King of Swords – Tarot Meaning Deep Dive
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Welcome to part 14 of my 16 part series Meet the Court Cards – each week we will hang out with ONE court card and dive deeply into the symbols, personality traits, talents and dark side. This is similar to my Major Arcana Meanings Deep Dive series, but we’ll also explore how each court card acts in the context of love, work and money.
I’ll give you specific ways to embody this card as well as some journalling questions to help you connect with this card on a more personal level.
Let’s dive into the King of Swords – he’s serious and stuffy but sharp as a tack! He’s a master strategist who is always several steps ahead of everyone else and has a wicked sense of humour.
Sit back, relax and discover the personality, meanings and secret symbols of this King…
Element = Air (mind, intellect, thoughts, beliefs, focus, communication)
Keywords/Personality Traits
Intelligent, sharp, focused, detail oriented, serious, good negotiator, strategic, ahead of the game, wisdom, ego, knowledge, mental mastery.
Symbols:
clouds = pessimism, thoughts
birds = birds eye view, perspective
blue = coolness, clarity, air/space/breath
Sword = sharp, cuts through distraction
butterflies = transformation
crescent moon = feminine symbol
Talents:
The King of Swords has achieved mastery over his own mind, making him cool headed, wise and full of knowledge. He’s a gifted strategist and skilled negotiator who can talk his way out of anything and read people’s minds.
He uses his sharp mind to serve and protect those he loves and cares for, always defending the vulnerable and the underdog. He gives great advice and you’ll want this guy in your corner when things go wrong!
At a Party…
The King of Swords can be found leaving early, after he’s only stayed 45 min 😉 Parties aren’t his thing and he’s not much fun at them anyway, unless…..it’s a debate party! He LOVES to argue and debate things so as long there’s enough willing participants, he’s all in.
You may even catch him being disagreeable on purpose, just so he can get an argument going since that’s what truly stimulates him. He also has a quirky, dark sense of humour which some love and others are just plain creeped out!
At work…
The King of Swords lives for work and may even derive much of his identity from it. He’s focused, hard working and a high achiever who strives for excellence in everything he does. He takes his work very seriously, to the point of being a bit of a work-a-holic.
He makes a great lawyer or anything that involves a lot of strategising, planning and negotiating. He pays attention to detail and is never sloppy, late or unprofessional. However, he’s not exactly fun to work with. You won’t catch him photocopying his butt or making out in the file room.
In love…
Love is not his strong suit! The King of Swords lacks the emotional intelligence and ability to sense the subtle qualities of emotion, body language and energy, which are necessary skills in the art of relationships.
He’s often married to his work, with relationships coming second place. He’s very practical and level headed when it comes to love which prevents him from truly getting lost in it and he can come across as uncaring or unemotional.
He seeks a partner who is almost as smart as him, but not quite! He loves a good intellectual conversation and finds himself powerfully drawn to the Queen of Swords types. However, his partners often feel small and stupid in his presence as he loves to portray himself as the rational, intelligent one. He always needs to be right and never loses an argument, which gets tiresome very fast.
In Money…
He’s financially comfortable and spends wisely. The King of Swords always has a sound financial plan, often thinking years and decades ahead when making financial decisions.
He isn’t materialistic and doesn’t really take pleasure in acquiring money, but gets rather excited about organizing his money, fiddling around with his stocks and making complex financial plans.
He Thrives on…
Debates and arguments! Words are his weapons and he wields them with expert skill and efficiency, whether he’s trying to sway a jury, win a debate or negotiate a contract.
The King of Swords is in his happy place when he’s acquiring knowledge and wisdom, so libraries, books, research and higher education all make him spring to life. And of course he LOVES playing chess!
Dark Side of the King of Swords…
The King of Swords has a strong mind and the dark side of that is a massive ego! He thinks he’s smarter than everyone (which he probably is!) but lacks the tact to conceal this fact. Since nobody likes to hang around someone who clearly thinks they’re an idiot, his friends are few.
In a bad mood, he’s depressive, pessimistic, overly critical and cold, with sharp words and an icy glare. Overly focused on his work and uncaring about others, he compartmentalizes his life in a cold, unfeeling way.
What does it MEAN?
When the King of Swords shows up in your reading, he could be trying to tell you any of the following:
♥ Take a deep breath, clear your mind and access your inner wisdom.
♥ It’s time to make a plan and develop a strategy
♥ USE your powers of negotiation! Dont’ be shy here.
♥ Be rational, think sensibly and pay attention to details.
♥ You may need to acquire more knowledge and information before making a decision or seek the advice of an expert.
King of Swords Reversed…
Don’t be so serious! Lighten up and watch out for being too “in your head” about things.
You may be having difficulty making a plan or developing a clear strategy – suffering from chronic distraction or cloudy thinking.
Embody it…
You can embody the energy of the King of Swords by doing the following things:
~ plan ahead (have a strategy!)
~ negotiate something
-use your breath to clear your mind and focus
Journalling Questions:
♥ What aspects of this King do you relate to?
♥ Who in your life is like the King of Swords?
♥ Where in your life could you use more strategic planning?
♥ What is your relationship to winning, proving a point, and arguing your position or negotiating?
Tell me your thoughts!
Did you enjoy this deep dive? Who do you know that’s just like this King? Let me know in the comments below…
♥ Join me next time as I dive into the King of Cups – he’s sensitive and kind and you just want to tell him ALL your problems because he is such a good listener…. and I’m just gonna say it – he’s a hugger! Hop on my mailing list so you won’t miss out!
***Grab your FREE Court Card Cheatsheet right HERE!***
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