Original meaning "Prince of Swords" (Tarot of Thoth). Knight (Prince) of Swords
Other names for the Prince of Swords tarot card: Air, Peaks, Leaves, Shields, Spears, Blades, Vini, Knight of Swords
The Knight of Swords is always something cold, sharp, insidious, bringing discord and disputes, capable of poisoning even those areas of life that have until now served you as a reliable, cozy refuge. The cold it symbolizes can, of course, disperse the fog and bring into the light of God everything that until now seemed unclear; however, most often in this map the element of air turns to us with its negative side. This means coldness of alienation, heated discussions, harsh and daring conclusions, evil language and caustic irony. Therefore, the Knight of Swords often foreshadows a quarrel, a breakdown in relationships, violent polemics and carefully planned meanness.
Work and business
Here it often means a cooling of relations between colleagues, increasing discord and hostility. This is a period of tension when we become too picky with others or, on the contrary, we ourselves are criticized. Sometimes such tension is resolved through a cleansing, conflict that resolves contradictions. But more often than not, the wounds we inflict and receive are deep and do not heal for a long time. This card represents the “frost” that causes the strongest foundation to burst. This may mean the collapse of projects, plans and other business endeavors; At the same time, cooperation, which promised to be very fruitful, ends. In a “softer” version - a cooling of the initial enthusiasm. The old passion goes away, castles in the air collapse, and their place is taken by healthy skepticism and sober (self-)criticism.
Consciousness
The Knight of Swords means a noticeable cooling in relation to previous hobbies, increased criticism or, possibly, self-criticism. We were finally able to look at ourselves or at our surroundings “from the outside,” and this caused us irritation and an increased tendency to conflict, which was completely unexpected for us. We are overwhelmed by doubts, and we begin to treat with ridicule and contempt the values that were previously dearest to us. Here, these “freezes” can also mean enlightenment, a sober reassessment of our previous, too hastily adopted or simply “fashionable” ideas.
Relationships and love
In the sphere of personal relationships, this card often turns on us with its most painful side. Here it means not only a sudden cooling of previous warm feelings, but also their transformation into their opposite - anger, hatred or mockery. She shows that even deep feelings can fall prey to disparaging remarks and caustic witticisms when a person, seriously considering himself “fair” and “objective,” drags these feelings out of their secluded corner into the light of God, and they fight like a fish caught on a hook , suffocating and dying, something only an absolutely heartless person can sneer at.
Inner meaning
The Knight of Swords Tarot is a young man who has the characteristics of his symbolic parents, selfish, cruel, treacherous and pursuing his own goals. Because of his youth, he appears to lack the strength and ability to cause harm. But within his own sphere of influence, he is capable of causing harm, just as he is able to rely on others who will help cause even greater harm (or avoid the consequences of his actions).
This is an individual testing his ability to become a King or Queen; he is even less scrupulous and more cruel. Spy, enemy, traitor; a person who will humiliate or insult the Questioner.
If the Knight of Swords tarot card does not represent a specific personality, then it warns of hostility and confrontation. If the adjacent cards in the layout are negative, then the Knight of Swords warns of destruction or death.
Sources
Hayo Banzhaf. "Tarot Tutorial"
Prince of Swords
Main meaning: Son of the problem of the knightly approach. Intelligent and eloquent interlocutor. Technocrat. Chameleon. Independence. Aimlessness. Ease. Deceit. Cunning. Cynicism.
Profession: Inconstancy. Lack of concept. Cool business relations. Instant decision. Unreal ideas. Innovation. Resourcefulness. Smartness.
Consciousness: A game of the mind instead of deep cognition and perception. Construction of “castles in the air”.
Personal relationships: Cooling off. The need for independence. Desire for a break. Free or rationally oriented relationships. Sharp tongue.
Advice: Think about it. Raise or clarify curious questions.
Warning: Flights of fancy, danger of falling from heaven to earth.
