The Card of the Day: The King of Swords (Reversed)
“Challenging ingrained thoughts and beliefs.”
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The King of Swords appears to be a stern man. In fact, for many he is the archetype of The Man (The societal structures that unconsciously direct us to assume our place). The King of Swords asks us to examine how we might be limiting ourselves based on our own assumptions.
Are you unconsciously allowing old, fixed views to color your perception of yourself or others? Do you feel like you are limited, or can't get ahead because you're a woman, a minority, gay, poor, disabled or just feel like the deck is stacked against you? Do you look at others that are different from you with assumptions before you really get to know them?
All of us are raised in a world of assumptions. As children we are unconsciously presented with attitudes of racism, sexism, and phobias that color our eventual view of the world. People fear what they don't understand. People also find it uncomfortable to question a conclusion they arrived at long ago. When the King of Swords appears, he places you in contact with your own assumptions. Every now and then we need to challenge our assumptions in order to grow. Sometimes the assumptions that need to be released are narratives that you are unconsciously accepting from external society about how far you can go, and how much you can achieve.
The King of Swords is not an evil king. His real interest is preserving the security of the System. He argues that the way things are far better than changing his mind. Sometimes the King of Swords symbolizes a difficulty with changing your mind about something that seems settled. Although the King looks fixed, look closer... There are butterflies covering his throne. This represents that systems can be changed; assumptions can be transformed, and old divisions can be healed through understanding. The King of Swords can change his mind! Here's the biggest secret: The King of Swords is a part of us. The part that needs to lose its rigidity.
What part of you feels rigid? Are you dismissing whole swarths of people, simply because they have a different viewpoint, politics, ethnicity, or other social identifier? What calcified attitudes in the world would you like to see changed? Are you encountering these traits with someone else around you?
In order to change fixed attitudes, you must understand them. The King of Swords represents understanding things more acutely, so that you can make reasoned arguments and arrive conclusions that are evidence-based. The King of Swords is at his best when he applies critical thinking and logical arguments. Sometimes the King of Swords appears in the form of a loved one who challenges your own viewpoints and assumptions. They may say the craziest things, and may be incorrect with the facts, but they do serve in making you question your own conclusions.
You will never win a full on “battle” with the King of Swords. He’s heavily entrenched and armored. He can be a fixed personality, or he may represent an institution or organization that is set in its ways. When the King of Swords appears win him over with clarity, evidence and reason. This King can change his mind, but only if it makes logical sense to do so.
If the King of Swords appears reversed, he is offering you knowledge, to overcome something that is keeping you stuck. Many times, we remain entrenched in something that is not working because we lack more information about what is truly possible. The King of Swords reversed may be calling your attention to fixed attitudes or opinions that need questioning. The butterflies on his throne now appears at the base of the card. This signifies that you have begun the process of discarding outdated, self-limiting thinking.
The King of Swords reversed is challenging you to resist reverting to fixed assumptions about yourself, or your possibilities, without questioning them. Reach out and open yourself to perspectives which may not be aligned with your comfort zone. Walk in another’s shoes for a day. Look at challenging issues with another’s perspective instead of dismissing them outright. Instead of avoiding what you don't understand, dive in and learn more! Engage in reasoned, dispassionate debate. Arm yourself with knowledge. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” We must all occasionally question our beliefs, especially about other people, in order to attain wisdom. When this card appears reversed it indicates once fixed perspectives are shifting. New possibilities are opening. Allow yourself to be flexible enough to invite an evolution to your own perspective.
*King of Swords (Reversed) in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The King of Swords reversed can represent a partner who desires to keep others at arm’s length. This card can also symbolize an overly judgmental attitude that sabotages intimate connection. This is often a mask for fear. This individual finds it difficult to challenge their assumptions.
Long Term Partnership
The King of Swords reversed can represent a neurotic partner who insists on controlling everything. He (or she) may have established so many rules to follow that relationships with him end up feeling stifling. He believes his perspective is the only one that could possibly make reasonable sense.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the King of Swords reversed might suggest that it is time to lower your guard. You could be coming across as remote or emotionally uninviting. You might also want to reexamine hardened beliefs you may hold about your prospects for an intimate relationship. Let go of rigidity. This card can also represent excessive fault finding in others.
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder Fall 2022!
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