Five of Swords
This card depicts the aftermath of conflict and a victory that has left visible wounds and a hollow taste. It warns that disputes won through force or tactics often cost relationships and leave bitterness even when objectives are met. It also represents decisive action and the clarity that comes from cutting away what no longer serves, while acknowledging possible inward turns of guilt, regret, or the urge to reconcile. The card asks you to weigh victory against its price, to notice where pride or cruelty masquerade as strength, and to choose between apology, firm boundaries, rebuilding, or walking away.
Keywords
Visual description
A pale nun-like woman in a black cloak stands in a vaulted Gothic cloister, her dark-ringed eyes staring outward. A long sword is driven horizontally through her upper chest/neck area and the hilt protrudes to one side; blood stains her white habit and a spray of droplets dots the stone floor beneath. The arched corridor recedes softly into the background and the whole scene is framed by an ornate gold border. A brass plaque at the bottom bears the text 'SISTER AGNES' and 'FIVE OF PINS' with a smaller line reading 'crooked way tarot'.
Meaning
You enter the cold cloister where Sister Agnes stands, the metallic tang of blood and iron almost in the air, and immediately feel the aftermath of a clash. The sword embedded across her chest is a stark record of victory that required force and left wounds on everyone present; the scene captures triumph that tastes of ash and the lonely echo of a hollow win. In readings this card speaks of disputes won at the cost of relationships, of sharp words and tactical maneuvers that leave bitterness even when objectives are met. It also holds the clarity of decisive action, the moment when someone cuts away what no longer serves them and sees the result with brutal honesty. Turned or resisted, the same image can turn inward: guilt, regret, the urge to reconcile, or the difficult decision to accept consequences and rebuild or to walk away from the damage. The card encourages you to weigh victory against its price, to notice where pride or cruelty may masquerade as strength, and to consider whether apology or firm boundaries are the truer path forward. Whether it signals a necessary severing or a lesson in compassion, Sister Agnes asks you to be awake to cost, choice, and the possibility of mending what has been broken.
Crooked Way tarot
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