General meaning: The son of "jumping in the air" is an ordinary young man in our unusual times, when paranoia is no longer a disease, but rather a normal state of insanity. The story of his life is “written” by aggressive, exploitative, technocratic thinking dressed as a clown. And although the technological progress of which he is a symbol brings with it more clarity and sober calculation, the Prince still personifies the negative aspect of the mind. Whether he is a dry technocrat, a cynic, a brawler or a brash know-it-all, he is always a victim of his destroyed emotional world. Despite this, his goal is positive, because by refusing emotional connections, he “drives” people from their homes, preventing ossification and stagnation. It takes them into new emotional spaces. Its characteristic movement is necessary for spiritual growth and entry into new emotional worlds.
This card represents the airy part of Air, interpreted as the intellect, the mind itself. The Prince of Swords rules from the 21st degree of Capricorn to the 20th degree of Aquarius. He is dressed in very finely woven chain mail, with ornaments, and in his chariot various geometric shapes are easily distinguishable. The chariot is pulled by winged children, jumping randomly in all directions where their eyes fall; they do not know the reins and are extremely capricious. Therefore, the chariot is quite mobile, but is unable to move in any specific direction except randomly. This is a perfect picture of the Mind. On the head of the Prince, however, shines a child's head, for the secret crown is inherent in the nature of this card; when concentrated, this is just Tiphareth. Carrying out this logical mental process has reduced Air, the element of this card, into many different geometric patterns, but there is no design behind it; they simply demonstrate the powers of the Mind without any specific purpose. In the Prince's right hand is a raised sword, with which he creates, and in his left hand is a sickle, with which he immediately destroys everything created. The person to whom this symbol refers is purely intellectual. It is full of ideas and plans colliding with each other. He has many subtle ideals that find no practical outlet. His Thinking apparatus works flawlessly, he is very smart, remarkably rational, but his goals are unstable; in fact, he is indifferent even to his own ideas, knowing that any of them is no better or worse than any other. He will bring any thing to unreality, removing its substance and methodically transforming it into an ideal - purely formal and not connected even with those facts on which it is based on. In the I Ching, the aerial part of Air is represented by hexagram 57, Xun. This is one of the most difficult figures in the whole book, because it is ambivalent: it means both flexibility and penetration. Extremely strong due to complete freedom from established principles, always ready to resort to any conceivable argument, immune to regret and repentance, smartly and cleverly "quoting Scripture" in support of any thesis, indifferent to the fate of the opposing argument put forward by them two minutes earlier, invincible, since any situation for them is no worse or better than others, capable of entering into an alliance with anyone who happens to be at hand, these slippery and flexible people can be useful only when they are firmly subjugated by a creative will, supported by a mind stronger than theirs. In practice, this is rarely possible: you can’t trick them with anything, even by indulging their appetites. But they can also be stormy, even uncontrollable. Eccentrics, fans of drink, drugs, humanism, music or religion, often belong to this class; but even in this case there is no stability. They wander from one cult or vice to another, always fanatically and brilliantly supporting what is, in fact, only a passing fashion. It is easy to be deceived by such people, since the outward manifestation has enormous power: it is as if a weak-minded person read to you Plato's dialogues. In this way they can acquire a reputation for deep and broad intelligence.
Straight position
A short temper or pent-up anger often hides deep feelings of pain. We think that if we scare people, we will avoid something that will hurt us. In fact, the opposite happens. By covering our wounds with armor, we hide them from healing. By lashing out at others, we close ourselves off from the love and nourishment we need. If this description sounds right to you, it's time to stop fighting. There is so much love available to you if you will only allow it to enter. Start by forgiving yourself: you deserve it.
