Nine of Swords Meets Existentialism: Embracing Radical Freedom

The archetype

In the Nine of Swords, a figure sits up in bed at night, face buried in both hands, nine swords hanging in the darkness behind. It depicts the anxiety of three in the morning: what keeps you awake is usually not present danger, but fear, guilt, and “what ifs” magnified on a loop in your mind. The suffering is real, yet it lives mostly in your thoughts.

The Existentialism lens

Existentialism reads every threshold as a confrontation with freedom: there is no script handed down, only the choices you are willing to own.

At its core, Existentialism, shaped by Jean-Paul Sartre in 20th-century Europe, holds that existence precedes essence, so you author your own meaning through choice. Placed beside Nine of Swords, whose imagery includes figure sitting up with covered face, nine swords in the dark, black background, carving on the bed frame, and patchwork quilt, the card stops being a prediction and becomes a mirror for how you meet your situation.

Reading Nine of Swords upright

Nine of Swords’s energy of anxiety, insomnia, and fear finds a natural dialogue here. Seen this way, the card is an invitation to act in good faith, to choose deliberately rather than drift along borrowed expectations. Read this way, the card rewards authenticity: the upright Nine of Swords is less an instruction than an opportunity to practice it.

Reading Nine of Swords reversed

Reversed, the Nine of Swords is usually a sign of improvement: the darkest night is passing, you start to see your fears were exaggerated, or you become willing to confide and seek help. Occasionally, though, it warns of anxiety buried so deep it grows heavier. Speak the burden out loud. Reversed, the card exposes bad faith, the temptation to blame circumstance and pretend you had no choice at all. In Existentialism, this is the territory of bad faith, a signal to slow down and look again before you act.

In love and connection

You may lose sleep over insecurity in a relationship, rehearsing worst-case scenarios. Tell your partner the worry instead of spiraling alone. A Existentialism reading would add: let authenticity guide how you show up, rather than the outcome you are hoping to secure.

In work and direction

Work pressure or self-doubt may keep you up at night. Break the anxiety into concrete tasks; action quiets rumination. Through this lens, progress is measured less by status and more by whether your choices express authenticity.

A question to sit with

If meaning is made and not found, what will you choose to be responsible for this week?

A practice for this week

Write the circling worries down on paper and ask: which are facts, and which are only fear? By daylight, many of them shrink back to their true size. Name one decision you have been outsourcing to fate, and make it consciously, owning the outcome either way.

A note on using this reading

This content is for self-reflection and entertainment only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice.