Hello out there to all my Tarot Friends,

Yes I am back and thank you so much for all the lovely comments and supportive messages wishing me a speedy recovery after my recent surgery. Of course it would be silly of me to think that I am all recovered now because I am feeling so much better in myself as I do have another 2 months of official healing and resting to do. However, this does not imply that I am incapable of doing anything other than lying around in a bed, reading books and flicking through magazines all day while I watch my partner do all the housework. On the contrary, I was back at my computer a few days after being discharged from hospital. During this time I have completely re-worked the Reversed Knight of Swords and he is now ready for viewing. Please click here or the image and link below to go directly to The Knight of Sword’s Page. You will however, have to scroll down the page, past his Upright Version, to arrive at him in Reverse. He can also be accessed in the Less Descriptive version of the Cards, by Clicking Here. 

Once again I must stress that there is absolutely no need to try to learn off all the interpretations I have supplied for The Reversed Knight of Swords. These are merely suggestions based on both traditional and non-traditional interpretations. They are provided to broaden your understanding of the personality of This Reversed Knight so that he becomes multifaceted. It would be impossible to apply each of these meanings every time he turned up. What I am giving you are options to play with. The list of interpretations is by no means complete.We could dissect him to pieces and still never get to the absolute bottom of possibilities. However, by deeply analysing his character to the best of our ability we become more knowledgable. When we become more knowledgeable about him, it is much easier for us to remember him when we next encounter him.

Deciding which interpretation to apply will come down to you, The Reader, and will depend on many things such as The Question, The Querant, The Surrounding Cards, and most importantly the Impressions you are getting from him in the Spread. Remember, you will not get the same impression of him each time you encounter him. His interpretation will be coloured by all the above and Tarot would become quite boring if we were to assign the same meaning for him in each Reading.

The Court Cards often prove difficult for Readers, even well experienced Readers. By getting beneath the skin of their personalities; walking a distance in their shoes, getting inside their heads, sitting in their saddles, or on their thrones for a while helps us to become very familiar with them. Unlike The Minor Arcana which provides a snapshot of a story for us to work with, The Courts can sometimes come across as the portraits that stare back at us from the walls of a grand old house or castle. We pass one after another and look at their anonymous faces; people we do not know, lives we have never lived, and struggle to find anything in common with them. Should we stop to take note of their name or some historical information about them, their world opens to us and we begin to see the personality come to life. The same is true of The Court Cards. Their personalities and lives are individually fascinating and we could spend forever speculating about what they do and where they go, how they think, feel and act.

The study of human psychology and personality profiling is very revealing and we can learn a lot about ourselves from studying The Court Cards. The Knight of Swords is a complex creature and we expect nothing less of him because of his association with The Swords Suit. They are never going to be easy to pigeonhole or label. The mind is an amazing thing and even though we now know a lot about it, we have barely touched on its capabilities. We can however differentiate between a healthy mind  and a sick or diseased one. The mind controls everything in the body and  we must approach our study of The Swords Courts with due respect.

The Knight of Swords when Reversed takes us down many tracks, for the mind when reversed can fragment into various directions. Practically anything can happen when the mind reverses. It can turn inwards on itself and become self-destructive, or turn outwards and  project its dis-ease into its environment.  It can also cease to function when it reverses, becoming idle and wasted.  We shall visit The Reversed Knight of Swords in all these aspects and much, much more.