The meaning of the card
A moment - it was, another moment - and it was gone. A moment - we are here, another moment - and we are gone. And how much noise we make in this simple moment - how much violence, vanity, struggle, conflict, anger, hatred. Just for this small moment! Just waiting for the train in the waiting room at the station and creating so much noise, fighting, causing pain to another. The desire to possess, the desire to control, the desire to rise above - all this is politics. And then the train comes and you leave forever. (Osho)
Key words: Airy aspect of air; intuition, creative thinking; breaking through all entanglements; liberation from limited ideas and models; clear perception.
The Prince of Swords wears close-fitting, webbed green armor. He is a master of creative ideas, thinking and planning. A necessary prerequisite for the ability to think creatively is unlimited freedom. The process of creative thinking cannot tolerate any restrictions. That’s why the Prince throws his arm back so far - to cut off the connections with the figures pulling the carriage with all their strength. These figures are symbols of limiting ideas and feelings or limiting relationships that can slow down the progress of the chariot.
The crystal in the chariot is designed in the form of a double pyramid. It shows the crystallization of perception. Now is the right time to give shape and form to ideas. Sometimes problems seem unresolved to us because of old, limiting belief systems, such as: “I am weak and dependent,” or “If I assert myself, I will be punished,” or “I am very clumsy.” In some past situation, probably in our childhood, such feelings may have had some meaning, but now they have no relation to our reality. We continue to carry these attitudes with us, constantly experiencing, however, situations that strengthen them. We tell ourselves, for example, that our clumsiness causes us to drop and break things.
The reality is a little different. We don’t just accidentally find ourselves in situations, we create them around us based on our beliefs about reality. A person dumbfounded by his “terrifying” clumsiness will, for example, limit his movements so much, for fear of being clumsy, that his movements will actually be clumsy. Whatever natural grace he may have will remain untapped and undeveloped because at some time in the past someone convinced him to consider himself clumsy.
If we look closely at those parts of ourselves that are unsatisfactory, we can see that every uncomfortable and unprocessed situation serves to show us our own wrong concepts and attitudes. Once we see them for what they are, we can correct and discard them.
Directions: Free yourself from what limits your thinking and spirit. But make sure you express your ideas and plans in a way that others will understand. Accept their opinions humbly. Your thinking may be way ahead of its time, but without sacrificing anything, you can adapt so that your vision can work in the present!
Questions: What attitudes, feelings, attitudes, or programmed ideas do you allow yourself to be limited by?
Suggestion: Explore creative visualization. Read the book "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain.
Affirmation: My creative possibilities are limitless.
MAIN VALUE:
A card indicating an inability to choose from one or more alternatives. Also indicates indecision, lack of balance and a clear understanding of the situation.
THESIS:
"I don't know what to do. All the options seem equally unreliable, and I'm not sure that I will achieve the desired result. It throws me off balance."
PERSONALIZATION:
The card can be personalized and indicates a nervous, insecure man prone to remorse and regret.
RELATIONSHIP:
Lack of mutual understanding and patience; quarrelsomeness and intemperance; instability and uncertainty in a partner.
PERSONALITY:
Lack of self-confidence, indecisiveness, inability to complete what you start, superficiality and imbalance.
WORK, BUSINESS:
Ambiguity, lack of clear planning, indecisiveness in implementing plans, small losses and disagreements with partners.
HEALTH:
Moderately negative dynamics of the disease, inflammatory processes.
Gather yourself and put your thoughts and feelings in order. Weigh the pros and cons and do not rush into making a final decision. However, if you accept it, then do not be distracted and complete your work.
The Knight of Swords, the meaning of which we will discuss today, is a very unusual card. Its interpretation very often depends on other Arcana that appear in the layout. We can say that this is a kind of impulse that changes the interpretation of neighboring cards in a certain direction. But, nevertheless, this impetuous and spontaneous Horseman may well point to a specific person. But let's talk about everything in order.
