Five of Swords
The Five of Swords warns of conflicts driven by pride, fear, or selfishness that lead to hollow victories and lasting regret. It points to arguments—external or internal—where winning becomes the goal and hurtful words are exchanged. The card's imagery of switchblades, a tattered flag, and a departing boat emphasizes deceit, obstinacy, and surrender or abandonment. Its guidance is to call a truce, examine motivations, disengage from the fight, and break the cycle of harm.
Keywords
Keywords
Empty victories, arguing just to win, cutting words, self-defeating thoughts.
Meaning
Conflict
The 5 of Swords is a red flag that we're headed toward a shitty fight where no one wins. You know the kind: the nasty arguments where we say hurtful things to the people we love, where we're so stubborn and thick-headed that the point of the argument is forgotten beneath the sharp-tongued, selfish, and unexamined insistence on winning. That's this card. The argument can be an external clash with others or an internal conflict with ourselves, but either way, someone's being an asshole, and it might be us.
Truce and Motivations
The 5 of Swords warns us to call a truce and check in with our personal motivations, because they're probably not what we think they are. We may have acted out of selfishness or pride, or lashed out due to fear or pain. We may have been thoughtless with other people's feelings or careless with our words—and in the Swords suit, words can kill.
Consequences and Advice
When this card appears, arguments and hurtful words may bring a vicious, momentary relief or a façade of vindication, but it won't last. This battle will only lead to regrets. Disengage and walk away.
Imagery
Our card features five switchblades, knives that imply viciousness and deceit in their spring-loaded and concealable swiftness. Three blades are thrust point-first in the sand next to a tattered flag, as if obstinately staking their ground, while two lay on the ground as if yielded. In the distance, a white flag of surrender lies next to the surf, and a boat departs on the tide.
Directive
A knife is not a prize. Disengage and break the cycle.
Trailing Character
:
Visual Description
A small rowboat floats on dark, rippling water with a single oar resting against its side. Six upright, nail-like blades are planted in the boat’s hull like tall stakes. Above, a V-formation of geese flies across a muted gray-blue sky beneath a slim crescent moon. The image is framed by a simple border and the Roman numeral VI at the bottom.
Fifth Spirit tarot
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