Tarot Magic

“You may have won a battle, but is winning everything? Not always.”

Swords are associated with the element of AIR. They cut through our illusions and require us to make rational and logical decisions.

The card shows a young man sitting down, somewhat slumped over with his head in his hand. The five swords are laying down by his side. There are two other men walking away. The swords lying to his side tell me that a battle is over. The two other men are headed home with their heads down. The young man remaining looks depressed, or maybe he is pensive and is examining his feelings.

The young man who remains behind, has won this battle, as indicated by the fact that he has all of the swords. But he is clearly not celebrating. The pensive look on his face and his slumped over appearance seem to suggest that the cost of victory may have been too high.

The Five of Swords represents defeat. Swords are associated with power and conflict, but they are a double edge sword. They are reminders that there can be a fine line between winning and losing.

The young man in the card has won the battle but is not victorious. Think about that. Is winning everything? Not always. The Olympics are on TV right now. These amazing athletes have been training for years to try and become the best. Then one little mistake and they are out. Heartbreaking! But even though they might not have metaled, they still made the team! Isn’t that a win in itself?

This card is interesting because we have the victor looking downcast, and we have the defeated walking away with heads down. It appears that nobody won. The Five of Swords is indicating defeat whether you won or lost.

Take a look at what might be going on in your life today. Are you feeling defeated? Are you facing a no-win situation? Maybe you just have to accept your limitations? You might of won an argument, but lost a friend?

Being defeated: accept you limitations. And rejoice in the fact that you got to compete, play, or participate.

Being victorious: you have conquered your fears even though the odds were against you, you were victorious. That is something to feel good about.

Action: Confidence is great but losing can drive us to always improve and grow. If you have a discussion or argument with someone today, instead of trying to win them over, listen to what they have to say. See if you learned anything from the encounter.