· The Five Of Swords ·
MINOR ARCANA
Five. Hollow victory. Winning at a cost.
A figure gathers swords into his arms while two others walk away with their heads down.
He has won. There is no question about that. He holds three swords, two more lie on the ground at his feet, and the people who lost them are leaving.
Look at his face. He is smirking. Not satisfied, not relieved, pleased with himself in a small ugly way, and he is watching them go rather than looking at what he has gained.
The two who are leaving have their backs to him. One has stopped and dropped his head. Neither of them is going to be back.
Behind, broken water under a ragged sky. The weather here has been rough and has not cleared.
Nobody in this card is standing near anyone else.
- Upright -
Hollow victory. Conflict. Winning badly. Cost.
The Five of Swords upright is winning something that was not worth it.
You could take this. You may already have taken it. The card does not dispute that you are right, and it asks a different question: what did being right cost, and was the price visible before you paid it?
This is the card of the argument won and the relationship damaged. The point proven, the last word had, the colleague put in their place, and something in the room permanently different afterwards.
Sometimes you are the one holding the swords and sometimes you are one of the figures walking away. Both readings are available and you will know immediately which fits.
There is genuine conflict in it and not all of it is avoidable. Some things do have to be fought for. The card asks you to be honest about whether this was one of them or whether you simply wanted to win.
Consider what you are actually gathering up.
Five swords are heavy and there is nobody left to help carry them.
- Reversed -
Reconciliation. Regret. Making amends. Continued hostility.
Reversed, the aftermath.
The most common reading is regret. Looking back at something you won and understanding the cost properly. Reversed, this card often marks the point where somebody wants to repair a relationship they damaged by being right.
It can mean reconciliation. Amends made, a conversation reopened, the pride swallowed. That is available and it usually requires the person who won to go first.
Reversed can also indicate ongoing hostility. A conflict that will not resolve, resentment held on both sides, a situation where everyone has decided to be right permanently.
There is also the reading of walking away from a fight before it starts. Recognising that this one is not worth the swords, and leaving the field.
That is not defeat and it takes more judgement than winning does.
- in Major Life Domains -
- Love -
Upright
An argument that damages something. Being right at the expense of being close.
Also a relationship where one person always wins, which means both are losing.
Reversed
Repair being attempted, or regret about something said. Reversed can also mean hostility that has settled in permanently.
- Career and Money -
Upright
Office conflict, a colleague undermined, a win that costs you the room. Also being on the losing side of something political.
With money, a deal won on terms the other party resents.
Reversed
Amends being made at work, or a conflict finally settling. Also learning that the fight was not worth having.
- Health -
Upright
Stress from conflict. Tension, poor sleep, the physical cost of a sustained bad atmosphere.
Reversed
Easing as a conflict resolves. Or the accumulated cost of a long dispute becoming visible.
- Yes or No -
Upright
No. The cost is too high.
Reversed
Not yet. Something needs repairing first.
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