Four of Swords Tarot Card

Four of Swords Tarot Card Meanings

What does the Four of Swords card mean in a Tarot Reading?

The card symbolizes a person who has decided to retire from the world. He gave up, gave up his feelings, “buried himself alive”ю But he is alive, and his brain is full of thoughts, so his venture is doomed to failure. This card advises you to not fence yourself off from the world. It is better to get up and go outside, to the people who are waiting for you.
In an upright position, this card recommends to act. In a reversed position, on the contrary, it advises to postpone this: the time to act has not yet come.
The 4 of Swords of the Tarot, judging by the picture, may seem like a negative card at first. However, it is not. In fact, this is the Arcana of solitude and introspection, when a person needs to withdraw into himself for a while.
Called the “Lord of the Rest from Struggle”, the Four of Swords indicates that the chaos present in the Three of Swords has been eliminated. This card calms and inclines to self-contemplation. When you pull it out, you are invited to explore all the conflicting elements that need to be addressed in your inner being. You may need some kind of treatment. Another explanation of the Four of Swords is that you have receded from higher powers and are in need of spiritual renewal. Prayer or meditation will open your mind and heart to spiritual illumination.
Usually this card appears when a person is in a difficult situation and knows that the problem is far from being solved.
The Four of Swords is a card of reflections and night vigils, reclusion.
It also indicates the need for a recovery period after the situation you just went through. Use this time to think about what happened and plan more wisely.

Goal: Immediate break, take a break to collect your thoughts.
Element: Air
Planet: Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Astrological sign: Libra, Cancer

Depiction

In the chapel, on a tombstone, lies a living man in knightly armor with his eyes closed and his arms folded on his chest. One sword is engraved on the side of the slab, three others hang on the wall. The only bright spot on this card is a stained-glass from a Gothic window depicting a holiday.
(For a detailed depiction, analysis of the Symbols and all Elements of the Four of Swords Tarot Card, click here)

The Main Meanings of the Card In an Upright Position

Key Words and Phrases

The need for rest and relaxation. Take a break. The need to update. Slow period. Recovery of forces. Recovery. Recreation. Time-out. Hang up. Relief from stress. A long awaited break. Health recovery.

Four of Swords Tarot Card Meanings
Four of Swords Tarot Card

Inaction. Rearrangement. Retreat. Need for vacation. Loneliness. Prayer. Meditation. Deepening into yourself. Contemplation. Revaluation. The calm before the storm. Hospital stay. Visit to the hospital. Visit to the doctor. Vacation. Travel. Peaceful surroundings. Avoiding everything. Give me a break. Let’s pray.

The main meanings of the card in an upright position

“Bury yourself alive”, surrender;
advice – not to isolate yourself from the world, to go out to people, to act;
calming;
introspection;
the need for treatment;
the need for spiritual renewal;
stagnation;
interrupted activity, rest;
advice – pause;
isolation in personal relationships;
a feeling of loneliness in a union;
convalescence;
a period of careful planning;
you should not strive for the same heights, otherwise they will again lead to the current unpleasant situation;
solitude, desert, refuge, hermitage;

Four of Swords. Witchcraft Tarot by Ellen Dugan
Witchcraft Tarot by Ellen Dugan

expulsion, removal;
uninhabited, separate, abandoned, abandoned;
coffin, tomb, funeral;
physical or spiritual rest, relaxation, meditation;
retreat;
rest, care, healing;
Fatigue from fighting;
Break in business, relaxation;
Leaving business and problems;
“Return to life” after a period of decline, renewal, slow rise;
Recovery, strengthening of mental and physical strength;
Loneliness (including voluntary), calmness.

Situation and Advice

Are you stressed? A temporary respite awaits you. Now is the time to rest and recover from a period of struggle and conflict. You need a recovery period that will allow you to calm your thoughts and restore your physical strength. The most appropriate situation to relax and regroup your efforts. Some may seek solitude in prayer and meditation. Moving away from your daily routines will help you look at the future in a new way.

