Five of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Minor Arcana Tarot

Five of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Upright Card Meaning

Conflict is often the best reveal of a person’s true character. Some show themselves to be avoidant, while others use conflict as a chance to make use of their quiet strength. A person indicated by the Five of Swords is one who becomes their most vicious self.
The Five of Swords in a reading indicates that you are going through a particularly bitter time of discord in your life. Perhaps you are feeling disrespected at work or cannot stop fighting with a partner. The conflicts you have experienced go beyond regular arguments, they are often vicious, degrading fights.
In this kind of conflict there are no winners, although one of you may be tallying up their bounty. The cutting words that have been spoken will stay lodged in everyone’s psyche for a very long time, some relationships may never be repaired. You may tell yourself that you are engaging in conflict in order to meet your goals, but you may find your arrival at the top to be very lonely. If your eyes are only on the prize, who are you trampling to get there?

Minor Arcana Tarot

Five of swords Tarot Card Meanings

Reversed Card Meaning

The aggression of the Five of Swords is so powerful that it overshadows the card even when reversed. The Five of Swords reversed also indicates a time of bitter conflict.
However, the timing of the card when reversed might be different. The Five of Swords reversed could represent the legacy of a particularly vicious time of discord that you have experienced in the past. Perhaps you or the person you feuded with are still allowing your resentments to guide your way. It is time to let go. When all your energy is caught up in a festering fight, you have none left over to grow.
Or, the Five of Swords reversed could be a sign that the combattants are faltering. You are realizing that some fights are not worth battling. Giving in to your desire to reconcile is not a sign of weakness, follow it to grow from this period.