Three of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

The plot of this tarot arcana is rather laconic and gloomy. The leaden gray backdrop of the card, heavy clouds from which rain threads fall like bitter tears—all suggests notions of tragedy, unbearable sorrow, and losses. At the center of the Three of Swords is a heart, pierced by three swords, symbolizing emotional torment and turmoil. The heart is literally hacked by swords, trapped in a snare of pain, and it seems that there is no escape from this situation...

The Three of Swords tarot card testifies that depending on the circumstances, you are either the injured party or the guilty party in a conflict. Perhaps you were wronged or betrayed, or it was you who revealed your less-than-best qualities and offended a loved one, friend, business partner, or colleague.

The Three of Swords tarot card could also outline a situation where there are some painful disagreements between you and a close person that could lead to a complete breakdown of the relationship. The situation could be even more severe—you may have recently lost a loved one and now find yourself in a depressed state, struggling to find reasons to carry on with life.

However, the Three of Swords tarot arcana suggests that inner resilience, rational thinking, and time will help heal your emotional wounds, while tenderness, understanding, and diplomacy will pave the way to the heart of the person you have offended and lead to reconciliation. The hurt will pass, like a summer storm, and rays of emotional warmth will dry the tears!

Key Meanings of the Upright Three of Swords Card

• Tense relationships, a wall of misunderstanding, betrayal, unhappy love, or choice against feelings.
• Bad news, misfortunes, losses, health issues.
• Hatred, disgust, enmity, disappointment, faint-heartedness, painful release.

The reversed Three of Swords tarot card is a sign of the heavy grievances and disappointments that overflow you, poisoning your soul like a slow venom. Inside, there's a wave of pain; you are incapable of thinking or talking about anything else.

Perhaps your expectations did not match reality, and now you are so hurt by life that the whole picture of the world appears before you in grey colors. Or there are specific people who have humiliated or insulted you, and now you are experiencing the full spectrum of negative emotions—from oppression and powerlessness to anger and a desire for revenge.

When you get the reversed tarot card Three of Swords in a spread, it's necessary to dissect your grievances and break them down to the bone. The Arcana states that among them, there are few valid reasons to be angry—most of them are fruits of your vivid imagination. Likely, you have concocted a personal tragedy and are now living with a complex of being the eternal victim. Isn't it time to shake off the load of negativity that makes you wilt like a plant without sunlight?

The reversed Three of Swords tarot card calls for you to display wisdom and prudence, to live by reason rather than emotions, to stop following the lead of emotions and offenders. Extract all the thorns from your heart and allow yourself and the world around you to be a little imperfect! This will allow you to become the full master of your emotions, thoughts, and actions, and completely change your life.

Key Meanings of the Reversed Three of Swords Card

• Hopelessness, a stream of troubles, trials, alienation, emotional pain.
• Confiscation of property, losses, serious mistakes.
• A complete breakdown of relationships, betrayal, embitterment.
• Regrets, envy, torments of conscience, delusion, sinking into the abyss of despair.

In love spreads, the upright Three of Swords card predicts romantic suffering and disappointments.

Perhaps the object of your affection does not express their feelings towards you, leading you to agonize over the unknown and worry. Or maybe you doubt yourself so much that you avoid social situations, thereby depriving yourself of the chance for an interesting encounter?

The Three of Swords can also foreshadow a new romantic connection that will result in a broken heart. Relationships built during this period will prove unstable.

In the reversed position, the card speaks of being mired in the swamp of negative emotions from the past.

When Reading for an Admirer or a Loved One

In a reading for an admirer or partner, the upright card indicates that your chosen one has experienced a heart-wrenching drama, the effects of which will continue to be felt for a long time. But time heals—all in due course, they will open their heart for new, happy love.

The reversed card testifies that your chosen one is a sensitive and vulnerable person, sometimes perhaps excessively so. They are all too familiar with the torment of unrequited love.

In business readings, the Three of Swords card speaks of disappointment in one's profession, property disputes, and failures at work.

Losses and setbacks haunt you, business relationships with partners fall apart, contracts break, and your business teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Job duties seem unpleasant and burdensome, and you literally force yourself to go to a job you hate, losing your temper over trivial matters and conflicting with colleagues. The only way out is to find a vocation that fulfills your soul or to completely change your field of activity.

In the reversed position, the meaning of the card changes, indicating a truly difficult and hopeless situation in business.

