Five of Swords: tarot card meaning

Five of Swords is card 5 in the suit of Swords, associated with the element of Air. Drawn upright it speaks of friction, thought, clarity; reversed, of mental fog, indecision.

Upright meaning

friction, thought, clarity

A victory won at too high a cost -- winning an argument at the price of the relationship, or a hollow triumph.

Reversed meaning

mental fog, indecision

Stepping back from a losing game -- a truce, an apology, or the wisdom of choosing not to fight.

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

In a three-card reading

In the past position Five 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.