Nine of Swords Meaning in Tarot by Avia from Tarot Teachings

About Nine of Swords
Meaning in Tarot

It’s not always easy to face the nine of swords in a Tarot reading. It implies despair, helplessness, and even sleepless nights caused by stress-induced night terrors. I love how this imagery is depicted with the vibration of number nine. It gives us insight into the underbelly of the thoughts we’d rather not face, but are there nonetheless. What’s more, these suppressed thoughts always return to haunt us when our guard is down.

How am I making this connection? The number nine represents the cycle of returns in numerological philosophy. When we multiply nine by any number, then reduce the result, we always come back to nine, effectually returning back to the source.
Let’s test it:

9×8=72, reduced: 7+2= 9
Once more:14218×9=127962. Reduce it:1+2+7+9+6+2=27. Reduce again:2+7=9
Again: 411758×9=3705822, 3+7+0+5+8+2+2=27, 2+7=9

Pretty neat, no? This energetic looping in conjunction with the symbolic suit of swords clues us to the repetitive and cyclical nature of our deeper thoughts.

The figurehead in the nine of swords is traditionally depicted in a bed. This is where we get the symbolism of suppressive and disillusioned thinking. And, as we’ve all experienced, the thoughts or behaviors we shove beneath the surface often bubble up in our dreaming or less conscious states of awareness.

The figure covering her face confirms this interpretation. She is unwilling to face her fears. She chooses to fall victim to a predatory mind; remaining deluded and ignorant of the potential for freedom.

Some Keywords for Nine of Swords Tarot Card Meaning:

Agony
Denial
Confusion
Avoidance
Inflexibility
Suppression
Misdirection
Self-delusion
Consumption
Contradiction
Disillusionment
Misunderstanding

When the nine of swords comes yawning at us in the dawn of our awareness we must deftly address those unhealthy thoughts we’re avoiding (and have typically harbored over a long period of time).

Although these are often deep rooted issues and unsavory bedfellows whom we’d rather not share our lives with, we owe it to ourselves to face them. Just face them. Better yet, treat them like bed bugs. How to deal with nagging, negative bed bug thoughts:

Detect them
Cleanse them out of your system and environment
Prevent another outburst by replacing these thoughts/beliefs with higher, brighter thoughts.

A last note, just as bed bugs will not respond to poison, neither will an infestation of misaligned thought.

Nature works on an inclusive circuit. Therefore, nurture yourself into alignment, replace ill-mannered thoughts with ones that hold promise and compassion.

Doing so will break the recycling loop of negative thoughts the nine of swords card suggests, while enhancing your divine growth at the same time.

Some key symbols in the Nine of Swords Tarot Card Meaning:

Bed: It’s where we’re most vulnerable, and let down all our defenses. And so, the symbolic bed infers an awareness we make known to no one (sometimes not even to our conscious selves). Beds can also symbolize our dreaming life, and those thoughts we keep in the realm of fantasy. When the bed unfolds in our awareness in a reading, pull the covers and take a good look at what’s going on in the surrounding cards for more clarity. Define the deeper meanings lurking in dreamy themes. Find clarity for the sake of solution.

Ropes: Another obvious emblem, ropes infer binding, confinement, or restriction. When we think of ropes, we often think of knots and is all tied up in them. In the case of the Hanged Man however, the rope is a utility – it serves as a necessity in order to pull away from our internal knots. When we are tied up, we are forced into a state of non-action and this is precisely the answer to our problems. The more we struggle with the ties that bind, often the tighter they become.

Black: Logic tells us the presence of black indicates the absence of light. We may be in the dark as to our true understanding of a situation. Or, maybe we don’t want to see the light at all, preferring anonymity with ourselves and those around us. Contrarily, black can also provide a theater of expression. With no distraction, complete surrender to the abyss is our only option. Which is the case in your reading? Get more about color meanings in the Tarot here.

Questions the Nine of Swords asks of us

What am I avoiding? Why?
What can I gain by suppressing my fears?
What is causing the nightmares to repeat in my life?
Are there reoccurring themes of destruction in my life?
What would happen if I embraced both light and dark sides to my self?
If I knew I lived in an inclusive and supportive universe, would I still be ashamed?