Interpretation Of Five of Swords - Upright - Minor Arcana

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Tarot
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Interpretation Of Five of Swords - Upright - Minor Arcana

Post by Tarot » Tue May 16, 2006 11:12 am

Five of Swords - Upright

Minor Arcana

There may be some mental tension. You may also have to face some losses. Friends also may break relations with you. Your victory is not worth the effort you have put in to achieve it. You may have to accept some limiting factors and acknowledge certain errors in judgment.

Image

Let's hear your interpretation of the card...

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nicnic
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Post by nicnic » Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:14 am

A man is victorious in winning over his opponents.

You may have to face up to what you have lost. Accept defeat and re-think your next move.

xiyang
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Post by xiyang » Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:23 pm

They just finish a fight. the person holding swords, he seems win the other two, in actual fact, he got hurt as well. lost energy, lost friendship, lost his mind as well.

The blue sky is covered with grey cloud, so it is not clear anymore.

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Owl of Minerva
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Post by Owl of Minerva » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:04 pm

Watch out for those other two swords!

The thing with fives in general is that they often represent something that the querent is missing out on or has overlooked. In this case the man in the picture is gathering up swords after a lost battle, but may not have covered his back too well with the other two. I also heard someone say that five was 3 + 2 - probably more appropriate for a discussion on 5 Cups, but with Swords, the 3 represents heartbreak or loss and the 2 decisions, crossroads or balance. The man here therefore has accepted his heartbreak/loss (carrying three swords) but has yet to decide what to do about the other two - whether to leave them there and carry on, travelling lighter but hoping the others won't use them against him, or to pick them up and increase his burden while safeguarding himself against further attack.

It's not a very common card for me, in fact in all the time I've been reading it has only come up once, where I took it to mean that the querent had bitten off more than she could chew and should be looking for assistance to help her carry on.

cuddles45
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Post by cuddles45 » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:49 pm

I really dont like it when i get this card..

I find it confusing to this day in some of the spreads

At times, i feel that someone has been sneaking behind your back and kind feeling good about it.

Other times i feel that someone has manipulated you in some way and once again being show offy about it.

One other could be that it says it is best for you to lay your swords down and just walk away because it really is not worth it...best to just say forget it and leave

drdave
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Post by drdave » Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:22 pm

five of swords
as above he may have won but it might just be a Pyrric victory(no winners)
I love the observation of the dark cloud in the sky
Perhaps it is a thunder cloud and the rain coming down will dampen his enthusiasm

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weezerwall
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Post by weezerwall » Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:15 am

This is one of the "difficult" cards for me -  I'm glad when it doesn't appear in a spread - but... as it's recently come up (UH OH) - time to take another look at it.

I really like the insight posted in Owl of Minerva's reply -  some time ago - which focused on 3 + 2 = 5.  (3 of swords = sadness etc. 2 of swords calling for some reflection at this crossroad).  

Focusing on the "5" in the Majors - Hierophant -  who is a REALLY GREAT TEACHER, a stronger "force or authority" to come to terms with etc...  From this perspective - what can  I LEARN from 5 of swords?  (Because the learning it offers is this card's true "treasure".)  Granted, it's the "school of hard knocks"  but:  learning when to walk away/how to "forgive"/something about my own limitations/ accepting that I may "fail" sometimes/ and how to "stand tall" after setbacks are all LESSONS of incredible VALUE.

Dealing with swords" is sometimes the only way to evolve. (They make us stretch. )

I'm happy to be holding 3 swords, but I still have the option of

a.  asking myself if they're really useful and
b.  asking whether the 2 swords I'm leaving behind are "worth" grieving/worrying over?

In any case, moving on with 3 rather than 5 swords will be a challenge, but could certainly make me stronger and help me discover OTHER TOOLS/means for getting what I want out of life. (fulfillment.)


Weezer   :)

ceevee1919
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Five of Swords

Post by ceevee1919 » Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:11 pm

This could mean deception, embarassment, humiliation.  However, which are you?  the winner or the loser?  I feel this card can mean either.  He has taken al their swords.  Two of them he can't even carry and doesn't need.

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