not affect the result they want to give you, which will be fair and objective. He may be a person in demand in his field of action and may even be expensive, given the reputation that precedes him, but there is no doubt that taking his service and advice is advisable.
In this sense, this card has several possible interpretations: It could be the case that you have an advisor already taking care of your affairs, in which case you should follow his advice. If you do not have one, you would do well to have one in order to resolve your situation as effectively as possible.
The could also be the case of a therapist to turn to in case of couple problems, who can help you find a solution with his or her objective and impartial vision.
Whatever the case and the issue you are dealing with, this distant and committed vision is undoubtedly of great help for you to solve things in the best way.
Whether he is talking about you or someone else, the King of Swords undoubtedly shows us a stern but fair personality, who is practically incorruptible and holds very high values such as virtue and ethics, perhaps also moral standards.
Thus, he becomes a bastion of truth and knowledge, of “holy word”, to whom others turn to resolve things.
He is driven by rules and norms that he never violates and does not allow others to do so either. He can be a stern parent who does not tolerate well that the children break the established norms, that they do not respect the family or social rules.
You or this person may find it difficult to take into account the feelings of others, and this is certainly a negative facet and the card asks you somehow not to exceed in your fairness and objectivity to the point of despising what others feel.
While you must not let emotion interfere, you must manage the double edge of the sword very well, to be fair but try not to hurt anyone too much along the way, which really puts you in a difficult place of acting with a huge balance.
That he is a King, does not necessarily mean that he is a male, it may be a woman who represents these characteristics and behaviors as well, since queens and kings can be dual in this aspect, although his orientation is undoubtedly to represent a man mostly.
He is always an adult, educated, experienced, not necessarily older, but not a young and inexperienced person. His physical characteristics may reveal dark hair.
What does the King of Swords Card mean in love?
In the field of love. The King of Swords can, depending on the context of cards, signal on the stage the presence of a man, usually very masculine, virile, authoritative and firm.
In the context of a relationship, it may indicate that you have a very firm attitude or that you should take it, if necessary, in order to lead the relationship on a balanced path and that the treatment between the two is fair.
It may indicate an excess of authority, either from you or your partner, a “bossy” or that one of the members has a more dominant role over the other.
This is not bad as long as there is no excess or attitudes that hurt the other, because sometimes this card may indicate a stereotypical attitude where the man (or woman) has “macho” attitudes that border on violent and imperative.
If so, you should moderate yourself, and if it is your partner who has this behavior, protect yourself in that confusing line that separates authority with arrogance, imposition or violence, remember that the sword stick refers to a certain degree of violence present, whether physical, verbal or psychological.
In a more friendly context, the card indicates that acting impartially, with fair and balanced judgment, reasoning, it is possible to solve any inconvenience, as well as the help of a fair and impartial person outside the relationship, can help you resolve a situation.
If you are alone, it can represent that a virile, intellectual, firm man appears in your way, as well as for a man it can indicate the appearance of a woman with somewhat masculine characteristics, tough, fighter and unfriendly to show emotions.
What does the King of Swords card mean at work?
In the field of work. The King of Swords signals that a man in your work environment may behave or talk or deal with you in a way that you find annoying, but the truth is that you may be being overly touchy or sensitive. He is just doing his job, demanding that set tasks and standards are met.
He may be a demanding boss who doesn’t listen too much to your personal arguments, as he is not moved by emotions, however he is trying to be fair and impartial and what he is asking, however demanding, is perhaps the right thing for you to do.
However, be careful that this iron-fisted behavior does not go too far and that you are not a despotic employer.
Speaking directly of you, this king tells you that you must do things fairly, give what is expected of you and what is asked of you, your work or criticism must be fair, as well as your claims for tasks or wages. If you are thinking of changing jobs, reason is the ultimate guide you can have in deciding what to do.
Do not rush and act logically, listening also to the voice of experience, not only yours, but that of others. You may need to seek advice and counsel from someone impartial, knowledgeable in the matter.
If you are looking for a job, it is possible that a man with these characteristics of seriousness and little emotion will offer it to you. He is tough, rough perhaps in manner, firm, but he will also be very fair to you. Be oriented to look for work in those places with men who have these characteristics.
What does the King of Swords card mean for money and finances?
As far as money is concerned. The King of Swords tells you that you need to understand and focus completely on your financial situation, concrete facts, specific, real data is what you need to resolve your situation.
Your emotions or your dreams and longings are of no use here. You need the forcefulness of logic and understanding of your financial situation to be able to act accordingly. Maybe you want a loan to buy a car or a house, but can you really afford it?
You have to face the wreckage and problems, hiding won’t solve them.
You may get a fair and balanced deal, beneficial, especially if you do it with a man of those characteristics of seriousness, experience and adherence to the rules that describe this king.
