Card Meaning: The Knight of Swords
Keywords: action, determination, motivation, idea person, opinionated, communicative, intellectual, rationalizations, analysis, haste, full speed ahead, ready to charge, recklessness
Reversed: failure to act, laziness, inefficiency, lack of forethought, ill-timed action, haste, recklessness, careless speech, harsh words, noncommunicative
You can read my Court Card personal story of how to relate to the Knight of Swords energy here.
The Knight of Swords is full of plans and ideas- maybe too full, maybe overflowing, hopefully not drowning in his ideas. He has so many things he wants to do! His mind is sharp and is constantly flitting from idea to idea, unbounded, unlimited, but often without a clear focus. The Knight of Swords is gung ho and inspired by an idea, plunges into action without clear direction, and then charges ahead towards who knows what. He feels a sense of urgency, which can lead to haste. The Knight of Swords is on a MISSION. Nothing will stop him, and therefore little or no consideration is given to the finer points of his goal.The fact that the end goal is fuzzy is unimportant because he is confident he will figure it out along the way. But what does it matter!? It will get done, come hell of high water, or in some cases, come being broke and exhausted.
There’s no point arguing with him though, the Knight of Swords is a smart fellow. He is focused on achieving his goal and cannot be persuaded to slow the pace or veer from the course without a very well-thought out counter-argument. He can outthink you on the spot and debate you out of your opinion before you even realize you're nodding your head in agreement. If you're dealing with a Knight of Swords in a relationship or at work, the best plan of attack for you is to stay calm and try to balance out his energy. See if you can figure out what idea he is after and help make a plan for all others ideas so that they can stay on course. Make sure to think your questions or comments through before you voice them so you are sure of where you stand. Otherwise, you may get swept up in the excitement and charge off yourself!
When interpreting a court card remember that it's meaning can be relative to the base line personality of the person getting the reading. A person who is normally a bit more energized and driven in general, can be inspired by an idea and then act quickly. The Knight of Swords could represent the push that leads to rapid success. It be a disregard of consequences or previous experiences, meaning that you don't fear failure and take needed risks that lead to innovation. The Knight of Swords may be a very positive sign of determination to achieve a goal or set a grand new intention.
A more introspective and calculated person, on the other hand, may feel quickly out of control with the Knight of Swords energy. A few unorganized thoughts or plans and a whirlwind ensues so there is a desire to slow down and put more deliberate thought into the plan.This introvert could look more like this Knight of Swords image from the Shadowscapes tarot on the right here. Calmly moving forward with a great new idea. The key concept here is movement though, whatever rapid change means to the querent, this is the point. Hopefully both personality types hear the call to action of the Knight of Swords, manifest some big ideas, and no one falls heavily on his sword.
Knight of Swords reversed:
Reversed this card can go one of two ways: either completely wild or totally stuck. Often they amount to the same thing as no progress is made and hard lessons are ignored. With a wild Knight of Swords we see a person whose ideas have gone off the charts. Intelligence has been taken to the extreme or reduced to one narrow focus that overshadows the perspective needed to advance a new idea. This reversed Knight is a poor communicator who spouts out thoughts without explanation or regard for other people's ideas or feelings on the matter. He is impossible to work with because his jumps from one point to the next without logical steps, expecting you to follow along and agree with everything he says. He shouts and yells during arguments, and refuses to debate politely or take other people's views into consideration.
A less crazy, but equally difficult Knight of Swords reversed is someone who refuses to say or do anything about a new idea. He hides or blocks his thoughts and creativity, believing that it is best to keep doing with the tried and true method. He doesn't want things to change and is afraid of thinking outside the box. This reversed Knight hems and haws, hesitates, and then digs in his heels at any suggestion of a new way of doings things. He is a stick in the mud. He is stuck in a mental rut.
If you find that the Knight of Swords reversed represents you in the reading, don't be too dismayed. This Knight is still a work in progress and your development as a person is not at your final destination today, or ever for that matter. Remember to take note of your thoughts. Watch them, observe them, analyze them. You have lots of mental energy at this point as a Knight of Swords so use that energy for good! The more time you spend simply watching your negative thoughts, the greater degree of a separation you will create between the real you and that negative thought monster. Try talking back to it, telling it that you don't believe that you are crazy or stuck. You are a strong, intelligent, determined person who is ready to make progress on your brilliant ideas!