Five of Swords
The Five of Swords speaks of ongoing conflict, empty victories, and the emotional fallout of social rejection and insecurity. It highlights paranoia, overly protective behavior, and the tendency to harbor anger and negativity long after a fight has ended, suggesting some struggles are better abandoned. Reversed, the card points to vulnerability, desertion, shedding old habits, and the possibility of self-acceptance by letting go of past pains and expectations—though it can also indicate avoiding needed conflict to fit in. Magickally, the card is used in rituals to move past insecurities and release self-doubt by envisioning the breaking of negative thought patterns while reversing the card.
Keywords
Description
Continuing to cause strife when others have given up the fight; awkwardness; an inferiority complex; an empty victory; rejection; feeling dejected; unfounded suspicion; paranoia; overly protective behavior; insecurity leads one to feel like everyone is against them when in reality no one is paying attention; harboring pain, anger, and negativity after a bad situation has passed; struggle in fitting in; feeling ostracized and unacceptable; self-harm; a struggle that should be abandoned; parading one's battle wounds long after the fight is over; shame.
Reversed
Vulnerability; desertion; defeat; gossip; enemies posing as friends; abandoning a struggle; shedding old habits and dispelling negativity; letting go of past pains; self-acceptance is won by moving beyond outside limitations and expectations to follow one's own heart; avoiding conflict in the hope of fitting in.
Magickal Uses
Useful in rituals and spells designed to help you move past insecurities or to help you let go of self-doubt or guilt. Gaze at the card while thinking of the feelings you wish to be rid of, then reverse the card while envisioning yourself breaking through the old, negative thinking patterns to see yourself exactly as you want to be.
Visual Description
A bearded man in a dark cloak stands on a snowy field, holding two swords aloft while three other swords lie on the ground near a small campfire. Wolves or wolf-like creatures move in the middle ground toward a distant ridge, and a tall, craggy mountain rises under a pale sun or moon in the sky. Tufts of dry grass break the snow and the man's cloak shows a stitched symbol, while the scene is dominated by cold whites and the warm orange of the fire.
Modern Spellcasters tarot
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