Three of Swords

The Three of Swords always highlights problems of incompatibility, excessive sharpness of communication. The card is generally bleak; it foretells a tense, unpleasant time. With it, a mass of quarrels and anxieties, bitterness, situations of conflicting interests enter life. This is a card of testing for 'emotional lousiness' (sorry, crude but accurate). It carries an unpleasant life lesson. If Cups are the 'suit of the heart,' then Swords are the 'suit of the head.'

Naturally, in relationships, feelings often push considerations to the background, and the Three of Swords gives the signal and rips open the fog of emotional idealization, carries some collision with 'how things really are,' and this truth of life causes painful feelings. Therefore, on the card of the 'head,' a heart bleeding is depicted. Possibly, one will have to give some final answer, and it will be very hard to do.

The main meaning of the Three of Swords is a choice made against feeling (the person has to refuse, renounce something dear to them). But whether this is cowardice or, conversely, a step forward, can be understood only by knowing the background of the question and checking the other cards that fell. Hence some differences in authorial interpretations. One thing is when feelings (not necessarily one's own! quite possibly, someone else's) are cruelly suppressed by reason, and another – when, by the force of reason, one managed to break free from the captivity of some dependency. This step, though painful, is necessary.

In old divination books, the card was considered to indicate a painful parting, departure, separation. Well, if the Six of Swords or the Eight of Cups are nearby – easily. Swords act in case of necessity, but farewell and separation are necessities causing suffering to the heart.

Some modern authors believe that the Three of Swords in a spread can also point simply to the absence of something valuable and important for the querent within reach (what exactly, other cards can suggest). Its meanings, besides quarrels and distress over unhappy love – elimination, alienation, absence.

Unpleasant news (the meaning becomes almost one hundred percent if nearby are any 'messenger' cards: Pages, Knights, or the Eight of Wands, for example).

In the worst case (surrounded by additional negative cards), the card foretells great grief. The surrounding cards can also suggest how quickly the person can recover from it, what resources there are for this.

It happens that when this card falls, the person is surprised; it's hard for them to connect it with any circumstances in their life; everything seems normal. In this case, an old rule says that one should draw three more cards and find out what the querent's 'three sorrows' consist of – something that imperceptibly, stealthily scratches the soul and darkens life. The results can be amazing. Perhaps this rule arose from the observation that the Three of Swords is usually drawn by a person who has plenty of problems in life, but concentrates all their attention on one, possibly far from the main one.

The Three of Swords is capable of describing both a suffering person and one causing suffering. In the first case, it points to pain, sadness, a sorrowful mood, a heavy emotional conflict. In the second case – the ability to sacrifice both one's own and another's heart ('to break'), mercilessness, the ability to inflict deep wounds without hesitation. As the heart-rending song goes: 'They to us – a gun to the temple, they to us – hearts to smithereens...' Moreover, sometimes this person themselves is simply behaving in the most natural, 'inherent' way for themselves and does not fully understand what they are doing. It's no secret to them that their behavior is not pleasing, but they may not realize the depth of the wounds inflicted. They are rationalistic, critical, and have long lost the illusions inherent to people (which, as a rule, also happens in some difficult circumstances: 'Unhappy love? Don't make me laugh. That cup was drunk long ago, dried up, cracked, and broken.'). The person described by the Three of Swords is capable of destroying everything dear to the heart – both their own and another person's.

In the Three of Swords, the motif of disgust, disappointment, disagreement with reality, refusal to perceive it, due to its heaviness for the heart, often sounds, so the card can also symbolize unsociability, antipathy, reclusiveness, 'being out of phase' with those nearby, opposing oneself to them. This is a state in which a person is forced to move in a direction they do not like.

This is in any case a state of crisis. It is very possible that the person is facing a choice and cannot decide on some step, as reason and heart are not in agreement. Even if they know perfectly well how to act, it is still very hard for them. With their mind, they are aware of the necessity of what lies ahead, but in their soul everything rebels against such a prospect.

In a sacred sense, the card depicts the Sacred Heart of the Mother of God Mary, as the prophet said: 'A sword will pierce your own soul too.' This Arcana is not called 'Lord of Sorrow' for nothing.