Enjoy,

Vivien (Your Tarot Teacher)

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The Knight of Swords Reversed

The Reckless, Malicious Minded & Manipulative Aggressor

Keywords

Negative, Mentally Un-Disciplined, Rash, Mental Confusion, Clueless, Out of Your Depth, Chaos, Out of Control, Riding to Ruin,  Runaway Train, Insensitive, Rude, Ignorant, Hurtful, Tactless, Sarcastic, Cynical, Cutting, Critical, Talk is Cheap, Lip Service, Meaningless Words, Preposterous Arguments, Over Inflated Ego, Arrogance, A Know-it-All, Uneducated, Chip on the Shoulder, Deep Inferiority Complex, Fearful, Cowardly, Following the Pack, No Leadership, No Plans or Strategies, Bringing Others down with You, Leading others into Danger, Manipulative, Forceful, Self-Serving, Bully, Blamer, Insincere, Dishonest, Getting Away with Something, Being Left Behind, Revenge, Threatening, Ruthless, Cruel, Brutal, Aggressive, Intimidating, Vicious Battles, Nightmare Situation, Looking for A Fight, Fighting for The Enemy, Tempers/Tantrums, Ranting and Raving, Manic, Over-Reacting, Explosive, Dangerous, Violence, Attacker, Mugger, Thief, Arrogant, Superior, Criminal/Unlawfulness, Soldier, Henchmen, Assassin, Traitor, Treason, Radical, Extremist Mentally Dysfunctional, Frustration/Impatience, Not Paying Attention, Not Looking Where you are Going,  Going in the Wrong Direction, Getting Lost, Missed Opportunities, Lost out to Competition, Mistakes, Heading for a Fall, Disaster, Reckless Speed, Accidents, Injuries, Remorse, Physical and Mental Exhaustion, Overworked, Battle Weary, Retreat, Withdrawal, Surrender, Wanting to Get Away from Hostilities, Slowing Down, Making an Escape, Mental Health Issues, Depression, Self-Harm, Speech Problems, Shyness, Passive,  ,

Meaning

As we immerse ourselves in the scene of The Knight of Swords Reversed, we find a very different story. However we are not entirely shocked or surprised to see such a change in his personality, attitude and behaviour. We always knew he walked a very fine line, and that it was always going to be a challenge for him to maintain the balance between Fire and Air. It was imperative for him to keep on the straight and narrow, even if he did move, think and talk at incredible speed, was sharp and abrupt in his manner, and at times quite arrogant. He possessed the power to become that dynamic, daring and courageous Knight with a super-intelligent, analytical and perceptive mind that was the envy of all the other Knights. His morals, standards, sense of fairness and justice made him stand out from the crowd. This was a Knight who knew what he wanted and was going to waste no time in going after it.

However as The Reversed Knight thunders down towards us like a runaway train, we quickly realise that instead of being in awe of this powerful armour-clad Knight and his tank-like horse, we immediately feel under intense threat. Respect is gone to be replaced by fear. When we first encountered The Knight of Swords we were unsure at first which version would present to us.  Even though he was quite intimidating and even a little scary, he was thankfully Upright, and would have gone out of his way to help us rather than harm us. That Knight is now gone and in his place is The Dark Knight he alluded to.

As this Reversed Knight of Swords approaches we also discover that he is travelling much faster than his Upright Version. In fact, we worry about whether he will be able to stop at all. His Horse slips, slides and stumbles, but The Knight forces him on relentlessly over the rough terrain and around twists and bends. We rapidly scan the approaching roads in search of any oncoming traffic; other horse and riders, carriages, oxen and carts, or even people out walking along the roadside. His blind indifference to his personal safety, the safety of his horse, and for any other innocent being going about their business leaves us shocked and horrified. We now feel threatened and very possibly in danger. The Reversed Knight of Swords cannot possibly see where he is going and seems to have no contingency plan should anything unexpected happen along the way. He is riding hell for leather as we hastily retreat from the danger zone. It is not safe for man, woman, child or beast to be in the immediate environment for they may be putting themselves at great risk with such a reckless Knight afoot. Does he not have a care for what he is about? The roads and pathways are certainly not safe when The Reversed Knight of Swords decides to head out.

