Card 53 • swords

Four of Swords

Brief Description

The Four of Swords emphasizes withdrawal and rest: struggles and constant activity are unproductive, and a period of solitude or temporary retreat is necessary to rebuild strength. It warns against rushing forward, urging careful planning and measured steps. In reverse, stagnation ends and a cautious return to work occurs, but an untimely or hasty comeback can cause setbacks. Overall, the card advises using pause time to reflect, restore energy, and prepare deliberate actions rather than forcing progress.

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Card Title

FOUR OF SWORDS

Upright

Uselessness of struggles and strife. Pause for a period of inactivity to reconsider the situation. Delay planning for further actions. Necessary solitude, isolation, temporary retreat. Lack of progress, stagnation of business.

Card's advice

Stop the bustle. There's no need to suffer or to be afraid, everything will be restored. Use this time effectively: understand your life and yourself, and rebuild your strength.

The warning

You may feel the need to run forward, but you are still not ready to resume your previous pace. Don't rush, be careful and plan every step.

Reverse

The period of stagnation comes to an end. Coming back to work after full recovery. Carefully and thoughtfully moving forward. An untimely need to come back to your routine. Faltering strength. Hasty steps due to doubt about your own plans set you back.

Quick Answer

You need to rest before more action is taken.

Visual Description

A knight in full armor lies supine atop a stone bier, hands clasped around a long sword that rests on his chest and a red pillow under his head. Three hooded and robed figures stand in front of the bier, each holding an upright sword with both hands and shields at their sides. Above them is the Roman numeral IV and below is a banner with Cyrillic script; the scene is rendered in muted tones and detailed line work.

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Old Style tarot

✍️ Deck author(s): Alexander Ray

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