General description of the card, plot and meaning in the layout
In the illustration in the deck, which is by far the most popular - in, the Knight of Swords is a horseman rapidly rushing towards some goal known to him. He drew his sword and his whole pose shows pressure, speed, aggression, readiness to attack the enemy. The horse rushes him at full speed - on the Arcana, drawn by Pamela Colman-Smith, this swiftness is clearly felt. This is not freezing in place, like the Horseman of Pentacles, and not a readiness to jump, like the figured Arcana of the suit of Wands, and certainly there is no talk of any sensuality of the Jack of Pentacles here. Only movement, only readiness to rush into battle this very second. It is not surprising that the main meaning of the Horseman of Swords Tarot will be an active offensive, movement at breakneck speed, and a tendency to conflict. In the old days, the interpretation of the card was associated with the presence of a dangerous enemy that nothing could stop.
Key words and ideas of the card in the layout
So, what will our windy Knight, the son of air and wind, report? What life circumstances will he describe?
- A tense situation, a desperate situation requiring immediate action
- Active development of stressful situations, confrontations, conflicts
- Unshakable confidence in one's own rightness
- Rapid advance at breakneck speed
- Fierce controversy, sudden quarrel
- Urgent travel due to stress
- Rapidly occurring, spontaneous, unexpected events
Meaning of the Horseman of Swords in the upright position
Everything that could be said about the interpretation of this figurative Arcana, we have already expressed in key expressions. All that remains is to bring them together - then we will get some kind of acute, rapidly developing situation that requires an immediate response. The reaction itself can usually be expressed by the phrase “jumped on a horse and galloped off.” The person to whom the Knight of Swords has come will not carefully weigh the pros and cons, will not think for a long time and decide how best to act - he simply takes it and rushes forward at full speed towards conflicts, enemies, showdowns. It should be noted that, like all Arcana of the Swords suit, this Horseman has a fairly high level of intelligence, so the outcome of the situation will not always be negative: very often the Knight symbolizes fantastically correct immediate decisions made at a completely inappropriate moment. However, the outcome of his jump should still be assessed based on the surrounding cards.
The meaning of the card in an inverted position
The Reverse Knight of Swords is someone who is eager to jump on a horse and ride, but at the last moment stops, suddenly thinking about the possible consequences. This is the person who shouts loudest of all that you need to enter the burning hut, and he himself freezes in indecision on its threshold, letting everyone else go ahead. Another manifestation of the Air Knight is a complete loss of sanity, which forces a person to fight alone against five or to play a dishonest game. Sometimes people characterized by the inverted Horseman of Swords are indecisive - they cannot understand in any way which side is better to fight on. We can say that this is a man “neither fish nor fowl”, “neither yours nor ours.” And under this card, unequal rivalry often takes place, when a person encroaches on something that actually does not belong to him at all. This situation is perfectly described by the story of a young man in love with a girl whose heart belongs to another. As a result, this young man challenges his opponent to a fight and dies in the same fight. One logical question remains: why did he do it and who was better off because of it, because the girl had no interest in him at all.
The meaning of the Horseman of Air in love and relationship readings
Let's see how the ardent and fearless spirit of our Horseman manifests itself in matters of personal life.
Straight position
The meaning of the Knight of Swords Tarot in a relationship will almost always be unfavorable. The swift and fast Horseman symbolizes open, rapidly developing conflicts, hostility towards each other, angry skirmishes, confrontations and a general atmosphere of hostility, heated to the limit. We can say that this is a rather difficult moment for the couple, and most often the influence of the Knight leads to a complete break in the relationship. The meaning of the Knight of Swords Tarot in love, if we are talking about the significator of one of the partners - this is a sharp-tongued, conflictual, intolerant person who always says what he thinks. He has at least a dozen complaints about his other half - and he will gladly list them out loud at the first meaningless quarrel. Living and building relationships with this type is very unpleasant, because he is very cruel and merciless.
