Centaur

Although this may sound odd, I consider the Nine of Swords to be one of my favourite cards in the RW. I find its imagery to be very much straight to the point, and I have always found myself drawn to this card. Not to mention the fact that it has been appearing as a regular in my daily-draw. Ha!

There is another thread on the Nine of Swords, but I wanted to start afresh and from a more general perspective, as the other thread seems to focus on the bedding depicted in the card.

Anyway, I was thinking about this card and how it can relate to worry and general-anxiety. I look at the image and I see the the figure sat in bed with her hands covering her face. I think: despair. The swords point to the bottom the bed, the hilt of the sword behind the figure.

I notice that the sword-points cannot be seen in the card. This suggests to me that what she worries about may be in the future... she does not know the outcome... she does not see the points, and therefore cannot know the outcome. This is a cause of much worry.

If we drag the figure back in bed, or lay her down so that her head is on the pillow, then the sword hilts would be directly above her head. This might also suggest that the figure may be worried about something that she has done, whether this be a misdeed, or whether she is involved in a situation which she feels that she cannot handle. What I mean is that, it is almost as though the position of the sword hilts might indicated that SHE is somehow the victim and perpetrator of her OWN anxiety... because it is as though she has sat up in bed and thrown the swords at whatever may be at the other side of the card.

I would also like to add that when we reverse this card, it is almost as though she is falling out of bed... waking up to the fact that her anxieties may be unfounded. The nine swords look almost like shutters to the world which she has to turn in order to let the sunshine in.

WalesWoman

I'm still trying to gain my own perspective on this card, but from what I gather, upright these are thoughts, perceptions that have created anxiety, there may be no real foundation, sort of paranoid worrying, making a mountain from a molehill. And that reversed, the question of unfounded worries is removed, there is a real problem or dilemma that has to be dealt with.

__________________
aka DebO aka Mrs. C.A.R.

If you can't be a good example -
- then you will just have to be a horrible warning

lark

I see it very much like you describe it Centaur.
I also notice that when I have a 9 of Swords experience it often has to do with me trying to take on the pain of the world to try and protect others from it.
And of course no one can do that we all have to live our own story.
It's so much a card about projecting...
Projecting all the bad things that "could" happen in the future.
This card is a control freaks worst nightmare.
Because it's also about learning to give up that control and see the sunrise even in the dead of night.
About going with the flow and learning to trust.
And finding "peace" in that ability to let go.

The Golden Tarot has a wonderful 9 of Swords.
It's a man not a woman in the card.
And the swords look very much like the shutter on a window like you said.
The blanket on the bed is red.
Makes me think that his pain has alot of passion attached to it.
There is a black dog at the end of the bed with his front paws on the bed.
His red tongue is hanging out.
Was the dog alerted to his masters cries of worry in the night?
Adds a new dimension to the card for me.
Obssesive worry also affects those around us.
We aren't happy, they aren't happy and our worry causes them to worry, feel afraid, or change their life path to ease our mind.
And that is not fair.

Sometimes I have a hard time distiguishing between premonitions and my own fears.
This card reversed often tells me it's a premonition.
I've learned that no fear is attached to a premonition I may give it that emotion later, but at the time I recieve it it is non emotional "just fact".

__________________
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face. W. B. Yeats

Dasani

How about:
the swords are pointing east, toward the light; this indicates new beginnings in the dawning new day.

Also stuggles are lessons and delays that you endure only as long as you attach yourself to them.

Grabbing for anything which gives you the feeling of anxiety because you are in knowing of the feeling. You do not feel right if you are not attached to the feeling. So you'll worry about anything just to have the feeling.

A cycle thing. Break the cycle with self control over emotions.

Centaur

I never thought of it like that before. I like that take!

Centaur

Jypsie

I see this card a lot when I have thoughts that are all-consuming for a time, be they good or bad thoughts. I've been seeing it a lot lately, but my all-consuming thoughts right now are all giddy and spring-like. The 9 of Swords to me is about obsession, the cards around it can indicate whether it is a good thing or bad thing. Therefore, I don't see a problem with it being someone's "favorite" card.

__________________
Life is nothing but a test to clear- did you have a heart while you where here, and was it sincere? You control your own destiny- I ain't letting the Devil get the best of me... ~I'm gonna make it into Shangri-La~
-Insane Clown Posse

TemperanceAngel

And what about all the astrology signs on the blanket!!! XTAX

CreativeFire

LOL, TemperanceAngel!

The 9 of Swords, always makes me think of stressing about something, your thoughts being overrun by worries, not being able to focus as you have "things" hanging over your head - like Swords, duh!

I noticed in Lark's post, that she mentions that it is a woman in this RWS card, which made me go and look at it again.

It's funny I have always thought of this figure as a man, just in an old fashioned type night shirt. I guess it is the shortish hair, but when I look at it, I think it is more so, the strong looking forearms, shoulders and neck which to me are more masculine looking.

CreativeFire

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"Do not allow over-responsibility or over-respectability to steal your necessary creative rests, riffs and raptures. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only." ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

lark

Hum, I'm looking at the card and I see what you mean.
It sure could be a man
I guess I've always projected myself into the card so it was a woman in my eyes.
When it was a man in the Golden Tarot I was surprised.
Very interesting...

__________________
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face. W. B. Yeats