The King of Swords as Advice: Think It Through and Decide Fairly

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The King of Swords as advice asks you to reason it out. Here is how, and what the reversal warns against.

If you want the short answer, the King of Swords as advice says: think it through and decide fairly. Use logic and principle, and stand by the decision.

What the King of Swords advises upright

Tina Gong's the King of Swords guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with authority, truth, intellectual power and ethical judgment. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Minor Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the King of Swords advises reason and integrity: list the facts, consult expert advice, choose on principle.

What the King of Swords is not asking you to do

The King is not asking you to ignore feelings entirely, yours or others'.

The King of Swords reversed as advice

Reversed, the King of Swords as advice says check whether you are using logic to control or to avoid feeling. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The King of Swords as advice in love

In love, the King of Swords advises honest, fair discussion of what both of you need.

The King of Swords as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises professional, principled decisions and proper advice. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Write the pros and cons of your decision on paper, decide, and tell one person what you decided and why.

For comparison, the Queen of Swords as advice and the Emperor as advice ask different things of you. The the King of Swords card meaning page covers the card in full, and the King of Swords as a yes or no, the King of Swords as feelings and the King of Swords as timing 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.