The Three of Swords always symbolizes the striving for an unattainable ideal, rejection of reality, and at the same time the inability to leave this reality. Or, in other words, an attempt to solve a problem with unsuitable means. At the level of the Three of Swords, a direction is chosen, possibly for the self-realization of power. The Three of Swords is a symbol of ideals tested for strength. Therefore, one can say it resonates with Scorpio. All threes to some extent contain the idea of a mystery of initiation.

The Three of Swords also symbolizes initiation, dedication through a painful trial, a break with the previous life. The person is tested for strength and weakness, which in the end leads to the development of wisdom, deepening of life experience, and self-improvement.

The second decan of Libra expresses the idea of defining the boundaries of thought: identifying logical patterns allowing the mind to deduce a clear judgment on any issue. Saturn rules this decan, reflecting the ability to adhere to established rules for the sake of general harmony. This decan also symbolizes self-definition, striving for inner completeness and perfection of image. However, constant measuring of steps hinders forward movement, so this decan is characterized by fear of novelty and any uncertainty. It is also prone to excessive self-restriction, distrust of the external world and other people, as potential sources bringing disharmony.

The ability to timely switch from seeking static harmony within oneself to seeing harmony in the dynamic connections of the world is important. Thought, developing, moves, just as life constantly changes. The card depicts a heart pierced by three swords. Reflecting its sorrow, rain falls from the clouds in the background. This picture seems to remind that the world is based on contradictions, and its rational comprehension, like knowledge in general, is connected with sorrow: any law, even the law of being, is severe and imposes responsibility on a person. Human thought must submit to the laws of the world – and then they will be able to accept what previously did not fit into their consciousness.

Behind these seemingly abstract words lies a simple truth. One of the most painful states a person can experience is the 'loss of illusions.' Behind this can lie the collapse of everything they allowed themselves to believe in. They allowed it because they very much wanted it to be true. Each of us has a heart, each of us has dreams. We can meditate round the clock, enjoying our idea of what this world should be like. But then the time will come to tell ourselves – you are nothing compared to this world, it is different, it is huge, it is not as you imagined it. And it has every right to be so. Therefore, wake up and make an effort to see this world as it really is.

You can rush head-on into the world with your brightest dreams, but don't expect it to be the first to turn away. If we make an effort to rid ourselves of the fog of our ideas and understand what this world is really like, we will achieve that it will become a little more like our dreams.

Light and Shadow (Advice and Warning)

Advice: to drink the bitter cup. Accept the sorrow that has pierced the heart and rejoice that the eyes are opened. An unpleasant decision that must be made is given with difficulty and pain, but that from which we want to be cured very often cures us. This is an unpleasant life lesson, but it teaches much. Restraint, patience, humility are required. If you don't hold on and look forward, then in the end many things may go the wrong way. It makes sense to defend your interests. This card is a challenge to make clear and unambiguous decisions. In a state of heart dilemma, this is the hardest thing for a person, but only this way can lost balance (Libra) be restored.

Warning: do not try to make a decision against the heart.

Opposition to ventures, delays. Poor prospects. Swords, as mentioned, are the 'suit of the head' – with the Three of Swords, a headache is guaranteed. Failures, losses, damages. Threat of bankruptcy. Dismissal. Breakup of business relations. Termination of contracts. Fragmentation of power.

Disappointment in profession or position – what was once highly valued turns out not to meet expectations (again 'loss of illusions'). This card can speak of growing disgust for work – duties seem heavy, unpleasant, the soul categorically is not drawn to them. The person barely drags themselves to work, cursing everything under the sun – the management, clients, colleagues ('I wish I'd never see it'). Loneliness, depression due to the necessity of doing what the soul is not drawn to. The best this suffering can give is to open one's eyes to what the soul is truly drawn to, and give strength to follow a new path at the first opportunity!

Failure in exams.

It is believed that the Three of Swords governs 'bad press,' scandals, slander, defamatory publications, misleading.

Division of property. Losses, damages. Sometimes – money obtained by causing pain to others and generally at too high a price.

