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Tarot Four of Swords

The Four of Swords
The Lord of Rest from Strife
Numerical Value: 4

Key Words for Tarot card - Four of Swords

• Prophetic powers
• Truce
• Peace
• Retreat
• Regrouping
• Contemplation
• Withdrawal
• Reflection
• Recuperation
• Meditation

The swords cards all stand for trials and tribulations of some kind, but the Four suggests feelings of stillness and peace. Why is this card different from the rest in the deck? Because it represents the difficult challenge to be quiet! Sometimes resting and doing nothing is the ultimate challenge. Activity can be a habit that is very difficult to break. There is always so much to do, and modern society beguiles us with its distractions and attractions. The result is we forget to be still.

In readings, the Tarot Four of Swords is often a sign that you need to slow down on activities and get some rest. If you are recovering from a disease, allow yourself sometime to heal. Even if you feel completely healthy, you are risking getting sick if you don't take a break from it.

The four of swords is strongly representative of taking the time to think things over without haste. It is important to step back and gain a second look. This is especially true when you are facing a big event. You need quiet preparation time to gather your strengths and center to your energy. Take the instance of an Olympic diver on the high board. She doesn't climb the ladder and then dash out. She stops, slowly motionless as she readies herself for the burst of activity to come. This is the only way to bring the best of our endeavors to yield fruits.

Sometimes the four of swords implies that you are or could be shifting focus from the external situations to the internal. When we are silent, we can more easily and swiftly go within. The knight in the picture appears to be praying deeply in meditation. Actually, he apparently appears to be dead! For those who are addicted to activity, rest can seem like death, but that is definitely not the case. Stillness holds its own rewards, but only they must be recognized and sought.