Nine of Swords

The three in the morning mind. Worry that grows in the dark.

The picture

A figure sits up in bed with their face buried in their hands. Nine swords hang flat across the black wall behind them, one above another. The bed is covered by a quilt patterned with red roses, and a carved panel runs along its side.

Upright

Nine is nearly there, the fullest expression of a suit, for better or worse. In Swords, that is the mind at full volume. Anxiety, worry, guilt, sleepless nights, the thought that will not switch off.

This card is a mirror, and a gentle one. Look at the picture again. The swords hang on the wall. None of them touches the person in the bed. The distress is real, and it is happening inside the head, which is where much of the pain in Swords lives.

Everything is bigger at three in the morning. The same problem at breakfast, with a cup of tea and the light on, is often a size you can manage.

If this card turns up, get the thoughts out of your head. Say them to somebody. Write them down. And if the nights have gone on for a long time, a doctor or counsellor is a good person to say them to. Asking for help is one of the bravest things a mind can do.

Reversed

Reversed, the Nine keeps its role as a mirror rather than flipping to the opposite. Here I look for turned inward and delayed. Turned inward is worry kept completely secret, the nights nobody knows about, the brave face in the daytime. Delayed is the worst beginning to pass, sleep slowly coming back, the dark starting to thin towards morning.

To tell which, ask whether anyone knows. If no one does, it has turned inward, and the first step is to tell one person. If you are sleeping a little better than you were, it is easing, and the job is to keep doing whatever helped.

When it turns up

Who could you tell about what keeps you awake?

If you would like the cards read against your own chart, my readings are here.

Related pages
The Number 9