In general, the Three of Swords carries a feeling of rootlessness and promises nothing good in the housing sense. The person in any case does not like the place where they find themselves, 'they wish they'd never see it again.'

Possible legal claims, disputes over money, property.

The meaning of a broken heart in the Three of Swords is clear to everyone, even those seeing Tarot for the first time – the torments of love. Sometimes the card merely shows that the querent has anxieties of this kind, fear of pain and loss, although there may be no particular grounds for this. The traditional meaning of the card: dissolution of an alliance, and it usually manifests quite noticeably. This is a card of separation, cooling, discord, parting, breaking of personal relationships.

Traumatic clashes, painful quarrels, even divorce is possible. At best – a shadow has fallen over the relationship, at worst – a deep spiritual wound has been inflicted. The Three of Swords primarily manifests situations of incompatibility, when previously formed unions disintegrate due to opposing interests, discord, conflicts. Sometimes it describes a cooling of relations and hopeless attempts to achieve harmony.

A love triangle is possible – a third party has appeared on the scene and become the cause of the breakup. Infidelity, a situation where one first learned 'the whole truth' about the other, the shattered rose-colored glasses syndrome. Inability to choose between suitors. A broken heart, disappointment in love, sorrow. The parting will not be amicable. As a cause or basis of the situation, the Three of Swords can indicate that the union was fragile from the start, included opposing interests of the parties, and now they are diverging.

The Three of Swords can govern heart-rending longing for what is lost. One old interpretation sounds like monasticism – after such dramas, further life as such was not supposed to be. Interestingly, in practice, this very card turned out to be the significator of a lifelong widower: a person who lost their other half more than ten years ago but lives very reclusively, essentially not having come out of mourning. This quite charming man, a brilliant specialist in the prime of life, realized he aroused condemnation and misunderstanding, but his words sounded something like this: 'She is gone... THERE IS NO ONE.' Lady Hamilton after Admiral Nelson's death and the famous phrase come to mind: there was no 'then', there was no 'after'.

All sorts of cardiological profile problems, up to heart attack and heart failure. 'A sick heart.'

Trauma. Physical pain. Weakness.

Depression (typically traumatic, exogenous).

It is still a breakup of partnership relations, alienation, although in this case the crack in the relationship is not so great. Resistance to pain, unwillingness to acknowledge sorrow, and this hinders healing. The heart 'freezes,' it is broken but feels nothing, not even pain.

In a reversed position, the action of negative aspects intensifies, giving complete mental confusion (swords are still the 'head' suit): illusions, delusions, hallucinations, distraction of attention, absent-mindedness, and irreparable errors. Miscalculations, losses, disorder in affairs (the cause of which may well be a broken heart). In severe situations: strong affective disorders, delirium, insanity.

Guggenheim mentions such a meaning as 'meeting with a person who prompted the querent to a compromise' (intuition suggests that this conclusion most likely relies on the author's personal experience).

Some authors believe that the reversed Three of Swords means that the painful situation for the querent existed but is now in the past. It doesn't hurt anymore.

When appearing in a spread next to a Major Arcana, the Three of Swords strengthens the meaning inherent to that Arcana. Taken from old divination books:

With The Fool – to end up in a madhouse.

With The Emperor – the situation is not so sad, unity is coming

With The Hierophant – to avoid marriage.

With The Lovers – intimacy and love, the card weakens the influence of the Three of Swords

With The Wheel of Fortune – lack of money.

With Five of Cups – a heavy combination, deep sorrow, loss of love, great grief, heartache, widowhood

With Seven of Cups - resentment

With Ten of Cups – the card weakens the negative influence of the Three of Swords. Joy, unity, reconciliation.

With Five of Pentacles – rejection, refusal, loss of support

Before the reversed Moon – to drown.

Blinded Oedipus

The Sorrowful Mother of God

The Bitter Cup

"For in much wisdom is much grief"

Lord Byron's verse about how the Tree of Knowledge, alas, is not the Tree of Life:

Sorrow is knowledge. They, who know the most, must mourn the deepest over the fatal truth. The Tree of Knowledge is not that of Life.