Nine of Swords
Nine of Swords, minor arcana. anxiety, worry, sleeplessness, dread.
A figure sits up in bed with their face in their hands, nine swords on the wall above and a quilt carved with roses and astrological signs. It is the card of night-time worry.
Upright
- anxiety
- worry
- sleeplessness
- dread
A figure sits up in bed with their face in their hands, nine swords on the wall above and a quilt carved with roses and astrological signs. It is the card of night-time worry.
Reversed
- hope
- reaching out
- facing fears
- relief
Worry easing, or facing a fear for the first time. Reversed, the card encourages reaching out to someone.
Not every reader uses reversals. Many treat a reversed card as the same theme, blocked, delayed or turned inward.
Astrology and numerology
In the Golden Dawn scheme that most modern decks follow, each numbered minor card from two to ten is given a planet in a sign. For Nine of Swords it is Mars in Gemini. The suit's element, air, comes from Swords.
Its number reduces to 9, which numerology associates with completion, compassion, idealism. See every card that reduces to 9.
Yes or no
In yes or no tarot, Nine of Swords counts as a no when upright, and as a yes when reversed. This follows a common convention and not a rule from the deck's makers.
Tarot is a tradition of symbolism. This page says what readers traditionally associate with the card. It does not predict anything and it is not advice.