Three of Swords
Secret whisperThree blades through the heart; the rain washes, and the heart still beats.
Upright meaning
Upright keywordsheartbreak, grief, sorrow, painful truth
Heartbreak or painful news. Let yourself feel it — grief that is honestly felt is grief that begins to heal.
Reversed meaning
Reversed keywordshealing, forgiveness, releasing pain, recovery
Recovery is under way. Release the pain, forgive, and let the wound close.
About the suit of Swords
Swords belong to Air: thought, truth, words, decisions and conflict. They cut both ways — bringing clarity, and the pain that clarity can cost.
Reading the Threes of the tarot
Threes bring growth: the first result of a union, expansion and creative expression.
In Waite’s own words (1910)
From A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, public domain. Original English text.
Divinatory meaning: Removal, absence, delay, division, rupture, dispersion, and all that the design signifies naturally, being too simple and obvious to call for specific enumeration.
Reversed: Mental alienation, error, loss, distraction, disorder, confusion.
The picture
Three swords piercing a heart; cloud and rain behind.