When reading for a person, the upright card is interpreted as someone who has experienced a heartbreak or some form of disappointment. They still feel the pain of their loss and have not fully come to terms with it.

In the reversed position, this card represents an emotional and sensitive individual, prone to deep feelings. At times, they may indulge in self-pity and harbor resentment towards the "unfair" world around them.

In the upright position, the card advises you not to dwell on unpleasant experiences and resentments. Empty worries create a closed loop. If you want to bring about change, let go of grudges and take action!

Appearing in the reversed position in the spread, the card advises you to take into account past experiences of disappointments and losses, so as not to repeat the same mistakes again.

If the card appears in the upright position, the forecast for your situation is not particularly favorable. It suggests that a heart wound may hinder you, possibly caused by betrayal from someone close.

In the reversed position, the forecast for your situation is ambiguous. It indicates that disappointments, resentments, and regrets over things that cannot be changed may obstruct your path.

With the 0 Fool card - Love triangle, blatant betrayal, naivety in love.

With the 1 Magician card - Fierce competition in love or career, miscalculation, betrayal.

With the 2 High Priestess card - Uncomfortable truth, blow to self-esteem, unpleasant criticism from loved ones.

In combination with the 3 Empress card - Heading towards divorce, exposed infidelity, a sham marriage.

With the 4 Emperor card - Revenge, psychological pressure, fierce rivalry.

With the 5 Hierophant card - Disrupted wedding, serious conflict, love disappointment.

With the 6 Lovers card - The presence of a rival, a problematic past romance, engagement cancellation.

With the 7 Chariot card - Fruitless journeys or efforts, dangerous trust in a partner, a series of failures.

With the 8 Strength card - Love intoxication, enchantment, lack of common sense.

With the 9 Hermit card - Old grievances, the reappearance of an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, delving into unpleasant memories.

With the 10 Wheel of Fortune card - Painful animosity, envy that brings advantage, ambition, or choosing career over love.

With the 11 Justice card - Concealing a sinful connection, covering up for a criminal, complicity in injustice.

With the 12 Hanged Man card - Emotional drama, loss of faith in loved ones, destructive attachment or burning jealousy.

With the 13 Death card - Betrayal, a stab in the back, leaving a job or studies due to gossip.

With the 14 Temperance card - Internal disappointment, betrayal, going through difficult times.

With the 15 Devil card - Schemes of a rival, love spell or curse, playing dirty.

With the 16 Tower card - Unforgivable betrayal, loss of self-control, fixation on something irrecoverable.

With the 17 Star card - Attempting to justify oneself, disputes with an ex-boyfriend (girlfriend), a desire to quickly resolve difficulties.

With the 18 Moon card - Fruitless expenditure of energy, trying to salvage the relationship, tormenting oneself mentally.

With the 19 Sun card - Displaying an appearance of prosperity, living for show, boasting.

With the 20 Judgment card - Facing multiple accusations, a challenging trial, being emotionally broken.

With the 21 World card - Making a wrong choice, unrequited love, attempting to remain friends with a former lover.

With the Ace of Wands - Undivided love, being the third wheel, being late with a confession, or being deceived.

With the Two of Wands - Relationship break-up, bitter lesson, foreseeing the inevitable.

With the Three of Wands - Cruelly disappointed, becoming a victim of fraud, betrayal by a close person.

With the Four of Wands - Infidelity, discord in relationships, divorce and property division.

With the Five of Wands - Collapse of ideals, quarrels and insults, public clarification of relationships.

With the Six of Wands - Disappointment in one's profession, quitting a job, or giving up the fight, a hollow victory.

With the Seven of Wands - Unexpected betrayal, serious differences in views, a painful separation from a loved one.

With the Eight of Wands - Unpleasant situation, hurting someone, doing something thoughtlessly, a bad mood.

With the Nine of Wands - Hints of infidelity, emotional trauma, bitter experience.

With the Ten of Wands - Holding on with the last bit of strength, containing pain, hiding emotions, or carrying a heavy burden.

With the Page of Wands - Holding on with the last bit of strength, containing pain, hiding emotions, or carrying a heavy burden.

With the Knight of Wands - Not watching one's words, causing great offense, having a heated argument.

With the Queen of Wands - Final separation or divorce, internal resentment, venting anger.

With the King of Wands - Offending a vulnerable person, acting impulsively, strained relationships.

