Magic Power

The Five of Swords depicts the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.

Magic Charm

Focus on this card when you want to encourage good sportsmanship or recover from a humiliating loss.

Key Symbols

• One student collects five discarded swords on a riverbank, while two dejected students in the distance walk away. One of them seems to be rubbing his head in disbelief.

• The card depicts the two sides of conflict: for one side the win, the other side must lose — and to the victor go the spoils.

• The winner will experience satisfaction and reward. The losers, on the other hand, may be humiliated, regret, a lack of confidence, and wounded pride.

• Obviously, the swords in a tarot deck aren’t literal images. Because they symbolize the realm of the intellect, swords can stand for thoughts, words, and intellectual disagreement. In this case, the Five of Swords hints at the rules of fair play and good sportsmanship.

• The victor in the card is dressed in yellow, the elemental color of air. It indicates that he’s thoughtful and quick, and that he’s practicing air magic.

• The students are pictured in a spring landscape, because the suit of swords corresponds to the season of spring.