Four of Swords. Black Grimoire Tarot
Black Grimoire Tarot

Meditation will help you gain clarity in this situation. Perhaps you are feeling completely drained and should take a break from your daily duties. How about a vacation or trip to help you distract yourself? If you have suffered some kind of illness, then the time for complete recovery comes for you. You can visit the hospital for prevention purposes only. Four of Swords is a meditation card.

Persons designated by Upright Four of Swords Tarot Сard

Those who need a rest. People recovering from illness. Medical staff. Hospital visitors. Patients.

The Main Meanings of the Card In a Reversed Position

Key Words and Phrases

Positive values
There is no time to relax. Resume action. The rest is over. Call to action. Return to work. Healing. Recovering from previous activities. Go forward!

Negative values
Disease. Insulation. Discontent. Retreat. Resentment. Refusal. Exile. Loneliness. Indiscretion. Problems at work. Dismissal. Anxiety. Opposition. Strikes. Boycott. Disorder. Conclusion. Detention. Link. Ostracism. Unpleasant surroundings.

The main meanings of the card in a reversed position

do not rush to act;
reawakened activity;
insight;
savings, savings, stinginess;
foresight, management;
music, concert, chord, coordination, harmony;
distribution;
mercy;
imposed isolation;
envy, petty jealousy;
caution;
greed, lack of money;
good behavior, reasonable administration;
economy;
order, structure, attitude, decency;
will, limitation, exclusion;
restraint, prudence, sympathy, precaution;
the need to save money;
discretion, wise government;
return of old interests, some success.

Four of Swords. Mirage Valley Tarot by Barbara Moore
Mirage Valley Tarot by Barbara Moore

Situation and Advice

The positive meaning of this card is that it denotes the period of the end of rest and renewal of action. You’ve had a forced break and now is the time to step up your activities. You have refreshed your strength and can safely continue to deal with stressful situations in your life.
The negative meaning of this card is that it can indicate general problems, poor health, and possibly a whole period of forced isolation. Often, the card indicates the resumption of action in a difficult situation. The questioner resumes the previous interests, love affair, career that occupied him in the past.

Persons designated by the Reversed Four of Swords Tarot Сard

Uninvited guests. Convicts. Prisoners. Exiles. Striking workers.

In the Spreads

The most common meaning of the card is the period when the querent should pause, leave the world, focus on himself and think. The necessary loneliness will help you sort out your own desires and come to harmony.
In both positions it has a similar meaning, but with a slight difference. The straight card symbolizes solitude and tranquility, and the reversed card symbolizes the end of this solitude, a smooth transition to action.

In an Upright Position

The Four of Swords of the Tarot traditionally represent order and stability, and if you apply the quality inherent in Swords here, the card will predict the Client’s upcoming temporary respite from problems. There will be an opportunity to relax and improve your health, shake off the burdensome burden of worries and stress, retire to a secluded place. The specific interpretation of the Four of Swords of the Tarot is recovery from illness.
The value of the Four of Swords card is loneliness and tranquility. Exile, retreat, need to think and plan. Careful planning will give you an edge over your enemies. Recovery. Alertness and discretion, economy and caution, all this is necessary now.
Indicates the time to pause. Now you need to isolate yourself as much as possible from people and affairs, pay attention to your inner world. The state of loneliness and prayer / meditation will help you understand the situation, understand yourself and determine the further path.
Drawing it in fortune-telling and spreads in an upright position, the Tarot card of the Four of Swords is a symbol of stagnation, interrupted activity and forced rest. Arcana also indicates a temporary or permanent cessation of an intrapersonal or any external conflict in life. The active phase of the conflict is over or will soon be over, but full peace has not yet been achieved. This card should be considered as an indication that at the moment it is not worth taking any particularly active, energetic actions, and it is better to wait for a more favorable period.
The Four of Swords of the Tarot in a straight position foreshadows the fortuneteller’s refusal to fight.
The presence of this card in your spread means that recently you have had a difficult period when things demanded decisive action from you, and worries did not let you breathe. Now there is an opportunity to temporarily throw off the burden of problems from your shoulders. The Four of Swords of the Tarot portends a rest, when you will have the opportunity to restore mental and physical strength, improve your health and calmly decide how to proceed.
Also, the Four of Swords predicts that a respite will benefit you. After temporary retirement from business and problems, you will be able to continue what you started with renewed energy.