It could indicate the need for advice from someone who specializes in the subject to help you sort things out. In some chaos may be the appearance of a business partner who will be fair and appropriate for business but with whom you will have little or no emotional connection, perhaps in this field that does not matter because sometimes it is best that everything is “business is business” without involving anything else.
Anyway, it is not an unfavorable card for money, it only asks you to act with rectitude and based on deep analysis, to have an established plan of action, not to act on impulse and everything will be fine.
What does the King of Swords card mean for health?
As far as health is concerned. The King of Swords indicates that it is good, but you must be careful that so much rectitude, so much rationality and putting emotions under the sole, does not affect your health negatively. When we hide our emotions too much, it usually has repercussions with physical symptoms in our body.
It also asks you to commit to your health, to investigate, to investigate, to be an active participant in your health or in your medical treatment if you have any ailment or illness.
You should turn to a specialist if necessary and trust their judgment, as it is a card that favors reason and knowledge, so it would be indicating that you are inclined to treat an illness by the way of medicine and proven science, rather than by alternative treatment.
However, if you have arrived at a fair, well-founded reasoning, you can resort to less empirical and orthodox things that are not therefore wrong. Follow your reason before your heart in matters of health.
What does The King of Swords mean spiritually?
As far as spirituality is concerned. The King of Swords tells you that in order for you to feel a connection to a set of spiritual beliefs, they have to make rational and logical sense to you intellectually as well.
Faith knows no reason, belief does not allow for too much intellectualizing, believe or not believe, no matter how impossible or improbable what you believe in.
However, there must be that link with your rational part so that you can really believe in it. You can deepen your spiritual awareness and practice by actively seeking out new sources of information and knowledge.
Try something new, do some research, check it out. Active meditations are useful now, as they disconnect you from the emotional but also from the rational.
What does the King of Swords card upside down or reversed mean?
The King of Swords in upside down position, General meaning: As with all court cards when they come out reversed, this king shows here its most negative facet, whether it describes you and your attitudes, or whether it refers to a third person.
This card indicates a negative use of the intellectual power that this king has, of his mind that is undoubtedly intelligent but seems to have suppressed his emotions to the extreme.
Here, his ideas are imposed but no longer through impeccable logic and fair and balanced reasoning, but through manipulation and strategies planned only to satisfy his own needs, which speaks of someone selfish.
He is a “skillful make-up artist” of situations, managing his deep knowledge in order to persuade others and convince them of his point of view and position.
Undoubtedly he is someone intelligent (remember that the card is describing you or someone else) but he abuses his knowledge and experience trying to silence and impress others.
It is usually like this, someone very eloquent who has a forceful tone that borders on aggressive, is cutting, with undeniable traits of arrogance and haughtiness. I am right and you are wrong seems to be his constant motto. He likes to expound on subjects in which others have no knowledge as a way to impress.
She can also be a very violent and aggressive person, especially if you contradict her or try to argue with her.
If you are this king, no doubt you are not on the right track, because very soon everyone will try to get away from you, or those who are under your dominion, will do it purely out of fear or because they have no other way out.
This king is very complicated in his personality and usually disguises his aggressiveness and selfishness behind a thick veneer of knowledge and personal charm. We do not say that he is a psychopath, but there are certainly points of contact, as they tend to be very charming socially, captivate people with their subtleties, a sharp wit, intelligence and broad knowledge of topics …
But deep down, behind the mask, it’s just someone selfish who will do anything to satisfy their own needs, having no empathy for the feelings or consequences for others.
If this king is someone else, you should put yourself in good protection from someone like this, as you will most likely come out with emotional wounds, if not, in certain circumstances, even physical ones. He will not mind going over the heads of others, nor will he have compassion, as long as he gets what he has set out to achieve.
The darkest point is undoubtedly the aggression that the sword cards contain when they are reversed. You can be in the presence of someone really aggressive who can hurt you, who has frequent attacks of anger, especially when he is challenged, contested or objected to, when he feels that his authority is disregarded.
Surely you and no one else wants to be in the company of such a person and you will probably end up distancing yourself from them. Perhaps this is the best thing you can do, because the only other way is to submit to their manipulations with all the damage that this can mean for your life.
If it is you who is acting in this tyrannical way, you should immediately reconsider your attitudes and try to change as soon as possible, as people will move away from you.
In another aspect, the inverted king of swords can show you that you are in a very complicated point since you do not know well where you stand, what decisions to take or what things to do, you have no direction in your life and you do not know where you are going. You are in a permanent dilemma, trying to make a decision that you never reach.
It is vital that you use all the rationality, objectivity and logic you are capable of, which you are and very much so, to reach that decision, it is the starting point from which to move and act. Take the first step, and then the path will be revealed, but at least you must start the movement.
The card indicates that you lack mental clarity and calmness to be able to act in the situation that worries you. You disperse all the time and it is likely that you are beginning to feel fear of not being able to solve the problem, this also puts you in a state of anger and aggression that you unload against you, but mainly against those around you.
