Nine of Swords
Nine of Swords Tarot Card Meanings
UPRIGHT: Anxiety, worry, fear, depression, nightmares
Upright Nine Of Swords
The Nine of Swords suggests that dark thoughts and disturbing feelings are weighing you down (and keeping you up at night). You are worrying excessively about a situation, and your negative thoughts are getting the better of you, leaving you stressed and anxious. The more you associate with your fears, the more they will rule your life. As you obsess over what’s not working, the more anxious you become and the more you will worry. It becomes a negative cycle where one awful thought leads to another, and another, and another until they overwhelm you. Just as the nine swords are stacked upon each other on the wall, so too are your negative thoughts.
Be careful because the fear and worry in the Nine of Swords can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As you obsess over what may go wrong, you are more likely to manifest your worst-case scenario because you are inadvertently acting in ways that support your negative thoughts. For example, you may worry that your partner will cheat on you, even though you’ve found no signs of infidelity. The more you stress about this potential outcome, the more your anxiety pushes away your partner, until one day, he feels so disconnected from you that he starts a new relationship with someone else. When you are repeating negative thoughts in your mind, you run the risk of manifesting them in your life. So, the Nine of Swords asks you to break the cycle. Every time a negative emotion comes up, replace it with a positive one instead.
The Nine of Swords reminds you that much of the fear and worry you are experiencing is in your head and not necessarily an accurate reflection of what is happening around you. You may make things worse for yourself by over-thinking or obsessing over the worst-case scenarios. It is time to examine your situation from a new perspective. Instead of looking for evidence of what is going wrong, put your attention on what is going right. Take a deep breath and realise that life is not as dreadful as it seems and that the more you worry, the more harm you are doing to yourself.
The Nine of Swords often crops up when worry, despair, and anxiety are quite literally keeping you up at night. You may not be sleeping well, or you are experiencing frequent nightmares. Your constant thoughts are preventing you from resting.
When the Nine of Swords appears in a reading, it is time to reach out for help. You don’t need to do this alone – enlist the support of others to help you get through this dark period of your life. Others will help you to see the light at the end of the tunnel and lead you towards a solution or a sense of peace despite your troubles. You are struggling to look at your situation clearly, as you are plagued by negative thoughts, so having an objective, third-party perspective will help you find your way out.
Upright Love Meaning:
Not trusting partner, suspicious of partner, regret from past
Anxieties and fears can escalate with the 9 of Swords tarot love meaning. Some nightmare situation may be keeping you up at night. Oftentimes, this card suggests that the fears are not as terrible as they are in your head. You may be struggling with guilt, remorse, insecurity, trusting your partner, or mental health issues. You’ll need to understand for yourself whether these feelings are truly rational. Anxiety may be causing you avoid looking at the problem and facing it head on, but if you took the effort to open your eyes, you may find that you can work through these issues. If you’re single, past relationships can be a source of remorse, sadness and regret, and these feelings must be worked through before going into another relationship.
Upright Career Meaning:
Anxiety, paranoia, stress from work, no coping mechanisms
Stress and anxiety are the biggest features of your current work situation right now. Sometimes this card can also point to paranoia, and that things are really not as bad as you believe they are, which can be good news. Regardless of the circumstances, work may feel incredibly overwhelming right now, and you may reach burnout if you continue without changing anything. If your stress is due to external factors, you may need to take concrete action, such as searching for somewhere else to work, or changing your career path. If your stresses are mostly due to anxiety and mental health issues, you may need to learn how to think more positively. Internal shifts may be needed, and you may benefit from the help of a professional or a trusted friend to give you a more objective view of everything.
Upright Finances Meaning:
Panic about finances, all-consuming worries, feeling deprived
Financially, you may be under a lot of pressure and stress right now. The suffering you’re feeling is real, but the 9 of Swords often points towards anxiety and worries that come from exaggerating the situation instead of looking at it realistically. If this is the case, your panic may be from your own negative thinking. It may be helpful to enlist an outsider’s perspective to give you advice on what you can do.
Reversed Nine of Swords Tarot Card Meanings
REVERSED: Inner turmoil, deep-seated fears, secrets, releasing worry
Reversed Nine Of Swords
The Nine of Swords reversed shows that you are experiencing deep inner turmoil as a result of your mindset. Your negative thoughts are taking you in a downward spiral of despair and anxiety that contradicts reality; you are making things feel much worse than they really are.
You may try to keep your worries private and personal to you, but if you are struggling to keep your head above water, it may now be time to confide in others and seek their help and support. Others will offer you a new perspective, or even just a place to vent, that will ease some of the stress and tension.
The Nine of Swords reversed appears when you are gripped by fear. You are allowing your fears to impede your fullest potential and it is stripping you of your life force. You cannot take a step forward because you are so distressed about what might happen. Get a reality check and evaluate which fears are warranted, and which are not. Release your limiting beliefs, crippling fears, and self-doubt.
The reversed Nine of Swords can also point out that you are incredibly hard on yourself, putting yourself down or engaging in negative self-talk. So, when the Nine of Swords reversed appears in a reading, ask yourself why you are so hard on yourself. How are you putting yourself down, and what is the source of your depression? What can you do to make yourself feel better? You may need to make a more conscious effort to quit the negative self-talk and replace it with positive reinforcement for a job well done.
On a more positive note, the Nine of Swords reversed can show that you have already worked through this period of worry and depression and are making a recovery. You may have come to the realisation that things are not as bad as you made them out to be, and you are beginning to relax and calm yourself about what was once a terrifying situation.
Reversed Love Meaning:
Getting help from partner, alleviating stress by sharing
You may be ready now to be honest and face the truth with the reversed 9 of Swords tarot love meaning. If you’ve been suffering quietly, being honest with your partner can be give you the release you need. It is not easy to carry the weight of your anxieties alone, and if your partner is supportive, they can be there to give you the reassurance you need. Through discussion, you may learn that the things that are keeping you up at night are not as bad as you had thought they were. If you’re single, you may be working on yourself, so that you can enter a healthy and loving relationship again. The time is almost there, and you may be feeling ready to find love again.
Reversed Career Meaning:
Clarity about work, finding peace, stresses becoming real
The issues that you’re facing in your workplace can either start to lesson, or get worse. Ideally, you have figured out that your work situation isn’t as bad as it seemed, and you only needed to develop some changes in your attitude, perspective, or behavior in order to solve the problems you’ve been dealing with. The negativity you had about your work is fading away towards brighter days. Alternatively, your situation truly may have collapsed and gotten much worse. You may be truly burnt out, unable to go to work because of your stress. To understand the whole picture, look at other cards in your tarot spread.
Reversed Finances Meaning:
Clarity about finances, peace, poverty, lack of resources
Sometimes, the reversed 9 of Swords can indicate the stress around your financial situation is getting better - or worse. Other cards in your tarot spread will give you an indication of which. Either you’ve learned how to get a more realistic view of your money, or it’s gotten worse, and your fears may now be realized. Find help, others can be useful for support right now.