This card shows a heart suspended in the air, pierced by three swords. It is usually taken to bring with it a difficult, painful message.
Appearance and Symbolism
This card has a simple, yet powerful visual impact. We see a heart suspended in the air, pierced by three swords. Behind it are grey clouds and rain, lashing down violently.
If you are one of those people who have been to visit a psychic Tarot reader, card readings that show up this card can be a little depressing. It can indicate that bad times may be coming up emotionally, through the symbol of the heart.
Hearts have been symbols of love, compassion, affection and joy for hundreds of years, but the heart is also seen as a symbol of the truth, unbending courage and conscience. One only needs to think of the British King – Richard the Lionheart to see this connection between hearts and courage.
The heart is symbolically the centre of our existence – it pumps ceaselessly, moving blood and life throughout our bodies. When we see the heart in a reading it is a reminder that we should look at our own centre and ask ourselves what we find there. We should also ask ourselves just what it is that we love most and whether that is positive or negative.
A free Tarot card reading online will reveal that the clouds and rain we see in the background of this card do nothing but reinforce the feelings of loss and pain that come with card, unfortunately.
Interpretation
Some of the words that come up when looking at this card are sorrow, absence, pain, disappointment, rejection, betrayal and abandonment. That being said, that doesn’t mean that this card cannot teach us anything. The biggest lesson we can get from the Three of Swords is that sometimes we need to be in touch with pain and sorrow. Denying their existence can lead to a malignance of feelings that can cause serious problems in our lives.
This card’s message is quite self-evident; it is about loss, difficulty and relationships that have broken down. It follows on from the Two of Swords, which deals with the difficulty of making a choice. Sometimes when we are faced with two options, we have to choose the one that hurts, but might be for the best in the long run. It is also worthwhile to remember that just because something is painful now, doesn’t mean that it won’t get better. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Inverted Interpretation
When we see this card in the inverted position it shows that you may have recently been through a difficult time, perhaps a relationship has ended or you have had to endure some trying times. It could also indicate that a loved one has passed on, or you have felt pain and hurt at something that has happened to you. But, the good news is, that this card inverted means that the time of pain and suffering has passed and you can move forward to recovery and happiness once again.