The Three of Swords is quite simple to interpret, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. Let’s see what the card means in reading about your career, what type of challenges it represents in the past, present, and future positions, and also explore its astrological correspondence.
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What does the Three of Swords Tarot Card mean in a Career?
When it shows up in a career reading, the Three of Swords may indicate a romantic relationship between coworkers. If that’s not the case, it probably means that you let your feelings affect your performance. You are disappointed or heartbroken, and your motivation is low. Try to keep your head above water.
This is an unusual card for a career reading. You may want to draw a few more cards to clarify. Chances are a coworker’s got a crush on you, or perhaps complications have arisen because of an affair in the workplace.
Another interpretation is that you’re not feeling a hundred percent right now due to personal issues, and this reflects on your performance and decisions. You might be feeling disappointed by your career choices, realizing that this is not what you had hoped for.
Rather than allowing your state of mind to affect your financial situation, try to concentrate on your work. You’ll feel better before long, or you will at least discover what you must change to be more successful.
What does the Three of Swords Reversed Mean in a Career?
In reverse, the Three of Swords in a career reading shows an opportunity to heal through your work. This is an example of how trauma can motivate and inspire you to do better. Otherwise, it could denote the resolution of a conflict that created tension in the workspace.
Work can be a great distraction when you’re going through a tough time. Whether you have a creative job or a standard 9 to 5 desk job, concentrate on your tasks and you will instantly feel better.
Alternatively, the card might show up when a bad personal situation that affected your work is starting to blow over. The crisis has passed and it’s time to move on and make plans for the future.
The Three of Swords Tarot Card as a Situation
As a general situation, the Three of Swords signifies a state of deep sadness and melancholy. The trauma is still fresh and you might not be ready to talk about it yet, or you simply don’t want to. Your vision is clouded at best, so refrain from making any bold moves.
We have already gone over the general atmosphere of the Three of Swords in a previous article. As a card describing your recent past or an ongoing situation, it means your spirits are very low. You may experience persistent feelings of gloom, sadness, and disappointment.
Plans are delayed and painful truths arise; hang in there!
Three of Swords Reversed as a Situation
The reversed Three of Swords indicates that you’re processing a recent traumatizing event. You need to heal, but maybe you’re not quite ready yet, and you’ve fallen into a pessimistic point of view. The keywords here are acceptance and forgiveness.
As a general situation, the reversed Three of Swords is kind of a wake-up call. You may have realized that you are depressed, and you need to do something about it. Refer to the Advice section for the Three of Swords and remember to take it easy.
The Three of Swords Tarot Card as an Obstacle / Challenge
The Three of Swords poses a great challenge. A broken heart can make even the strongest person lose their courage. It all seems bleak and pointless, everything hurts, and days go by without any sign or hope of improvement.
As an obstacle, this card will indicate an inability to let go of the past and move on. It destroys relationships, conceals and pollutes all that is good in life and postpones plans indefinitely.
This is not a matter to discuss with a light heart. Some people constantly feel like they’ve been caught out in the rain without any hope of seeing a better day. The pain, though psychological, may manifest in the body and even cause illness.
It has been said that sickness is a false point of view. We won’t go so far as to suggest this, but there is some truth in that statement. Sorrow, when not addressed properly, can block the path to a fulfilling life and tear a man apart…
Three of Swords Reversed as an Obstacle / Challenge
As an obstacle, the reversed Three of Swords is about refusing to see the bright side. You may feel somewhat alienated from friends and family, unable to forgive yourself or those who broke your heart.
Sometimes we refuse to do what’s necessary in order to move forward in life, thinking that it’s all pointless and clinging to a fading memory. After a major depressive episode or a breakup, for example, it’s very difficult to let the past go.
Though the pain has diminished, feelings of disappointment linger on. We’re left wondering about what could have been or what went wrong, looking for substitutes and rationalizations to cope with loss.
There’s no way to change the past, and a negative mindset will only bring about more heartache and sadness. The card in reverse means that you’re letting the trauma define you, instead of embracing it as a mere part of you.
This state of disconnect, after we’ve been separated from what we love, can persist for a long time unless we learn to live with ourselves and spot the silver lining.
The Three of Swords Tarot Card as an Outcome
The Three of Swords means that the path you’re on is leading you to disappointment, heartbreak, or worse. There is no way to prevent this; the damage has already been done and you’re in for a cold shower. Let this be a lesson that, quite often, the objects of our deepest desires come at a great price.
As an outcome card, the Three of Swords is very bad news, or, more precisely, the culmination of something that should have never happened.
This is a painful realization that cannot be avoided, the fairy tale’s tragic climax.
