Nine of Swords Tarot Meaning: Upright and Reversed

What does the Nine of Swords mean upright and reversed? We explore its symbolism, interpretation in love and career, and what it reveals about feelings, advice, and yes/no answers. 

The Nine of Swords Tarot Card Upright and Reversed Keywords 

• Upright: Feeling low, anxiety, despair, nightmares, and power of the mind.
• Reversed: Tormented, hopeless, confused leading to resolve and finding the light. 

Nine of Swords Description and Symbolism 

This particular tarot card depicts a woman sitting in her bed with her head in her hands. It seems she has woken up from a nightmare and is trembling, fearful, and anxious. Nine swords are hanging on the wall behind her, and the base of the bed is decorated with a carving of a sword fight where one person is defeated. The quilt on the bed is decorated with roses and outlines of astrological symbols. 

Upright Nine of Swords Meaning 

The Nine of Swords is a card that represents a fearful state. It signifies a time period where you’re struggling to get to sleep at night, having nightmares and worrying about your future. However, what the card alludes to is that the problems you are facing are of a psychological nature rather than reflective of a precarious situation in your actual life. It may indicate that you are suffering from psychological stress, irrational worry, or are a little obsessive. 

The message of this card is that there is great potential to resolve your issues, because you may be creating mountains out of molehills. It is perhaps the case that you are focusing on the negatives and being influenced by false expectations and fears of the unknown. This card reminds us that we create our own reality, and if we are allowing fears to dominate, that can sometimes lead to stagnation and a lack of ability to actually handle things. There’s a saying that goes, “Worry doesn’t solve tomorrow’s problems, but it saps tomorrow’s strength.” That’s the message of the card. 

The card wants you to understand that while we are all fearful of the future to some extent, we cannot allow those fears to define our future. If we give in to fear, we will shape a negative reality for ourselves and others. We must be aware of self-fulfilling prophecies through fear.

Love Meaning Upright Nine of Swords 

This tarot card often reflects the “dating phase”. You may be feeling unlucky in love and may be very concerned that you have not found The One yet. There may be a sense of being “on the shelf,” getting too old, and perhaps missing opportunities. However, you have to be rational as love can come at any time in life, and the more worked up and anxious you get, the more you will project a negative energy, making it more difficult to magnetically attract the person of your dreams. This card reminds you that positive affirmations and self-worth mantras are absolutely vital to improve the energy field around you so that love will come into your life. 

If you are married or in a long-term relationship, you may be very concerned that the relationship is going to come to an end. Perhaps you worry that your partner is being dishonest or cheating, and your mind is spiraling. However, do you have facts? Are your worries rational, or are you simply getting ahead of yourself? Worry is no substitute for being “hands on” in solving relationship problems. 

It’s very important to be proactive and either make the brave decision to leave the relationship or improve communication and seek, perhaps, counseling so that the relationship can, at least, move in a positive direction. Don’t let your fears lead you to freeze. You must not get trapped in fear, but use it to motivate action. 

Career Meaning Upright Nine of Swords 

It’s essential that your workworld is kept in proportion. Work is just one aspect of your life, and it’s vital that you don’t become excessively involved in work issues to the degree that you’re taking home the problems of your clients or colleagues. It may be the case that you have recently had difficulties within your employment or your own business, and you are beating yourself up. There are ups and downs in all careers, and it’s important not to get stuck in self-recrimination. 

This card represents trying times in searching for a job, so try not to become disconsolate over receiving many rejections. Widen the net and perhaps find something totally different from your previous employment to get you over the hump. This phase will pass. 

You must develop the positive attitude that you’re deserving of a better job and see the rejections as merely part of the process. The more we try, the more rejections will come, but so will opportunities. 

Health Meaning Upright Nine of Swords 

This tarot card often coincides with times when you are anxious, perhaps depressed, or low in mental energy. It’s likely that you are unhappy with your present condition, worried about the future, and perhaps a little bit pessimistic. Often, insomnia is a big problem, so it’s vital to eat foods that are conducive to relaxation and ensure that you get the opportunity before bedtime to de-stress by taking a walk, doing activities with your pets, and making sure that you are receiving nurturing. 

