King of Swords Reversed Tarot Card

The King of Swords should be a welcome card,
but the reversed version should make you wary. This is an intensely personal
message and one that needs immediate attention because letting the
circumstances remain as is could lead to a fatal error – not a physically fatal
one, but one that leads to the end of a job, relationship, opportunity, or
other situation. Like single-edge swords, the King of Swords reversed has a
blunt side and a dangerous side, and you need to navigate carefully to ensure
no one gets hurt.

The
Suit of Swords

Each suit in the tarot represents an aspect or
element that describes the overall energy of the suit. Wands are action and
fire, Cups are emotions and water, Pentacles are effort and earth, and Swords
are thought and air. The Swords represent logic, editing and review, thoughts,
fairness, and clarity. They don’t represent a lack of emotion but rather the
ability to remove emotions from the decision-making process.

The
Kings

The Kings are the leaders of each suit,
inspiring and powerful people who are usually older males but who can be female
if the situation calls for it. Think of the CEO of a company who is female, or
the matriarch of a family who guides its overall interactions and decisions.
Those two women could easily be represented as kings and not queens.

So, the King of Swords is a logical leader who
puts thought into decisions and who relies on knowledge to guide those
decisions. The King of Swords is not an unemotional person, and other Kings in
the tarot use logic, too. But thoughts and impartial logic are the keys for
this King.

When
This King Is Reversed

The King of Swords reversed gets kind of
nasty. At its most basic interpretation, it can be someone using too much logic
or not enough. Someone who is too logical and who sticks to the rules too
closely – and who doesn’t take extenuating circumstances into account – can do
some real damage. They can deliberate for too long and miss an opportunity.

This is also true of someone who doesn’t think
things through enough and who is too reckless. They could make biased decisions
or create a lot of problems for other people.

If you want a good example of the King of
Swords and the King of Swords reversed in this aspect, turn on your TV. The
King of Swords upright is best represented by – this shouldn’t be a surprise –
Mr. Spock fromStar Trek: The Original
Series. Fair, overtly logical, but also aware that sometimes logic doesn’t
apply. He’s willing to look at non-logical answers if needed.

The King of Swords reversed, however, is best
represented by both Chidi and Jason fromThe
Good Place. Think of Chidi’s devotion to ethics and and his absolute
inability to make a decision, to the point of creating a little pocket of hell
for everyone around him. He’s the King of Swords reversed who uses too much
logic and deliberates without end. Jason is the King of Swords reversed who
doesn’t think at all and who recklessly follows his impulses without control or
caution.

Beyond
Logic

The King of Swords reversed can also be less
about logic and more about tyranny. The King of Swords is a fair person. He
knows the law is there to keep order and also that each case has to be looked
at in its own light. But reversed, this tarot card is about arrogance, unfairness,
and disastrous treatment. This is a manipulative person who is calculating and
who is either a know-it-all or someone who can gaslight you with just a couple
of sentences.

The direct imagery of weaponry in this suit
means the Swords often represent the military. That brings up the idea of a
dictator or someone who acts that way, even if they don’t actually lead anyone.

On a less dangerous note, a reversed King can
always indicate someone who either isn’t leading well or who isn’t getting the
respect he or she deserves. That’s a bit of a relief after all the
dictator-talk, but it’s still not a desirable situation.

It’s
Possibly You

You can see that this is not a card to ignore.
But the question now is, who or what does the card represent? It could be you.
Are you being indecisive or insisting you have everything go your way, to the
point of hurting someone or excluding people who shouldn’t be excluded? Are you
determined to make other people do what you want?

Another possibility is that the King of Swords
reversed represents an organization that you’re involved in, such as your
employer. Maybe the company is good to you, but does the company have policies
that hurt the public?

If the card shows up in an other-person
position, like the second card from the bottom of the staff in the Celtic
Cross, that’s a pretty good indication that someone else is involved. The
interpretation becomes cloudier if the card is in an outcome spot, however; you
don’t know who or what is leading the situation to that end, so you need to do
some serious investigation.

And be aware of one more frustrating
possibility. Maybe your situation will go swimmingly, but there will be an
unintended consequence that isn’t fair to someone else.

It’s always helpful to have a professional
reading after getting a card like this, especially if you’re having trouble
figuring out who’s who. Many professional readers don’t want to know the
question before they see the spread, so don’t be surprised if your reader tells
you not to say anything yet. But once the cards are out and you’ve gotten that
initial reading, then you might be able to figure out who is messing up the
logic and fairness of the situation.

Panic won’t help, by the way. Don’t let the
thought of unintended consequences or a manipulative person make you act
recklessly yourself. But do start looking at the situation, your behavior, and
the behavior of others around you to get a better sense of what’s happening.