Three of Swords Tarot Card
Three of Swords Meaning
We are to keep in mind that the Three of Swords belongs to the Suit of Swords, not Cups, and its emotionally burdening nature comes from overthinking and our inability to let go to the emotional flow. When our reason holds un in relationships and solutions that are too static or burdening for our emotional world, separation comes as a painful matter that has a lesson to teach. This card brings feelings of loss and all those emotions that have been accumulated by settling and compromises we made in the past. In its purest manifestation, it brings the liberating experience of pain that is finally released from our system as we accept our circumstances and other people, just as they are. Although it can be quite depressing, it is a positive foundation to build something new on, but won’t bring much promise to our current settings and relationships. Things will become easier over time and we are to allow ourselves to feel the pain so we can move through it instead of staying stuck. Perspectives and beliefs are meant to change and adapt so we can find the purpose in all situations that might come.
Love
This is a heartbreaking card, one that typically signifies a breakup or the end of a romantic relationship. However, its Saturn related role makes us wonder if there were any more sacrifices to be made, and shows us the amount of guilt and self-deprivation we are ready to go through just to hold on to the image of something that might be toxic or bad for us. It shows commitment and reminds us that we have endured through things that others would toss aside, giving us thumbs up for all that is done and in a way, allowing us to act differently as our debt has been repaid.
Career
With Three of Swords set in a career reading, too much of one's personal world could be sacrificed for a certain career goal. It could bring the end to a partnership or round up any circle of expectation vs. reality battles that couldn’t end for a while. This is an uneasy decision when we must break something valuable or make our decisions overnight, and when we’d rather hold on to things that have been making us happy for a while than move forwards with life. In its most difficult setting, it could warn us of the possibility that we will be let go from a job we love. We are to come to terms with the fact that everything happens in just the right time and serves a much higher purpose in the end.
Health
Although this could seem as an ominous card to see in a health reading, it is in fact a very good sign that the storm has passed and all we need to do now is set free of the emotions that piled up in the process. This card shows that we need time to grieve, cry out, and connect with our inner child to cleanse our heart of beliefs and rational choices that we thought were good for us. It is a time to check our convictions for adequacy and only hold on to those that lead us towards beauty and personal satisfaction. It could point to issues with blood pressure, lungs or heart, as a signal that we must release the spasm, rest, and allow any negative emotion to flow so we can understand its message.
Three of Swords Reversed
Three of Swords found reversed in a reading is the refusal of emotional ordeals and suffering that is needed in order for our Soul to grow. A person can get stuck if they chase their own feelings away, trying to be rational and holding on to beaten trails that won’t lead to satisfaction until the emotional world is cleansed. The impulse to protect ourselves from pain prevails and keeps us away from evolution and it is necessary to face our inner truth, however painful it might be.
Three of Swords Time Line
Past - Three of Swords will be found in our past as the time of sorrow that is finally left behind us, reminding us that we are now in a different position and that we once felt a lot worse than we do today. It will typically show when we lack gratitude and confidence about issues that we have in fact accomplished along the way, and gives us a clearer perspective of the emotional world we’ve built by now, even if we failed several times along the way.
Present - With this card in our present, we are ready to release and let go, set free and move into a different future. It signifies our resistance to the flow of time and the flow of our own emotions, as we are pressured to grow up and face the facts instead of holding on to any sort of illusion. It is a reminder of sadness we already carry within, telling us to set it free and allow ourselves to see where it comes from and cry out, instead of trying to artificially make ourselves feel better over situations that make us sad today. We must move through the pain to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
Future - The future colored by the Three of Swords doesn’t leave much room for compromises and unhealthy choices, and we will face a situation that couldn’t have been avoided, even though we tried hard to avoid it today. It signifies our own boundary and the moment in time when we won’t be prepared to deal with the same bruises anymore. Holding on against our own feelings and self-care is toxic and leads us towards the painful process of liberation.