It’s essential to have friends around you who really care about you, so don’t neglect relationships and isolate yourself. Reach out – people may have words of advice and warmth to offer you. 

Spiritual Meaning Upright Nine of Swords 

This represents a moment where you have to battle the dark side. It reminds you that your own shadow self and secret enemy is actually your thoughts of pessimism, doom, and gloom. While it may be true that life is not going well for you at the moment, it’s very important not to spiral down into depression by constantly focusing on the downside. It’s important to keep up positive routines around healthy eating, exercise, and good relationships to give you balance. 

This difficult time may actually help you become more aware of a spiritual calling. Perhaps a break from the material world – i.e., worrying about work – might encourage more focus on the philosophical side of life. You could come out of this situation with a new belief system that’s actually very helpful in tackling crises in the future. 

Feelings or Actions Related to the Upright Nine of Swords 

What this card emphasizes to you is that you are becoming obsessed with negative thoughts. It wants to alert you to the fact that negative thinking has actually become a comfort blanket, something that, while unpleasant, makes you feel engaged with the problem but is not actually helping you do anything proactive to tackle it. 

Worrying all night doesn’t make the problem go away. It’s much more important to come up with a to-do list, make some important decisions, think of consolidating your finances, walk away from situations that drain you and offer nothing, and even come to terms with the fact that you perhaps need a big rethink about the direction of your life and relationships. 

The card says things aren’t as bad as you think they are, but there is a need to address problems, as they won’t necessarily go away. Often, the worrying is down to the fact that you don’t yet have the courage to make the decisions that you know you have to make, but it’s important to keep moving forward slowly and steadily. 

Reversed Nine of Swords Meaning

This reversed tarot card is a warning against overthinking. Sometimes a problem has become exaggerated in your head because you can’t stop thinking about it. You are overanalyzing it, and in many cases you are actually making it more complicated than it needs to be. The key to resolving your issues right now is to simplify everything down and tackle one thing at a time. Don’t try to be a hero, just be consistent. Choose one element of your problem to tackle and work from there. 

Don’t let worry and anxiety lead to you being passive. Often, worrying puts you in a position where you avoid action because you’re in a state of fear and shock. It’s far better to detach from the problem, get fresh air and exercise, and then try to get a good night’s sleep so you can tackle at least one aspect of the problem. 

Love Meaning Reversed Nine of Swords 

The key in relationships when you see this card is that if things are fraught, with a lot of arguing and disagreements, walk away. Nothing can be served right now by ultimatums, detailed conversation, or going around in circles. This is often a cue that conversations have become unproductive and are descending into farce. What you need now is space and time to reflect. 

It may be the case that important relationship decisions have to be made, but it’s unlikely that the discourse is constructive. Too much energy is being wasted arguing and thinking about worst-case scenarios rather than tackling things in a proactive way. If you are single and anxious about not finding a relationship, it’s more important to work on yourself, enjoy being independent, and find the positives in your own life. Get hobbies, get out socially and stop worrying so much about love. 

Career Meaning Reversed Nine of Swords 

In career matters, it’s important to ground yourself, come back down to earth, and think realistically about your problem. Try not to allow yourself to feel that it’s the end of the world – things happen. There are cycles of growth and cycles of defeat. There are periods of expansion and periods of contraction. These are business cycles, and one must appreciate that there are phases when one has to cut back, consolidate, and start again. The key to all success is the ability to develop positivity in the dark times and work systematically to bounce back rather than immobilizing yourself with fear. 

Health Meaning Reversed Nine of Swords 

This is a warning that your fear and anxiety could lead you to cause yourself harm, perhaps through coping via alcohol, excessive eating, or even taking medications. It’s very important that you seek proper medical help and also address gut health to help anxiety.