In a Reversed Position:

The Reversed Four of Swords says that the Client has withdrawn too much into himself, and such isolation is fraught with negative consequences. Instead of renewing physical and mental energy, he feels cut off from everyone and rejected. Perhaps such isolation was imposed on the Client, and he, of course, is outraged.
Another meaning of the Four of Swords is greed. Perhaps a short illness or temporary financial difficulties. Envy and petty jealousy from either you or others can break your plans. The result is minor setbacks.
The Reversed Arcana will mean that the period of loneliness is over. However, you should be careful. The 4 of Swords warns that perhaps it is not yet quite the time for this. There is a need to think a little more, to analyze the situation before taking action.
In a reversed position, the Four of Swords reports that the period of peace and quiet is coming to an end. A cautious, unhurried beginning of movement, progress, development takes place. The traditional interpretation of this Arcana focuses precisely on caution. With the help of prudence, prudent management and a thoughtful approach, the fortuneteller can avoid losses, difficulties and problems in life.

Four of Swords. The Tarot of Vampyres [With Phantasmagoria] by Ian Daniels
The Tarot of Vampyres [With Phantasmagoria] by Ian Daniels

In a reversed position, the Four of Swords reports that the period of peace and quiet is coming to an end. A cautious, unhurried beginning of movement, progress, development takes place. The traditional interpretation of this Arcana focuses precisely on caution. With the help of prudence, prudent management and a thoughtful approach, the fortuneteller can avoid losses, difficulties and problems in life.
In a reversed position, the Four of Swords Tarot means that the fortuneteller is trying to close his eyes and fence himself off from something that he does not like. It could be difficult relationships with other people or everyday problems and troubles.
The presence of this card in your spread suggests that instead of decisive action, you actually let things go and as a result you lost control over them. At the same time, having fenced off from the bad, you also fenced off from all the good that is in your life, and as a result, you feel lonely.
The Reversed Four of Swords Tarot card advises you to shake yourself up and vigorously tackle the accumulated issues. Stop hiding your head in the sand. The time of passivity is over. The tasks require your active participation.

In the Spreads for Different situation

In an Upright Position:
In fortune-telling about the situation, Arcana advises to temporarily step back, move away from events, thoroughly analyze your role in them, weigh all the pros and cons. And only then continue to act.
In a Reversed Position:
It may be too early for you to enter the arena of events. Something has not been fully thought out yet, important details may be missed or there may not be enough strength. Now it is better to be alone with yourself for a while longer.

In the Spreads for Relationship

In an Upright Position:
In the love sphere, Arcana has the meaning of stagnation or coldness in a relationship. When one or both partners want to be alone or away from each other, enjoy some private space. This does not mean that love is over. Rather, it’s just a temporary break from intimacy.
In an upright position, the Tarot card of the Four of Swords means voluntary or forced isolation. Either a person feels abandoned, unnecessary to anyone, or he feels loneliness and exhaustion in alliance with his former partner. Then Arcana warns that there is a risk of losing either yourself or your partner. In this case, it is useful to take a break from each other, by mutual agreement to part for a while, to live separately.

In a Reversed Position:
Four of Swords meaning in a reversed form for love is a way out of the state of alienation. One or both partners gradually return to their previous relationship, life is normalized. But it is necessary to do this thoughtfully, taking into account the previous experience. Then your love will sparkle with new colors.
In a reversed position, the card warns that a person is going to commit an act that will discredit him in the eyes of a partner or quarrel with him. Sometimes Arcana indicates that reticence, withdrawal from an urgent problem in a relationship can no longer continue. No matter how the querent tries to postpone an unpleasant conversation, a showdown, a denouement of events, it will still happen, moreover, in the fairly near future.

In the Spreads for Dates

In an Upright Position:
The right thing now is to enjoy a period of relaxation and recovery from emotional turmoil.
In a Reversed Position:
Give yourself time to mourn over a broken relationship. Don’t expect someone else to take the pain out of you. A person is not a medicine, and an affair for the sake of self-healing is dishonest to have.