Inverted position
The reverse meaning of the Knight of Swords Tarot in love is not much better than the direct one. The only difference here is that he still knows how to stop, but he does this when the other half has already received a mortal insult or has decided to leave him. Often the inverted Arcanum reports about the stupidest antics that lead to the inevitable collapse of relationships, about situations of meaningless struggle, which is essentially unnecessary for either partner, or about “waving fists after a fight,” when, for example, a husband forgave his wife for cheating, and then Six months of a quiet life suddenly begins to raise his hand against her and accuse her of all mortal sins.
The meaning of the Horseman of Swords in health divination
Consider the traditional meaning of the Knight of Swords Tarot in health.
Straight position
The straight Knight of the Air symbolizes various mental disorders, for example, schizophrenia, obsessions, delusions, insanity, as well as addiction to the Internet and computer games, when a person is completely immersed in a fictional reality that takes him far from real life. Often the map also includes accidents and injuries caused by haste or carelessness - as a result of falling or speeding. Rarely, in combination with other confirming Arcana, can speak of physical death.
Inverted position
Most often it describes psychogenic impotence - the inability to have a full sex life due to purely psychological problems.
The meaning of the Knight of Swords in fortune telling for personality analysis and psychological state
Now let’s analyze the meaning of the Knight of Swords Tarot for a situation when we need to describe with this card a person’s personality, his behavior, as well as what is going on in his soul.
Straight position
A hasty, abrupt, impetuous person, always ready to take off right off the bat. He always speaks first, and only then thinks about how he can cause severe emotional pain to others. His motto is “What is there to think about - we must act!” In general, the life of such a person is full of extreme and dangerous situations. The psychological state described by the card is insanity, mental disorders.
Inverted position
The Reverse Knight of Swords is a little less impetuous than the direct one. This is, so to speak, an “armchair hero” who talks a lot but acts little. It is quite possible that deep down he is quite courageous and courageous, but sometimes he is simply afraid to show these qualities in practice. The second version of the inverted Horseman is a person who is always chattering from side to side in all areas of life: he often changes his views on life and his opinion on this or that issue. State of mind is a conflict between desires and real actions.
The meaning of the card in layouts for work and finance
Now let's talk about career and material issues.
Straight position
The desire to show one’s abilities and skills, staying ahead of the situation, too intrusive and inappropriate activity, bold, ambitious plans that are not always realized, open rivalry, acute conflict situations, fluctuating incomes (“sometimes empty, sometimes thick”). Professions - analysts, information processing specialists, stunt performers, extreme athletes, activities associated with frequent business trips.
Inverted position
The meaning of the inverted Knight of Swords Tarot in the professional sphere is indecision, which manifests itself at the last moment when a person, for example, was burning with some idea, and as soon as it came to its implementation, he gave up. Often there is also activity on the map, but at the wrong time, when “the train has already left.” On the financial plane - monetary losses due to one’s own stupidity and incorrectly chosen behavior strategy.
The meaning of the card in combination with the Major Arcana
Among the figure cards, the Horseman of Water is perhaps more susceptible than others to the influence of neighboring Arcana. The interpretations that we give in this article are only one of dozens of possible ones. It will be better if you just take them into account, but learn to come up with your own. 
- : Stupid, reckless act
- : To declare a war
- : Secret intrigues
- : Rapid birth, miscarriage
- : Conflict with superiors
- : Argument with teacher or father
- : Love relationship crisis
- : Get your way through aggression, driving recklessly
- : Uncontrollable temper
- : Being left alone due to your conflictual nature
- : Crisis in life
- : Combination of the Knight of Swords Tarot with Justice - Take Punishment
- : Drive yourself into a dead end
- : Cardinal, abrupt changes
- : Accelerating adaptation
- : Going downhill, self-indulgence, rapid descent into addiction
- : Trauma sustained in DBT
- Star: Move quickly towards your dreams
- Moon: Complication of the disease
- Sun: Achieve clarity
- Court: Rapid rehabilitation
- World: Global crisis
The meaning of the Horseman of Swords in conjunction with the Minor Arcana
Now let's look at the interaction of the energy of the air Knight with figure and number cards.
