Three of Swords: tarot card meaning

Three of Swords is card 3 in the suit of Swords, associated with the element of Air. Drawn upright it speaks of growth, thought, clarity; reversed, of mental fog, indecision.

Upright meaning

growth, thought, clarity

Heartbreak and piercing pain -- sorrow that needs honest expression rather than being pushed aside.

Reversed meaning

mental fog, indecision

The first slow mend after hurt -- grief is receding and you are piecing the heart back together.

The suit of Swords belongs to Air and to thought, conflict and clarity.

In a three-card reading

In the past position Three of Swords describes the current that carried you to where you are; in the present position, what is most alive in the situation now; in the future position, the direction things tend toward if nothing changes. A reading weighs it against the other two cards rather than on its own.