As the Reversed Knight and Horse pass, we see the once lovely Grey Mount has lost his focus. His eyes look wild and glaring as his nostrils flare and teeth bare. He becomes a frightening spectacle to observe. His coat foams with sweat as his head is severely yanked to the left and right byThe Reversed Knight of Swords who treats him as if he is a machine. The Reversed Knight’s dagger-like spurs plunge into the Horse’s flanks leaving a trail of blood seeping into his sodden coat.  The horse looks terrified and is breathing rapidly; long plumes of his smoke-like breath linger in the air after they rush by. We couldn’t help but notice the sharp-pointed Sword The Reversed Knight waved so callously and threateningly in the air. The black piercing cold eyes and aggressive set of his jaw told us only one thing. He was out to cause trouble, to start a fight or cause injury. It was doubtful if anyone could stop him for he seemed to seethe with revenge, and we feared for the individual or individuals who would be on the receiving end of his Sword that night. Here was someone who couldn’t get to the battle ground quickly enough and he certainly wasn’t interested in sparing his Horse.

Thankfully he has not seen us hide behind a big boulder and we now watch him disappear across the hills. We hang our heads low and place a hand on our racing hearts. So it is true then, The Knight of Swords has lost control, is out of balance, his personality has become extreme. From what we can see he has either let Fire take complete charge or he has used an inappropriate amount of Air and Fire to create a volatile and explosive reaction. We shall get little good out of this Knight under this influence.

Here we find the negative and volatile aspect of combining Fire with Air in the potentially explosive Reversed Knight of Swords. So let us look at what that might mean for us when he appears in a Reading. In this particular negative aspect, it really depends on the level of extreme, and whether it is Fire alone taking over or an unbalanced combination of both Fire and Air.  We will also be looking at the effects of too much and too little Air being applied to his personality, as well as what happens when his Fire burns out.

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An Over-Fired Reversed Knight of Swords and a Dangerous Leader

This version of The Reversed Knight of Swords can be found rushing headlong into all types of situations. He is known to be extremely impulsive. If he just slowed down, sat still for a moment or exercised some discipline, patience and self-control it would give him time to think things through before he acted. However, that is not his style. He reacts instantly to incoming stimuli and is up and off before anyone can halt him in his tracks. He always thinks he knows best, believes he is on to a good thing, or that the situation needs an immediate response. He is overly cocky and overly self-assured so can easily talk himself into any crazy action on the basis that he knows best and therefore knows the only way to proceed. He will find it impossible to stop for long enough to listen to the advice of others for he is deaf to all but himself. The only opinion that counts is his. Even if it has let him down, and it must have many times in the past, he fails to learn from his mistakes. He always believes that this time it will all work out. People around see him as a loose cannon, someone best to avoid, and certainly not enter into any involvement with, for in The Reversed Knight of Sword’s impetuous and ill-fated reputation, he can often bring down those around him when his plans go dreadfully wrong. There are many who have been stung in the past and have a story to tell.  His friends, family, partner and work colleagues have heard it all before and wonder as to why he keeps doing what he is doing.

The Knight of Swords Reversed can come across in a very believable and persuasive manner to those who do not know him, especially those he is trying to impress or needs something of. We must remember that even though he is out of control, this does not mean to say that he lacks strong communication skills or intelligence. His Element Air is still there, even though it is overshadowed by Fire. When he wants something badly enough he will allow Air to do the talking and convincing for him. Under this influence he can tell the most incredible lies that sound very plausible. He can easily sway the unknown or naive to his way of thinking and get them caught up in some mad hair-brained scheme of his design. This Reversed Knight is just as good as his Upright Version at rallying people to his cause, but this time it is generally a dubious cause, and those he rallies are bound to be of questionable character………………Continue Reading – Click Here to go straight to The Knight of Sword’s Page. Then Scroll down to find The Knight of Swords Reversed.……….

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The Knight of Swords Upright and Reversed Full Version

The Knight of Swords Upright and Reversed Shorter Version

Copyright © 2006-2014 Vivien Ní Dhuinn