General

The Nine of Swords is a card about sleepless nights, worry, fears and anxiety. This is a card that talks about emotional anguish and feeling defeated. Sometimes, I see this as a card that indicates that the querent has been having nightmares. In traditional tarot, the Nine of Swords depicts a woman sitting on her bed with the nine swords are hanging on her wall, and she looks like she just woke up from a nightmare. But I also feel that the Nine of Swords could be about defeating one’s demons.

Upright

In the upright position, the Nine of Swords can be the things that keep you up at night. When we are unable to break free from the Eight of Swords, we end up in the Nine of Swords where one is left overthinking and feeling quite down. In love, this could mean that there is a lot of regret from the past, or that there is something about your person that you do not trust. One or both partners are up late at night, feeling worried about your relationship or where things are headed for the two of you. In career an finances, this could mean that you are overloaded with responsibilities and worries and this causes a lot of stress and anxiety, and this anxiety does not seem to be going away. You could be worried about your finances and this is something that is overwhelming and seems difficult to overcome.

Reversed

In the reversed position, the Nine of Swords could mean that you are overcoming your inner demons and overcoming your fears and anxieties. Or that these anxieties or the source of these anxieties are being removed from your life. You are emerging out of this nightmare and moving forward. In love, you could be finding a way out and learning to alleviate your stress and resolving problems with your partner. You are learning to get help and share the burdens with each other. In career and finances, it’s a similar message of overcoming stress and having the stressors being removed from your day to day life. It could be that you are gaining more clarity over the situation and are able to move forward to resolve your financial or career issues.