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The Five of Swords is the most common card in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. It refers to fierce conflict, disagreements, under-belt shocks, nonsense and humiliation. At the same time, the card leaves open the question of whether evil hate comes from us, or if we are trapped, we are the victim. Only the other cards that are embedded can provide more information. The Five of Swords always marks a "victory of Pyrrhos", where the winner will not be happy for long.

FIVE OF SWORDS : DEFEAT

In the “Naples arrangement”, the introduction of the number Five shows the idea of motion coming to the aid of that of matter. This is quite a revolutionary conception; the result is a complete upset of the statically stabilized system. Now appear storm and stress.

The Five of Swords is similarly troublesome; the card is called Defeat. There has been insufficient power to maintain the armed peace of the Four. The quarrel has actually broken out. This must mean defeat, for the original idea of the Sword was a manifestation of the result of the love between the Wand and the Cup. It is because the birth had to express itself in the duality of the Sword and the Disk that the nature of each appears so imperfect.

Geburah, as always, produces disruption; but as Venus here rules Aquarius, weakness rather than excess of strength seems the cause of disaster. The intellect has been enfeebled by sentiment. The defeat is due to pacifism. Treachery also may be implied.

The hilts of the swords form the inverted pentagram, always a symbol of somewhat sinister tendency. Here matters are even worse; none of the hilts resembles any of the others, and their blades are crooked or broken. They give the impression of drooping; only the lowest of the swords points upwards, and this is the least effective of the weapons. The rose of the previous card has been altogether disintegrated.

The historian is happy to observe two perfect illustrations of the mode of this card and the last in the birth of the Aeon of (1) Osiris, (2) Horus. He will note the decay of such Virtue as characterized Sparta and Rome, ending in the establishment of the Pax Romana. As Virtue declined, corruption disintegrated the Empire from within. Epicene cults, such as those of Dionysus (in its degraded form), of Attis, of Adonis, of Cybele, the false Demeter and the prostituted Isis, replaced the sterner rites of the true Solar- Phallic gods; until finally (the masters having lost the respect, and so the control, of the plebs, native and alien) the lowest of all the slave-cults, dressed up in the fables of the vilest of the parasitic races, swept over the known world, and drenched it in foul darkness for five hundred years. He will delight to draw close parallels with the cognate phenomena displayed before the present generation.

THE FIVE OF SWORDS - DEFEAT

Astrology: Venus in the 1. decan of Aquarius Tree of Life: Geburah through Air

The Five of Swords have reached Geburah, the realm of motion and changing, of destruction and disintegration. The truce of the Four couldn't last, the airy Swords had to recognize that they never were meant for structure and stabilisation, that they needed to stick to their unsteady nature, no matter how high the price might be. 

The deep crisis the Swords are going through in here also result in the influence of Venus, the planet of emotion, harmony and sensitivity. For the logical Swords who are forced to see everything absolutely clear and unveiled, too much sensitivity can mean a sharp pain that no reasonable argument might soften. 

Intelligent as they are, they clearly analyse the trap they're in and start struggling against fate, thus recognizing that they cannot win.

Drive: Intellectual crisis, struggling against fate 

Light: Realisation of limitations and restrictions, philosophy born in pain 

Shadow: Loss, defeat, failure, poverty, fear

THE FIVE OF SWORDS - Defeat - Mars - Scorpio - Destruction

Keywords: Venus in Aquarius, fear of loss or failure, fear of awkward situations or experiences

Advice: Drawing this card indicates that you are ready to see your fear of failure. Fear is irrational and does not necessarily reflect reality. By recognizing this, you are releasing all the energies that your fear has tied up. If you are afraid that control is slipping out of your hands, remember that feeling that you are in control is just an illusion! By seeing, understanding, accepting and releasing your fear, you will be free.

Question: What do you think of "failure"?

Suggestion: Write down the answer to the question above or tell someone you trust. If the old wounds break, let them feel the pain. Only in this way can the wounds heal.

Revelation: I accept and release my fear.

Analogies:

Ji-Ching: 6. Sung (The Strife, Conflict)

Mythology: The Gods of War (Ares, Eris, Styx)

Keywords: destructive power, cowardice

One sword weapon, more than one sword is already packed.

FIVE OF SWORDS

General Meaning

Traditionally, the Five of this suit references the grim and sobering process of cleaning up the battlefield after a conflict. The war as a whole has not been won or lost yet, but in this skirmish there were grievous casualties. This card admonishes the loser to study carefully what went wrong, so that a new strategy can be devised and more setbacks forestalled. There is a need to regroup and rethink the game plan, discover your blind spots and weak links, and take corrective measures before getting back into the field for another round.

In these modern times, when the battle is more often being waged with words, laws and contracts instead of weapons, we have even more reason to examine our approach, our style, strengths and weaknesses. If we have underdeveloped communication skills or lose our objectivity in tense moments, our ability to reach our goals and dreams will decline. But, if we avoid letting ourselves be haunted by the misfortunes and detours that inevitably befall us, we will go on to achieve those goals. Do not obsess. Try to learn something.

In the Reversed Position

The Five of Swords reversed suggests that you are finally gaining some mastery over competitive or combative impulses. This suggests that you may be outgrowing tendencies towards being automatically judgmental or critical.

If this is true, you are successfully letting go of that part of your personality which tends to magnify others' flaws and weaknesses. Much to your credit, you are using your life force in a more creative and positive way. Having overcome conflicting impulses, you now use your energy in a positive way.

In the Advice Positon

The Five of Swords in this position advises you to prepare yourself for disappointment over how your fellow humans are setting their priorities. It seems that the lower end of human nature may be eroding good will in the current situation. Due to a strong cultural trend toward scarcity thinking, a "me first" outlook prevails. If this means that you need to develop a thick skin or carry your sword of truth closer, then do so.

Try not to be too quick to anger or jump to conclusions. Just because others may have a pessimistic sense of the world, their reality does not have to undermine yours. There is certainly no point in struggling or competing with them. Your challenge now is to learn how to sidestep confrontation and evoke a more evolved response from people. At the very least, be assertive about setting boundaries for yourself.

Read more:

• » The Book of Thoth - A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians by Aleister Crowley.
• » Liber LXXVIII - On the Tarot - A complete treatise on the Tarot giving the correct designs of the cards with their attributions and symbolic meanings on all planes. - A description of the Cards of the Tarot, with their attributions, including a method of divination by their use.
• » Manuscript N - The Tarot - A Golden Dawn Manuscript - A Theoricus Adeptus Minor Paper.