Suit of Swords
Swords represent the element of Air—intellect, thought, communication, truth, reason, analysis, conflict, decisions, challenges, clarity (or lack thereof), words, ethics, and mental state, including anxiety, clarity, and focus.
We see Swords energy in the writing process, represented by the writer's intellect and power of language. This is the realm of your plot structure, the logical arguments in essays, sharp dialogue in narrative, critical thinking, editing for clarity, research, and thematic exploration, including truth, justice, ethics, and conflict. Swords also represent a writer’s mental challenges, including doubt, overthinking, or writer's block as mental paralysis. It’s the precision of word choice and the conflicts (internal and external) that drive narratives. We see swords energy represented in both precise editing and painful critique.
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Writers can use Swords energy in their work. If you pull a card of Swords, first look at the meaning of that card, then ask yourself: How is this situation or event affecting my character’s thoughts, communication, beliefs, or conflicts? Show what your character is thinking and saying in response.​
Tarot Suit of SWORDS
Element: AIR - can relate to the zodiac signs of Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
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Traditional Tarot Symbols: blade (cuts through illusion), clouds (mental fog), the intellect, conflict, truth, communication
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Core Themes: logic and the mind
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Character Domains: decisions, truth, justice, ethics
Character Types: strategist, scholar, judge, skeptic, cynic, critic, debater, investigator
Character Traits (Light): showing clarity, truth, clear communication, analysis, integrity
Character Traits (Shadow): showing anxiety, dogmatism, cruelty, mental battles
Swords Energy in the Narrative: academic pursuits, legal battles, - ethical dilemmas, mental health struggles
Swords Energy in Genres: thrillers, legal dramas, spy stories (more below)
Numbers on the cards can suggest narrative timing: 1 sword equals 1 week, 4 swords equals 4 weeks, etc.
Swords can represent narrative characters and situations in positive (light) or negative (shadow) ways, including:
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At best, swords’ energy is analytical, intelligent, articulate, perceptive, decisive, objective, and truth-seeking. It shows up as sharp intellect, clear communication, forward thinking, research, objective problem-solving, and mental resilience.
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At worst, swords' energy is sly and strategic, critical, cold, argumentative, mentally restless, sarcastic, or cunning. It can show up as overly critical of themselves or others, emotionally detached, prone to anxiety and overthinking, harsh communication, brutal honesty, or cynicism.
Genres that express Swords energy, include:
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Mystery & Detective Fiction where intellect uncovers the truth using the power of observation, logic, deduction, sifting through deception, and confronting harsh realities, like Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie.
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Psychological Thrillers that explore characters' inner worlds, motivations or psychological states and often blurring the lines between reality and perception, creating suspense through manipulation and deception, like The Silence of the Lambs, Gone Girl, or Black Swan.
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Spy Stories focussed on deception, strategy, information as power, moral ambiguity, and high-stakes intellectual conflict where loyalties shift, identities are fluid, and mental acuity is survival, like The Bourne Identity, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, or Tom Clancy novels.
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Satire as intellectual critique and social commentary that uses wit, irony and incisive language to expose folly, hypocrisy or societal flaws, like George Orwell's Animal Farm, Kurt Vonnegut stories, South Park or Family Guy.
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Political Thrillers & Intrigue focussed on power struggles, manipulation, strategy, ideological conflict, and the consequences of decisions where words are weapons, alliances are fragile, and society is at stake, like House of Cards, The West Wing, or Madame Secretary.
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War Narratives with a strategic or political focus that go beyond the physical horror, stories emphasizing strategy, leadership dilemmas, propaganda, moral injury, the fog of war, and the clash of ideologies. Explores the mental and ethical toll with a strategic or political focus, like All Quiet on the Western Front, The Things They Carried, Catch-22, or War and Peace
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Dystopian Fiction, like 1984, Brave New World, or The Handmaid's Tale
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High-Concept Science Fiction, like Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle or Blindsight by Peter Watts
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Debate & Rhetoric-Centric Stories, like Inherit the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird or TV shows like The Lincoln Lawyer or Suits