With the suit of Staves
- : Tired of futile attempts
- : Receive a call
- : Exert pressure
- : Divorce
- : Rebellion in the team
- : Fail
- : Resist heroically
- : Violence
- : Life tests
- : Feeling depressed
- : Bad news
- : Aggressive competition, rivalry
- : Incompetence
- King: Conflict with a man
With the suit of Cups
- : Outburst of feelings
- : Rapid development of love or business relationships
- : A quick wedding or a sudden celebration
- : Get tired
- : Regret your folly
- : Broken relationships in the past
- : Running along the path of illusions
- : Secretly run away from home, family, work
- : The meaning of the Tarot card Knight of Swords with the Nine of Cups - Quickly achieving what you want
- : Finding a family quickly
- : Many words - little action
- : Sudden impulses or mood swings
- : Haste in relationships with women
- : Haste in a relationship with a man
With the suit of Swords
Traditional meanings: swordsman, soldier, squire, bully, assassin. A fighter, a participant in the battle. Enemy. Dispute, war, battle, duel. Heroic deeds. Fanaticism. Attack. Protection. Confrontation, destruction, destruction. Haste. Subversion. Coarseness. Hatred, ill will, ill will. Anger, rage, indignation. Mastery. Bravery, courage, valor.
Reversed Knight (Prince) of Swords
The reversed Knight of Swords can be a fanatic or a completely out of control person. This card can also indicate an extreme degree of fatigue and exhaustion. It could be a football player scoring an illegal goal, or Don Quixote tilting at windmills. Ultimately, this knight finds himself in a position in which he looks ridiculous, ridiculous or unreasonable. You or someone else is now showing off, fighting with mirages, trying to ride on a straw horse, or promoting empty or inappropriate concepts for the situation. Perhaps you were enraged by some kind of injustice or dishonesty - despite the fact that you did not bother to check the facts or at least the degree of reliability of the source. Your arguments are now completely irrational, and your statements sound like complete nonsense. Perhaps you are tired of battles or have been hurt by sharp words. All you want to do now is crawl away from the front line and throw away the sword weighing down your hand. You are trying to overcome your own impulsiveness or tame your inner mustang, whether it symbolizes instincts or ideas. You are consciously trying to become more attentive and thoughtful and less in a hurry.You may suffer from outbursts of rage or irritation and at such times seek to cause pain or harm to others. You may become ruthless and vindictive, blaming others for your mistakes or using logic to destroy. If you rush too much, beware of wasted time, rashness and mistakes. By boasting about your accomplishments, you can recklessly set up or even endanger another person. The horse on the card of the Waite-Smith deck looks even more fierce in an inverted position than in an upright position; this suggests that you are pushing forward with terrible force, not wanting to listen to the advice of others. You can hope that you can get away with anything - even cheating and cheating - because you are smarter and faster than everyone else. Or, on the contrary, you find yourself a victim of a person who behaves this way. You can fiercely try to get your way, even if it means doing things that are clearly unfair. On the other hand, you may be moving backwards rather than forwards, hastily retreating from the battlefield or evacuating in a threatening situation. The reversed Knight of Swords is not the best significator for travel and transportation: you may be kicked off a train, unloaded from an airplane, or you will have to take a detour.
In terms of health, violence, accidents and injuries, especially to the arms and legs, are likely, as well as other dangerous situations in which speed plays a role in one way or another. Temporary insanity is also possible.
From a shamanic and magical point of view, the card denotes a spiritual warrior fighting in the upper worlds. It is also astral self-defense.
Traditional Reversed Meanings: pickpocket. Scammer. Fool around. Fool. Recklessness, imprudence. Failure, incompetence, irrelevance, ignorance. Weakness. Mistakes as a consequence of impulsiveness. Stupid, simple-minded, ridiculous. Brad, nonsense. Vain, vain. Extravagant. Live by your own mind. News of trouble or trouble.