Cosmic Tribe Tarot

FIVE OF SWORDS

Defeat

The Five of Swords presents itself after a devastating blow. Dark thoughts drag us down and trap us in loops of frightening hopelessness. The situation wants us to surrender. But we can't. We are still reeling from the loss and can't let go, even to stop the psychological bleeding. Defeat is a harsh reality check but, with perseverance and friendship, not a hopeless one.

Five shiny swords bury their tips in stone. Two hands grasp the blades, bleeding. Rage twists inward. The figure lowers his eyes and slacks his neck in a pose of psychological defeat. In this collapsed state he is dangerously vulnerable to his own knifing self-criticism. He could even be suicidal. Devastation patrols the prison of swords, and light sinks below the stone. The five shiny swords taunt him with his own shadowy reason and tell him there is no hope and no purpose for going on.

But hope is not exhausted. It rides high in the increasingly blue sky reflected in the sword blades. The figure can't yet see that the storm clouds have passed. And although tempted, he must not give up prematurely. Life still has much to teach him and will help him overcome the doubt and pain. Soon he will look up into the blue sky, take courage, and see through his dark hour.

Divinatory Meaning

Should you draw blood on the Five of Swords, look at how you deal with defeat. When were you overwhelmed by a foe so powerful that you gripped the blades until you bled? In the end did you let go entirely as the situation demanded, or are you still holding on? Is there still some grievance, some resentment? Forgive yourself and others. Defeat comes from playing the mind's unwinnable games. Winning isn't the object; the object is experience and there are few experiences as palpable as a devastating blow. But defeat is another opportunity to taste life's richness. And while this does not erase the loss, it does put it in perspective. Get up, stand up, and take the swords by their handles.