In the Spreads for Family

In an Upright Position:
All family members need a holiday, or a vacation, or at least a short period of rest to recuperate.
In a Reversed Position:
You feel like home life is limiting you, but things will change and improve.

In the Spreads for Friendship

In an Upright Position:
Your friends provide (or will provide) you with serious support in times of trial.
In a Reversed Position:
You feel isolated. Have your friends left you?

In the Spreads for Money

In an Upright Position:
Now there is not enough money, but after a while the situation will improve.
In the financial sector, everything is quiet, no surprises.

Four of Swords. The Game of Thrones Tarot
The Game of Thrones Tarot

In a Reversed Position:
You must be having a hard time finding a job right now. Perhaps the best option is to temporarily focus only on your studies and then look again for earning options.
You should be careful with finances. Do not get involved in adventures and dubious ways of earning money. Wait for a more favorable situation.

In the Spreads for Education

In an Upright Position:
You need to spend more time alone to focus on your studies.
In a Reversed Position:
You are unable to participate in a variety of learning activities. Try to understand why this happened. What is holding you back?

In the Spreads for Career

In an Upright Position:
The meaning of the 4 of Swords card is usually a vacation, quiet activity or its absence, refusal to take active actions, etc. This is the time when you can take your time to analyze your future plans, to determine the goals.
In the field of work, business and career, the straight card of the Four of Swords symbolizes significant (sometimes insurmountable) difficulties, stagnation, lack of prospects. The matter cannot get off the ground, because the strength has dried up. There is no point in continuing further, because weakness can eventually lead to complete collapse.

In a Reversed Position:
When dropped upside down, the card indicates an unhealthy, confrontational situation in the team. The querent may face dismissal or forced vacation, temporary financial difficulties are possible. Such activity is forced, and, moreover, it will not be possible to avoid it.

In the Spreads for Health

In an Upright Position:
In the area of ​​health, the 4 of Swords is not a very good card. Most often, it will mean a protracted illness or a long recovery period.
In a Reversed Position:
The Reversed Arcana has a more positive meaning than the straight one. It usually symbolizes a smooth recovery and improvement in physical condition. However, it still takes time to fully recover.

Answer to Yes / No Tarot Spreads

In an Upright Position:
No
In a Reversed Position:
No

Self-Development Lesson

While we may feel more secure within our familiar frame of reference, if we open ourselves up to higher spiritual guidance, we can move beyond our day-to-day problems and conflicts.

Type of person in an upright position:

The card means a serious person, silent, deep in himself. Knows how to keep other people’s secrets. An introvert who loves being alone the most. He takes root in a large team with difficulty, he also feels uncomfortable in a leadership position.

Four of Swords. The Wheel of the Year Tarot
The Wheel of the Year Tarot

Type of person in a reversed position:

It means a rude person, unkind, sarcastic. He hides his true face only as long as it is beneficial to him. Impudent and boorish, prone to double standards. He crouches to the stronger, he does not spare with the weaker in his understanding.

Arcana’s warning

Try not to let the stagnation period drag on for too long, otherwise the rest can turn into laziness, and you will miss out on good opportunities.

Final Advice of Arcana

Always allow yourself time to recover. When you feel that you need a reboot, take a rest, be alone, gain strength.

In an Upright Position:
It’s time to think about the soul, but the needs of the body should not be ignored either. The main thing is to get enough sleep.
In a Reversed Position:
To hide for the time being. It’s not the time to break spears or swords. Keep track of costs, there is a serious financial downturn ahead.

Conclusion

Now you have to work through your problems and plan future actions. You need loneliness and tranquility, so don’t avoid them. Tarot card Four of Swords is a card of reflections and night vigils, almost reclusion. It also indicates the need for a recovery period after the situation you just went through. Use this time to think about what happened and plan more wisely. Don’t expect the heights you have held so far, as you can see, they were not very good for you. If you strive again to the same heights, you may once again find yourself in this unpleasant situation.

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