The Three of Swords as Advice: Let Yourself Hurt, Then Heal

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Three of Swords as advice asks you to feel the hurt rather than avoid it. Here is how, and what the reversal says.

If you want the short answer, the Three of Swords as advice says: let yourself hurt, honestly, so you can heal. Denying the pain keeps the swords in.

What the Three of Swords advises upright

Tina Gong's the Three of Swords guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with heartbreak, grief, separation and painful truth. 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 Three of Swords advises acknowledgement: name the hurt, talk to someone, cry if you need to, accept the painful truth.

What the Three of Swords is not asking you to do

The Three is not asking you to stay in pain. Feeling it is how it passes.

The Three of Swords reversed as advice

Reversed, the Three of Swords as advice says you are starting to heal. Be gentle and let it continue. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Three of Swords as advice in love

In love, the Three of Swords advises honesty about what hurt, before deciding anything.

The Three of Swords as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises facing a painful setback directly. 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

Tell one trusted person the truth about what has hurt you.

For comparison, the Five of Cups as advice and the Star as advice ask different things of you. The the Three of Swords card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Three of Swords as a yes or no, the Three of Swords as feelings and the Three 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.