The Five of Swords as an Outcome: A Hollow Win

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Five of Swords as an outcome is a win that costs too much. Here is what it means and how to avoid it.

The Five of Swords as an outcome is a hollow win. The situation is heading toward conflict where someone wins and everyone loses something.

What the Five of Swords means as an outcome upright

Tina Gong's the Five of Swords guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with conflict, disagreements, competition, defeat and winning at all costs. In the outcome position I read those meanings as the likely direction of the situation if things carry on as they are now. An outcome card is not a fixed sentence. It shows where the current road leads, and roads can be changed. The Minor Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Five of Swords shows the outcome as a fight that leaves damage. Ask whether winning is worth it.

The Five of Swords reversed as an outcome

Reversed, the Five of Swords as an outcome points to reconciliation and moving past conflict.

The Five of Swords as a love outcome

As a love outcome, the Five of Swords warns of arguments and resentment.

The Five of Swords as an outcome for work and money

For work and money, the Five of Swords as an outcome warns of workplace conflict. A card can describe a direction; for decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take advice from someone qualified as well.

What helps this outcome along

Choosing your battles helps this outcome.

For comparison, the Five of Wands as an outcome and the Six of Swords as an outcome point somewhere different. The the Five of Swords card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Five of Swords as advice, the Five of Swords as feelings and the Five of Swords as a yes or no cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.