How do you interepret a destiny card?

(Pardon the spelling in the title!)

I am reading Tarot for Your Self, and have discovered my Destiny card. Now, I don't know what to do with this information. Do I use the same interpretation for the card as I would for any reading? Or is there something special about the way a card is intrepreted when it is a destiny card.

I am a bit disturbed by my card. It's 5 of Swords. What does that mean? I do admit I always knew I was quite self-absorbed and that I prefer solitude. What else should I know about myself based on this Destiny card? At least I can take comfort in the fact that apparently everyone born between 20th and 29th Jan gets the same one! (Oops, was that me grinning over my shoulder at the others?-- uh oh!)

Should this question go in 'Your Readings'?

From the book, "From this card you can find indications of your fundamental impulses, desires and reactions as an individual."

So as a 5 Swords, are you the bully or the one being bullied? Regardless of which one you are (and you may be both in different situations), your destiny card suggests that you need to investigate why. Why do you bully people and/or why do you allow yourself to be bullied? How can you stand up for yourself more? How can you tone it down so it's not always about you and your needs above those of anyone else?

Those are the kinds of things I think your destiny card is asking you to investigate.

HTH,
Rodney

I don't feel like I'm being bullied, and I don't think I'm a bully. I can't think of any instances in my life where I bully. *frowning in thought* But maybe I'm not seeing it? ...

I found this at a website called angelpaths.com. I found it really resonated with me, so I copied it out in my new tarot journal:

'This card, the Lord of Defeat, has much more to do with how we limit ourselves in order to avoid disappointment, than it does to do with external events. Nobody ever gets every single thing they want out of life. But if, to avoid additional pain, they don't take chances and risks, then they will end up never achieving their fullest potential, never seeking out success, and always feeling as though life has somehow done the dirty deed to them.

Very often, when we get a knock-back, we compound it by beating ourselves up. In no time at all, the original disappointment has been overwhelmed by a bunch of other negative thoughts and attitudes that hurt and damage us. By the time we've finished we are desperately distressed, have kicked our self-esteem into touch, and feel completely incapable of contributing anything useful or worthwhile.

If, instead of doing this, we empathise with ourselves, we will find the original disappointment easier to get into perspective, against the backcloth of the rest of our lives. We will find it simpler to see the REAL problem, rather than cloaking it with a bunch of insecurities and difficulties. And we will not gather fear around us which makes us hesitate when taking the next necessary step.

...spend time thinking about your overall attitudes. Seek out your fears about defeat, and confront them. Call them by name, and challenge them out into the light, where you can get a good look at them. Fearing pain does not stop us experiencing it. But living in accordance with fear can stop us from experiencing life.

Affirmation: I welcome success and fortune into my life. '

I have spent most of my life being a perfectionist and beating myself up over the smallest defeats. Apparently it's my destiny to be this way and work it out. Right?