Nine of Swords
"Someone sits up in bed, face in their hands, nine swords on the wall: the anguish that attacks at night."
Upright meaning
The Nine of Swords is the sleeplessness of one who wakes at three in the morning with the mind on fire. Anxiety, guilt, nightmares, worries that grow into giants at night. But the swords are on the wall, not in the body: much of the torment lives in the head, not in the facts.
Reversed meaning
Reversed, dawn breaks. The anguish begins to ease, the fear is faced in daylight, or you discover it was more nightmare than reality. The worst moment is being left behind.
In love
Fears and insecurities that rob you of sleep. Speaking them shrinks them; silencing them enlarges them.
In work and money
Stress and worry that overwhelm. Separate what is really happening from what your mind imagines.
The card's advice
Turn on the light: most three-a.m. monsters do not survive the dawn.