There is a significant element of anxiety that is actually generated through gut health and poor eating, and while gut health may have nothing to do with your other problems, if you tackle that, it can help you with sleep and create a basis for improvement that can eventually snowball into positive momentum. 

Spiritual Meaning Reversed Nine of Swords 

Use this time to develop your coping skills, whether it’s self-hypnosis, positive mantras, listening to guided meditation, or using prayer. This is a wonderful time to reconnect with the spiritual side of life which can be a beacon of hope during this time. Perhaps this moment of despair and hopelessness is there to humble you, to make you see that you don’t have all the answers, and that there’s perhaps more to life that you’ve been missing when things were going well. Often, times when things are not going so well in life can be more pivotal to our development. 

Feelings or Actions Meaning Reversed Nine of Swords 

There is good news encompassed in the reversed Nine of Swords, as it suggests this period of despair and hopelessness is coming to an end. You are beginning to get a grip on the situation. Suddenly, you’re understanding that things aren’t perhaps as bad as you thought. 

New information is coming to light. You may be receiving some support, and the period of worry is giving way to a period where you are seeing things more realistically and beginning to sense that there are ways that you can tackle it. So right now, stay logical, weigh up your options, work slowly and systematically, use your to-do lists, and you are on the path back to success. 

Nine of Swords in the Past, Present, and Future positions 

Past

You may have gone through a period of sleepless nights, intrusive thoughts, or deep worry. This position suggests that you have survived a mentally challenging chapter, and although the memory may still affect you, it no longer has the same power it once did. 

Present

You may be overthinking a situation, expecting the worst, or replaying scenarios in your mind. Pause and assess whether your fears are rooted in facts or assumptions. Support, reassurance, or open communication is needed right now. 

Future

The future is not fixed, and this card encourages emotional self-care and honest reflection to avoid falling into a cycle of mental distress. 

Nine of Swords — YES or NO Answer

The Nine of Swords usually indicates NO. 

Upright – A “yes” made under the influence of anxiety and fear would likely lead to regret, further stress, or emotional exhaustion. 

This card doesn’t necessarily mean the outcome itself is bad, but it does mean that the timing, your mindset, or emotional state is not condusive. 

Reversed – Leans toward YES, or “yes, once the fear is addressed.” In this position, it suggests that once you stop catastrophizing and regain emotional balance, forward movement becomes possible. 

Advice and Message of the Nine of Swords Tarot Card 

What this card is saying is: don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t resort to putting yourself down or idealizing everyone else’s life. Life will encompass periods where we are feeling pessimistic, overwhelmed, struggling to sleep, and experiencing anxiety, but we must keep things in proportion. In 90% of cases, things are nowhere near as bad as we are making out, and sometimes worry, even obsessive worry, can make us think that we’re addressing a problem when we really aren’t. 

Ask yourself: of all the sleepless nights, is the worrying getting you anywhere? Is all your overthinking leading to a game plan? If it isn’t, why are you doing it? It’s much more important to get out there and start tackling the issue head-on, because that will reduce anxiety, your positivity will kick in, and something will get done. The worst thing you can do is become immobilized through fear, because then you can only begin to lose hope and feel even worse about yourself. 

Summary: Nine of Swords Tarot Card 

It’s vital to realize that feelings of frustration, fear, and uncertainty can drive anxiety, but they’re a part and parcel of life. One mustn’t allow the problematic aspects of your life to become so big in your mind that they eclipse everything else that’s going on. It’s also important to reach out, a problem shared is a problem halved. Don’t suffer in silence. Whether you reach out for medical assistance, career guidance, or to friends and family, it always feels better when you open up and talk about these things. 

Don’t allow your worries to overtake you at night while keeping a brave face and pretending everything’s fine in the day. As soon as you show a little bit of vulnerability, people often open up and want to help. Worrying itself is a passive activity that only leads to more stress and anxiety, but coming up with positive solutions, no matter how small, always results in you beginning to gather momentum. 

Worries can become self-fulfilling prophecies, so make sure that you don’t almost create the situation you’re worrying about through being inactive.