Four of Swords: tarot card meaning

Four of Swords is card 4 in the suit of Swords, associated with the element of Air. Drawn upright it speaks of stability, thought, clarity; reversed, of mental fog, indecision.

Upright meaning

stability, thought, clarity

Rest and recuperation after strain -- a deliberate pause so that a tired mind can gather itself.

Reversed meaning

mental fog, indecision

Restlessness that refuses the pause -- the need for quiet is real, and resistance only lengthens it.

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

In a three-card reading

In the past position Four 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.