Swords in Minor Arcana Tarot Readings
Witchcraft

Easily Master the Swords in Tarot Readings

How to Learn the Swords in the Minor Arcana for Accurate Tarot Readings

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when trying to memorize or even read the Tarot Deck as a whole.

There are 78 cards to try to understand! Once you gain a comfortable understanding of the Swords in Tarot Readings, your confidence in performing readings will grow!

The Swords in Tarot are directly related to Air. Air is our thoughts, state of mind, and ability to plan and overcome obstacles. Learning the Swords in the Tarot will allow you to better connect with your intuition, psychic abilities, and subconscious mind.

My method of reading ties together not only the meaning of each card but it combines items together like Numerology and common symbols from dream interpretations.

The Suit of Swords is all about mentalism and plan of action!


The Element of Air – The Swords in Tarot Readings


The Element of Air is all about reconnecting with your mind and overcoming any obstacles. It’s the act of reflection and thinking and puzzling through something.

When this suit comes up it asks us where we might run into obstacles and it tells us to look at our thoughts and any illusions we may be carrying.

The Element of Air has a quick pace and is about building momentum for moving forward.

Air is a feminine element and moves very quickly like its masculine counterpart Fire. This element helps us learn to master our mindset and how we view actions and ideas. Most of magick is visualization in the mind which Air is very much a part of.

The Air is lively and dances along our planet causing the Water to stir, the Fire to breathe, and helps pollinate the flora for our Earth.


Related Post: The Wands in Minor Arcana


Journaling through the Swords in the Minor Arcana


Below are some journaling prompts I’ve created to help you get to know the Swords in the Minor Arcana.

The meanings below are only a guiding start point. How symbols show up for you will be most important when you start developing your own way of reading.

The best way to use this list is to take all the Swords of the Minor Arcana out and put them in order.

As you go through this list, look through your deck, and see if these are meanings you agree with or disagree with. Write down your own meanings in a tarot journal or book of shadows that you might keep.

Also, use the questions to help you connect with your intuition and further your Tarot Card study.

How to learn the Swords in Tarot Readings – Ace to King

  • Ace – New Start to and Idea or Project
    • What are all the potential ideas floating around?
  • Two – Two Ideas. Indecision.
    • What two ideas are most intriguing? What opposite forces are pulling you?
  • Three – Heartbreak, Betrayal looms.
    • What fear is here? What betrayal are we afraid of?
  • Four – Change for the Better. Resting period
    • How can you rest your mind and your body?
  • Five – Escaped Danger, Defeat, Power Struggle.
    • How can you avoid power struggles and negotiations?
  • Six – New Beginning. Change of Scenery
    • What fresh perspectives can come in at this time?
  • Seven – Intelligence, Insecurity, Poor Journey.
    • When things get tough, what truth can you come back to?
  • Eight – Pessimistic, Overthinking, Illusions
    • Overthinking can lead to illusions. What veils can you pull back to get mental clarity around this?
  • Nine – Stress, Anxiety, Fear of Loss, Grief
    • What are you mourning? How can you reframe these thoughts to fit you better?
  • Ten – Sudden End, Fate Decided
    • Thoughts can be changed and shifted quickly. What can you shift quickly to help you complete this journey?
  • Page – Clear Mind, New Experience, Adventurous
    • Clear minds see the big picture. What new experiences are you open to?
  • Knight – Honesty, Opposition, Health
    • The mind works with the body. How do your thoughts affect your health?
  • Queen – Confident, Equality, Improvement
    • Air moves swiftly. How can you use swift confidence in this situation?
  • King – Intelligence, Problem Solving, Stubborn
    • What problems can you overcome to plan your future?

The Swords Reversed – Air and the Conflicts


The Swords Reversed are an odd read because most of the upright versions are slightly pessimistic and all about challenges. So when a reversed card comes up it is usually a more positive version of the card.

Reversed cards are always a hot topic when reading the Tarot.

Did you know that there is a technique of only reading upright cards?

—This doesn’t mean that all negative cards just magically disappeared. The negative or shadow reversed cards in an all Upright Reading rely more on intuition and on the relation of other cards to pick up on.

Learning to Read Reversed Wand Cards

First, when reading reversed cards is get in touch with your intuition, is this truly a negative card or a positive one?

Next, see if there are other cards affecting this one. This could be an opposing or opposite card in the layout. This could also be a card that is sharing similar imagery or motifs. Look for similar colors, look for similar positioning in the symbols.

Then, if it is a shadow card, find the “solution” that it is pointing you to. For instance, if I draw up the reversed Three of Swords, I will ask myself:

What betrayal can I avoid? How have I moved past heartbreak in order to plan better for my desires?


Becoming familiar with the deck you are working with takes a good chunk of dedication.

When you flip through your deck regularly you start to piece together patterns in the cards.

Building your understanding of that particular suit is how you learn the swords in tarot readings.

Just have patience with your practice!

By using your Tarot deck and other forms of divination to connect with your intuition, you start to develop psychic skills and abilities that will serve you well on your journey. Using the Swords of the Tarot is one of the best ways to really plan out your practice.


To Your Journey,

Beth Burch

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