With the Ace of Swords — Egoism, not caring about others' feelings or beliefs, wielding power as one pleases.

With the Two of Swords — Parting with a loved one due to lack of information, making a drastic decision, being not entirely objective.

With the Four of Swords — Going through a breakup, complaining about fate, craving solitude.

With the Five of Swords — Contemplating or carrying out revenge, acting against conscience, engaging in unsavory behavior.

With the Six of Swords — An untimely journey, departing against one's wishes, parting out of necessity.

With the Seven of Swords — Cheating or facing deceit, clever justifications for unscrupulous behavior, joking or inventing a plausible story.

With the Eight of Swords — Being left out, an unusual state and reevaluation of what has happened, a depressive state.

With the Nine of Swords — Stirring up an unpleasant past, overwhelming emotions, feeling sorry for oneself.

With the Ten of Swords — Shattered hopes, lost love, a treacherous blow of fate.

With the Page of Swords — Unpleasant clarification of relationships, pressing issues, misunderstandings with a significant other, tangled grievances.

With the Knight of Swords — Aggressive behavior, acting maliciously, open mockery.

With the Queen of Swords — Personal disappointment or loss, becoming disillusioned with a relationship or partner, a woman with a broken heart and a complicated past.

With the King of Swords — A loner, a bachelor, defending oneself or not allowing harm, a guarded approach to love and relationships.

With the Ace of Cups — Unrequited love, suffering from a romantic relationship's breakup, resentment towards a rival.

With the Two of Cups — Betrayal by a close person or partner, deceitful behavior within a couple or significant differences in interests and characters.

With the Three of Cups — A rift within a group, conflicts within a team or lack of information, becoming disappointed in close friends.

With the Four of Cups — Not noticing betrayal, extreme selfishness or naivety, living off of someone else's success.

With the Five of Cups — Going through a separation from a loved one, mourning the betrayal of a significant other, a harsh lesson.

With the Six of Cups — Lack of foresight, causing more harm than good, misunderstanding with the younger generation, childhood grievances.

With the Seven of Cups — Getting rid of illusions, unfulfilled expectations, maturing due to difficult circumstances.

With the Eight of Cups — Overcoming heaviness in the heart, a forced abandonment of the familiar, changing social circles.

With the Nine of Cups — Getting involved in a complex problem, receiving help from an authoritative person, maintaining optimism in any situation.

With the Ten of Cups — Confirmation of betrayal, becoming disillusioned with family life, relationship breakdown.

With the Page of Cups — Bad news, receiving a refusal, lack of like-minded individuals.

With the Knight of Cups — Disgust or disdain, condemning a bad deed, standing up for justice.

With the Queen of Cups — Walking away from a significant other, valid grievances, divorce following betrayal.

With the King of Cups — Causing someone suffering or offense, suddenly finding out about betrayal or getting caught in an affair.

With the Ace of Pentacles — Miss out on a benefit or a good offer, lack self-belief, lose a bonus or commission on your salary.

With the Two of Pentacles — Ruined business relationships or agreements, lose a contract, be deceived by an employer.

With the Three of Pentacles — Lose business partners, lose a contract to competitors, terminate a contract.

With the Four of Pentacles — Lose financial stability, lose regular sources of income, risk losing property and savings.

With the Five of Pentacles — Harassment from banks or collectors, higher interest rates on loans, unable to repay debts.

With the Six of Pentacles — Refuse or receive a refusal of help, broken promises, avoid taking responsibility.

With the Seven of Pentacles — Ran out of patience, futile efforts, become disillusioned with new investments.

With the Eight of Pentacles — Lack of professionalism, a poor specialist, workplace injury, or poor working conditions.

With the Nine of Pentacles — Suffer financial losses, an unhelpful piece of advice or renunciation of previous promises, become disappointed in a patron.

With the Ten of Pentacles — Damage to family well-being, unforeseen family expenses, a difficult family situation and disputes.

With the Page of Pentacles — Deterioration of health, declining productivity, unrealized plans or opportunities.

With the Knight of Pentacles — Wasted efforts and time, unexpected difficulties and disappointments, poor planning.

With the Queen of Pentacles — Break off relationships, waning feelings or interest in a venture, a significant blow to the budget, a streak of failures.

With the King of Pentacles — Loss of reputation, limited opportunities, a decrease in the standard of living or a transfer to a less well-paid position.