Tarot · Minor Arcana · Swords

Seven of Swords

  • strategy
  • discretion
  • honesty
  • alignment

Key facts

Arcana
Minor Arcana
Suit
Swords
Number
7
Numerology
7 (The Motive: imagination, inner work, psychology)
Keywords
strategy, discretion, honesty, alignment

Seven of Swords upright

The Seven of Swords speaks of cleverness and play, of that part of you that knows how to move forward without showing everything. There’s an intelligence in choosing your battles and slipping away quietly when that’s wiser. But the card also invites you to look your own intentions in the face and check that they’re straight. Acting with subtlety stays beautiful as long as you have nothing to hide from yourself.

Seven of Swords reversed

Reversed, the Seven of Swords speaks of a small arrangement with the truth, a detour a part of you knows is a little off. Maybe you’re carrying a secret that weighs on you, or a half-truth that’s asking to be set down. The way out is to return to what’s right for you, gently, without beating yourself up. Finding the agreement again between what you do and what you feel gives your conscience back its lightness.

A question to sit with

Where would you gain from returning to more honesty with yourself?

Frequently asked questions about Seven of Swords

What does Seven of Swords mean upright?
The Seven of Swords speaks of cleverness and play, of that part of you that knows how to move forward without showing everything. There’s an intelligence in choosing your battles and slipping away quietly when that’s wiser. But the card also invites you to look your own intentions in the face and check that they’re straight. Acting with subtlety stays beautiful as long as you have nothing to hide from yourself.
What does Seven of Swords mean reversed?
Reversed, the Seven of Swords speaks of a small arrangement with the truth, a detour a part of you knows is a little off. Maybe you’re carrying a secret that weighs on you, or a half-truth that’s asking to be set down. The way out is to return to what’s right for you, gently, without beating yourself up. Finding the agreement again between what you do and what you feel gives your conscience back its lightness.

Sources

  • Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, William Rider & Son, 1911.
  • Rachel Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Weiser Books, 1980.