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Tarot for Anxiety Relief: Nine of Swords Explained

The Nine of Swords Tarot card often comes up when we are stuck in loops of over-thinking or cycles of negative thoughts. It can appear to us when we doomscroll or let our minds ruminate on repeat in the middle of the night. It can represent regrets, anxieties, fears, or worries in general.

Often called the nightmare card, the Nine of Swords is a reminder of the power of the mind and how it can become our own worst enemy.

Read on for how to find anxiety relief with the Nine of Swords, including its full Tarot card description, Astrological and Numerological correspondences, its meaning reversed, and in a career, love, or general Tarot reading:

The Nine of Swords Tarot Card

The Nine of Swords Minor Arcana is not often a welcome card. It can represent sleepless nights and the demons that keep us awake. We may have done or said something we regret, or been disappointed in some other way that we just can’t shake. It can also represent a generalised sense of fear, dread, worry, or anxiety.

Looking at the Tarot as a storyline, this is a warning message for what happens if we don’t bring awareness to the mind and catch our self-defeating thought patterns before it’s too late in the Eight of Swords!

It is also a reminder that we still always have the power to interrupt those thoughts and beliefs at any moment (before we reach the Ten of Swords)! What’s done is done, no amount of stress can change the past or worry change the future, it only takes from our present. Lay your head to rest.

In the Pamela Colman Smith Tarot deck, we see a person awake in bed at night holding their head in despair. This internal anguish is reflected in the fencing scene on the base of their bed. I love that the Zodiac symbols on the blanket remind us that this is a universal experience, we’ve all been held victim to the mind at night before.

Behind them on the wall are nine swords stacked heavily, a visual representation of how our thoughts can weigh down on us. The red roses on the blanket are a reminder of our innate power, we can control our thoughts, no matter what it may feel like! Their white robe is a reminder of purity and innocence, it’s not our fault this happens, and one bad action does not make a bad person. Don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes, let bygones be bygones.

T. Susan Chang suggests to balance out the elemental suits with their opposites. In this case for Air that would be Earth, tangible action. If a wrong needs to be righted, it can be done so! If not, then worrying about it won’t change the situation either, simply make amends in some other way possible. The antidote to anxiety is action.

If we take its opposite to be specifically the Nine of Pentacles, and we are beating ourselves up over something that hasn’t caused harm to someone else, then the Nine of Pentacles can act as reminder to feed our confidence and appreciate all that we have achieved. Focus on the good and the good gets better.

It is also often said that the solution or cause of the 9s is in the 3s. In this case, with the Three of Swords there may have been some harsh words exchanged or external disappointment. Either way, again apologise if need be, and if it is you that has been hurt by another or a situation— let your heart feel what it wants to feel and express your emotions, it’s the only way to heal.

Numerologically 9 is considered a powerful number, three 3s— the first magical number of creation. As the last single-digit, it is also associated with culminations and things beginning to come to completion.

This also connects it to the Major Arcana Hermit card, an invitation to turn within for the answers and ask our Wise Selves what to do.

Astrologically, this is a Mars in Gemini card— fighting words. Mars in Gemini is the Planetary equivalent of the cutting power of words. It can feel like scattered energy and wit that is too sharp. Use your mind and voice for the power of good.

In the Thoth deck this card is called Cruelty, another reminder of how mean and unfair the mind can be! It shows 9 swords dripping in blood or poison, again reiterating the potential for harm.

Nine of Swords Upright Tarot Card Meanings

Generally, the Nine of Swords suggests a sense of mental restlessness, frustration, worry, rumination, anxiety, regret, stress, sleeplessness, nightmares, and frustrations. The key is to become aware when we are unnecessarily stuck in loops of over-thinking and take action instead.

Reversed Nine of Swords Tarot Card

If you choose to read reversals, the Nine of Swords reversed can represent an incapacity or refusal to let go of mental patterns or thoughts on loop. It is an even stronger invitation to quiet the mind down and allow it to work constructively in your favour. But first, get some sleep. For the sake of your mental health, find inner peace.

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Nine of Swords in a Love Reading

As with all Tarot meanings, the actual significations of what the Nine of Swords represents in relationship Tarot readings will depend entirely on the situation at hand, the question asked, the position in the spread it has fallen, the cards surrounding it, and your own intuition.

Overall, however, the Nine of Swords here can suggest that harsh words have been exchanged or one partner is feeling guilty for something. You may have regret or be plagued by fears, doubts, suspicions, and general anxiety. Either way, it is best to air it out and discuss it with your partner. Make amends if need be and stop ruminating— it won’t change anything!

Nine of Swords Career Meaning

Again, the true nature of its meaning will depend on the context, but in general in a career Tarot reading the Nine of Swords can suggest a business regret, a situation plaguing you, or some kind of worry surrounding you. You may be anxious about something you did or a decision to make, whatever it may be— let it go, you can’t change the past. But you can change your future to some extent if you take aligned action! Take a deep breath, release pointless worry, and do something.

So that’s an overview of what it means when the Nine of Swords appears for you, I hope it’s insightful! Let me know in the comments section below if you have anything else to add or any questions.

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