The Seven of Swords is a card that appears in your Tarot reading to reveal issues of breaking free, doing things your own way and abandoning group ideals. The Seven of Swords is seen as a card of saving yourself; this can have positive elements to it, as in many personal transformations, but it can be negative as well, revealing the core selfishness present in many of our decisions. There is also an element of haste in this card, an indicator of moving fast in a decision making process.
Under a cloudless golden sky, the card depicts a man tip-toeing away from some desert tents. There are two swords stuck into the ground by the entrance to the closest tent. The man has five swords in his arms. The man is stealing the swords belonging to whoever is in the tent and he is making a quick getaway. The thief manages to be stylish, though, always depicted in a fez-style hat, with some Tarot decks making sure his quick-footed boots are colored red to match his hat. In most versions of Tarot decks he is scampering across the desert vista, in plain sight for us to see. The most important part of this illustration is the plain fact that, even with his hands full, the thief has not taken all of the swords.
The thief is not necessarily a negative character. Everyone operates in secrecy and to their own advantage on some occasions. In relationships, we sneak around to find out information on the men we love. In office politics, we are often forced to act behind the back of someone to ensure our job security. Anyone who is self-employed knows that going out and doing it on your own means using any bit of information that can be acquired about your competitors.
The Seven of Swords is a card that demands you look inward and examine your own behavior. If you have been secretly sabotaging a group at work in order to get ahead, you cannot immediately assume that the card represents a friend or lover sneaking around behind your back.
Examine the location of the Seven of Swords in your reading and the cards nearby in order to understand if independence and duplicity are traits that will be serving you well.
Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
If the Seven of Swords is in the past part of your Tarot reading, the foundation of your current situation stems from your independence. Perhaps you are still suffering from a break-up. Women who once cheated on their lovers and got away with it see this card in the past as a confirmation that they will be loyal from now on. The card of course can indicate that someone cheated on you, a fact you might still not really be sure of.
If the Seven of Swords is in the present part of your Tarot reading, someone may be cheating on you. A spouse or a business partner may be getting away with stealing your trust. Just as likely, though, this card could show that your recent crafty moves are paying off at work and in love. When a cute guy flirts with a friend and you make a move on him when she goes to the restroom, you are the clever thief pictured in the Seven of Swords.
If the Seven of Swords is in your future position in a Tarot reading, this is a card showing that you must resort to some sort of trickery to get where you are going. You will have to survive on your wits alone at some point in the near future, so plan now to be quick to improvise and evade scrutiny. The Future position is one place in a Tarot reading where the Seven of Swords is about you and you alone. Embrace the chance to get ahead and get away with it.
Card Combinations
If some of the other cards appearing in your reading are also Swords, the Seven of Swords represents verbal sneakiness. Perhaps you have been talking behind someone’s back.
If there are lots of Pentacles in a reading with the Seven of Swords, someone’s personal belongings may have been stolen recently – perhaps you are a suspect! If there are many Cups in the reading with this card, a sneaky love affair is more likely. With a few cards from the suit of Wands, this card brings great advances in business. In fact, paired with the Ace of Wands, this is one of the best omens for succeeding in your own business that the Tarot has to offer.
Tarot readings with Major Arcana cards indicate deeper situations in one’s life. Major Arcana cards paired with the Seven of Swords indicate that your independence from group situations is a driving factor in your current journey.
The Seven of Swords paired with The Hierophant indicates your break with a group will lead to personal transformation and was a good decision. Paired with The Devil card and you may be breaking a cycle of drug, alcohol or relationship co-dependency addictions. With The World card paired to your Seven of Swords, you might be missing out on a lot of what life has to offer out of a sense of alienation or fear. Paired with The Fool and your escapist tendencies are taking you further and further from the traditional life’s path – but if you are abandoning traditional society and embracing the bohemian lifestyle, this could be a good thing. The Seven of Swords paired with Strength is the “rogue agent” combination where you use your insider knowledge as a member of a group to go beyond its intended aims. The Justice card paired with the Seven of Swords is even more powerful, bearing fruit in an attempt to see litigation carried out. If your lawyer knows about Tarot, he or she will love to hear that these cards appeared in your reading.
The strongest two cards for the Seven of Swords to be paired with are The Chariot and The Star. A pairing with the Chariot reveals that you can cut in line for a professional promotion or seduce a prize catch in the game of love. Paired with the Star and your consciousness is about to expand as you set out on a quest for knowledge and growth.
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