You feel a growing insecurity that you have never felt before, you feel frankly lost but this is not because you have no way out, but because you can not focus properly.
All the logic and rationality that the swords carry are missing now and this only lengthens the problem, so that you find yourself in a state of permanent worry, a constant bad mood, without peace even to sleep well, with insomnia and stress that is becoming a heavy burden.
Once again, hold on to the reason that you can show, because the way out is that way. It is possible that you are not a very open person or predisposed to new approaches, advice and new ways of doing things, you find it difficult to open yourself to any kind of change, but if you want to get out of the quagmire and confusion in which you find yourself, you must be reasonable and do everything possible not to persist in your behaviors or your mistakes.
What does the reversed King of Swords card mean in love?
On the level of love. The reversed King of Swords points to a picture that can be complicated. You or your partner are in an intransigent, possibly aggressive posture, in an environment where there are arguments and fights and you do not seem to want to modify your positions, make concessions or give in. This must be corrected immediately if you want to move forward, which is still possible.
If this situation reaches dangerous extremes, where there is aggression and physical violence, the best thing to do is to take the necessary measures, such as moving away or asking for specialized help.
These are complicated times for the couple, there is no understanding and it is very possible that one is manipulating the other in various ways.
If you are in solitude, it is possible that a man of the hard and tough type appears in your life, that behind a mask of kindness only has a complicated character or wants to have only to satisfy his selfishness.
Be careful and run away if you see that things go beyond a limit. These are not good times to meet someone, the good ones are missing and you only seem to attract the bad ones, I’m afraid. Wait until your luck changes.
What does the King of Swords card reversed at work mean?
In the field of work. The King of Swords reversed, something similar to the love plane may be happening, where there is no understanding and there may even be arguments and various misunderstandings.
It is possible that you are under the orders of someone violent and tyrannical who does not want to listen to reason.
Bad times to ask for salary increases or leave. You should take care to do your part as well as possible and if things get out of hand, it may be time to look for another job.
On the other hand, the aggressive person may be you and you are not willing to collaborate and do your homework as requested, you respond in a bad way and your relationship with others is problematic. You need to come down to earth and put things in perspective.
If you are looking for work, be very careful of falling into the hands, in your need, of an aggressive person who will manipulate you without regard in order to achieve their own interests.
It is possible that you will do a lot of work, you will never satisfy him and you may not see the money. Avoid men who are very rude in their manners or treatment or who exaggerate their cordiality, sympathy and promise a lot.
What does the King of Swords card reversed mean in money and finances?
As far as money is concernes. This king like any reversed court card, signals difficult times, especially because you don’t know what to do or what decisions to make.
You have lost your compass of reason and you get carried away by unrealistic daydreams.
It is very important to put yourself on axis and have a method for your money, your expenses and your accounts. The more detail you put in, the better things will go.
It is not an extremely negative card that announces ruin or poverty, but since you are without a clear direction, you can easily make mistakes in your actions and worsen your financial state. Watch your spending to the extreme.
A man of strong character may swindle you or not pay you money, and rather than continue with your claim, it is preferable that you ask for help from others, rather than continue to confront.
There may be work or family arguments over money and perhaps you, your partner or your business partner, is in an infatuated attitude of misspending money and they don’t seem to see reason. Everyone is looking to satisfy their own need without attending to the bigger picture.
What does the King of Swords card reversed in health mean?
Regarding health. As the reversed King of Swords indicates, it would be advisable for you to start lowering your levels of aggression and stress right now.
You can do something in the situation that worries you and that is to try to be calm, to appeal to reason, and also you can do little because it is not in your hand, and that is generating this anger and rage that directly affects your physical health.
It is possible that if you treat any ailment or illness, you are very little open to listen to what the doctors have to say and to follow their indications and treatments.
It could also be that those who treat you do not listen to you, have their focus closed and do not move from there, so perhaps you would do well to seek other specialists who give you the proper attention.
However, it is not a letter of physical illnesses per se, but a spiritual and psychological discomfort that may end up generating a physical symptom. Reduce stress, that is the key that opens the door to wellness.
What does the King of Swords card inverted mean spiritually?
In terms of spirituality. You are closed to new ideas or concepts and at the same time you may need to think critically and logically about some spiritual information that you are approaching now.
It is likely that a spiritual leader of some sort is twisting something for the benefit of his organization (he is likely to be male, or a woman with very masculine energy).
Again, trust your logical sense and deep reasoning ability. If something doesn’t resonate with you, then it doesn’t resonate; it doesn’t matter who says it or why.
As you live in a time of anger and aggression, spirituality seems to be of no concern to you, and you are certainly wrong to put it on the back burner.
Meditating can significantly lower stress and anger. Try it, because that’s the way to calm down and refocus, and rediscover yourself and your best version of you, which you know you have.
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