Coping with the IX of Swords

IX of Swords from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.

Does anyone like drawing the IX of Swords? The Rider Waite Smith version depicts a person sitting up in bed with their face in their hands. It doesn’t look good. Perhaps this person just woke up from a nightmare or maybe they haven’t been able to get to sleep yet because of some mental anguish. Either way, it isn’t a happy scene. The setting is black and the vibe is bleak.

I’m a person who suffers with anxiety. One could say I have regular IX of Swords energy. It feels like such a natural part of my existence that it can be hard to square that other people don’t experience anxiety so often. But then again, I also know that I’m in good company. Many of us are anxious people.

I learned on a podcast the other day that there are three general types of negative emotions: anxiety, sadness, and anger. To me, it seems like the IX of Swords has anxiety covered, while sadness might be the V of Cups, and anger perhaps the VII of Wands. I just thought of those off the top of my head, let me know if you have a better idea.

It’s interesting that the Pentacles cards don’t come up as representing negative emotions. These earthy cards are perhaps too grounded and centered to bring up strong emotions. Anxiety is associated with Swords because I proscribe anxiety as a mental affliction. Cups are the water realm of deepest emotion, which is where I would place sadness. And of course Wands are fire energy which definitely feels the angriest to me.

Some part of me wishes that my go to negative emotion was sadness. I’m not sure why. It feels more romantic to me or less intense. Anxiety is no good! It makes me feel horrible! I’m rarely fired up enough to be angry. That seems like too much work when feeling negative to go to such lengths. Well, I seem to be stuck with anxiety.

Now that we’ve pinpointed it, how do we wash it off?

When I’m reading the tarot, I interpret the cards as pieces of advice. When I draw the IX of Swords, I don’t just think, “Anxiety time!” I also think about how to cope with this anxiety. What are my coping mechanisms? What are the tools in my toolbox that I can use to help me through this tough time? The card is a reminder to open up that toolbox, whether I knew beforehand that I was anxious or not.

IX of Swords from the Shadowscapes tarot deck.

So what are some of my coping mechanisms? First and foremost, positive self-talk. I know a lot of people strongly dislike (HATE!!!) positive affirmations, but dudes, I find them very useful. I can’t be the only one, right? When I start to spiral out of control mentally, the best thing I can do for myself is interject with some kind words: “You are strong. You are doing your best. You will get through this. You are a good person. It won’t be like this forever.”

I wonder if this tendency to have anxiety and inclination to respond to positive self-talk go together? I have a lot of Air energy in my astrology chart, including a Moon in Aquarius, so maybe I find comfort in words just as I find my greatest misery in the mind. I also have a lot of Gemini energy in my chart, which makes me think there is an Air connection there.

Another thing that I employ to cope with anxiety is meditation. This can come in many forms. The simplest is just deep breathes, especially a long breathe in and then, when I feel all full of air, a last little inhale more. There should be the slightest pause between the big inhale and then the last swift inhale. After that, as long an exhale as I can muster. I only need to do this type of inhale once and I find it very effective. I learned in from the Andrew Hubermann.

Other times, a nice long meditation is in order. I might count breathes during this or do a guided mediation with my own internal monologue. If I have the resources, I might follow along with someone else’s guided meditation on Youtube or Insight Timer. When I’m really lucky, I’ll attend a Buddhist meditation sangha and have a teacher lead a live meditation. Any time of meditation helps me with my anxiety.

I also love a long walk in nature. I might put on some happy, light music, or just listen to the birds. The longer I’m outside the better. It can be effective to just sit outside as well. Connecting with nature is very soothing to my nervous system but the movement can help a lot too. If the weather isn’t conducive to being outside, a yoga practice inside can do the trick as well, especially if I light a candle and some incense and look out the window while I’m stretching. Singing, dancing, and making music are other ways I like to move my body to shake out the anxiety.

If I feel like I’m under some kind of psychic attack, whether that is from within or without, I will create an energetic shield around myself. This is another kind of mental visualization in which I picture myself in a big soap bubble that I can reinforce with my own positive energy. This visualization is really fun for me, sometimes it can be a dance, other times it’s construction boots and hard hat reinforcing that bubble.

I realize now that I could go on and on with coping mechanisms, but I don’t want to bore you. These are here are just the most immediate ones I have in mind. The important thing is that when you see the IX of Swords in a reading, this isn’t a sentence of doom. This is a message to shield, protect, and help yourself out of your anxiety.

It doesn’t even matter if you know what is causing your anxiety. You may feel all swirly inside and have no idea why. Your brain could be in a knot or a funk and it’s just a vague feeling of dread. That is fine. You don’t have to get to the bottom of your anxiety right now, but you can help yourself out of that place. Maybe later you’ll figure out what was causing your distress and work to eradicate that source from your strife. For now, when you see the IX of Swords, remember to cultivate and utilize the resources you already have to alleviate your suffering.