No matter what you had hoped for, the Three of Swords brings with it the cold rain of sorrow and disillusionment. Perhaps you fell for a person who isn’t who you thought they were; or even if things went smooth for a while, external events will force a dramatic change that you couldn’t have possibly foreseen.
Three of Swords Reversed as an Outcome
In reverse, the Three of Swords as an outcome card is not that bad, provided you try to make the best out of a bad situation. Even when everything’s going downhill, we can still offer to help others and look at the future with a little bit of optimism.
Put simply, the reversed Three of Swords means the worse belongs in the past.
The current situation might not resolve in a very pleasant way, but things aren’t looking that grim either. If somebody hurt you, perhaps they deserve your forgiveness after all because they didn’t really have a choice. And, if not, at least you’ve learned your lesson and next time you’ll know better.
So, all in all, the card means that even though you’re hurt and disappointed, the outlook isn’t so tragic. Give yourself a break but also try to recognize what kind of mistakes on your part brought you here.
The Three of Swords Tarot Card in the Future
In reading about your future, the Three of Swords foreshadows a really tough time. You are going to receive heartbreaking news or make an unpleasant discovery. There’s no easy way to say this: it’s going to get way worse before it gets any better.
The card foretells a sudden development in your story with far-reaching and long-term consequences. It is especially bad news for relationships. You may find it difficult to accept and handle the situation once the truth is out.
How can one prepare for an unsettling or even tragic turn of events?
That’s the deal with it actually: at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if it’s a dreadful surprise or if you knew what would happen beforehand. There is simply no way to avoid the pain and sorrow when it all goes South, you can only learn to live with it and move on.
And that is one of the reasons why predicting the future can be very tricky; how will you break the news to someone who’s got no clue about the troubles heading their way? Some people can accept only what they want to hear and will dismiss any reader or clairvoyant who gives them a fair warning as a doomsayer and a harbinger of bad luck…
Three of Swords Reversed in the Future
When reversed, the Three of Swords foretells a period of adjustment after the storm has passed. Things aren’t looking very good right now, but you do have the choice to steel your nerves; you may even get out of it unscathed.
As we’ve already mentioned, the reversed Three of Swords means that the worse is already in the past. In the days to come, you will have to deal with the residue of a traumatizing event. Your heart’s been broken, but you can deal with it. You shouldn’t let the past define your future and keep you down.
The Three of Swords as a Person
The Three of Swords describes a person who’s currently coping with grief or heartbreak and going through intense emotional distress. You have to be gentle with them, they are very upset.
Depressed, lonesome, heartbroken; it takes one to know one. If you don’t know exactly what they are going through, you won’t be able to help them and will probably end up making things worse. So, be very careful with your words.
Show them that you understand their plight and that you care about them, or let them deal with it however, they think best.
This person might not be ready to accept what has happened. Even if it all seems clear to you, they’re still struggling and will need a lot of time to process their trauma.
Three of Swords Reversed as a Person
The Three of Swords in reverse paints the picture of a person who’s currently healing from a personal tragedy or getting over a bad breakup. They’ve been through a lot, but they’re finally starting to cope and feel better.
Emotional outbursts and depressive episodes are to be expected. Every now and then, this person might regress to a previous unpleasant state, as they’re going over the traumatizing events and learning to live with the consequences.
Even if they get very sad or angry out of the blue, you’ll see that they’re actually improving. Give them some credit for the progress they’ve made, they probably need it more than they know.
What Zodiac Sign is the Three of Swords?
In astrology, the Three of Swords corresponds to Saturn in the 2nd decan of Libra. Born between October 4th-13th, these are the most balanced, smart, and sincere Libras, with a proximity to the eccentric and ever-busy Aquarius. Saturn, however, darkens things with his austerity and intellectual prowess.
Libras under the influence of Saturn tend to get disappointed easily. They are made for great things, after all, and their imagination often builds up unrealistic expectations. To them, every choice means that a bridge must burn; no gain without sacrifice.
Sometimes, when they say “yes,” they actually mean “no” and vice-versa; that is why we find it difficult to understand and approach them.
Even so, they are exceptionally clever, practical, hard-working, and responsible. They’ll never miss a deadline, nor give up an opportunity. They’ve got a hell of a story to tell, too; they are who they are because they’ve experienced both pain and exaltation in the extreme.
Combined with the Aquarian influence in the 2nd decan of Libra, they are truly authentic and charming individuals who have learned to endure and thrive. These particular Libras need love and affection just like the rest of us, but they can be rather solitary by nature.
However, they shine like bright stars in every social setting, their beauty surpassed only by their optimism.
As for the card’s imagery, don’t be surprised; Saturn’s shrewd mind and Libra’s anatomical precision make for a scene that may evoke unpleasant feelings in most people but, for them, sorrow and pain can prove to be sources of tremendous energy and inspiration.
