Ace of Swords and Empress

Watch for this; it’s easy to miss: Ace of Swords in its ‘penultimate’ phase will simply indicate an extreme of another card’s meaning, or translate itself as ‘the most.’ Often ‘-est’ belongs to Ace of Swords. That’s how such a heavy card comes to mean ‘the best.’

And Empress is the most beautiful woman, the Babe, the hussy, the sexpot, and the ideal woman. Empress is all the fertility goddesses rolled into one, and fertility goddesses are pregnant of course, so this is the card for pregnancy.

All woman.

The sexiest woman.

the challenge of being glamorous

She is an absolute princess.

She’s a Babe for sure.

an armed woman

overcome by a Blonde

Victory is having a sexy blond lady.

You gotta be your beautiful self.

gotta get pregnant

the most difficult pregnancy

You achieve getting pregnant.

Fights for the goddess.

Orders the gorgeous woman around.

the best looking woman

easygoing woman is indomitable

boss lady

her drive to be glamorous

overpowered by a sexpot

His ideal woman is doing her own thing.

pretty lady is a big threat

what a challenge being pregnant was

my inner goddess rules

have to be that trophy woman

Ace of Swords and Hermit

absolute fact

absolutely honest

sobriety is the most important

your best friend

the most devoted friend

bossy old man

you have to hunt for that

have to be objective

have to wise up

the need to be realistic

the wisest

the most enlightened

searching for the way to overcome

gotta give it a good look

elderly boss

assertive old man

you have to be on the road at night

night search

must use headlights

old man is master of his fate

necessary medical care

friend understands you have to

I’ve got to be straight

have to help

humility comes first

He has to come to you.

have to be calm

medical orders

a clash over medical care

have to wise up

he understands why you have to

old and in control

a smart old person

the challenges of old age

The patient is in charge.

the main important investigation

fact-finding mission is mandated

orders old people around

must inspect it

you must be calm about

came to see you because (he) had to

have to search for it

her doctor is the best

kindness comes first

best friend

the most sincere

have to be sober

need patience

when you’re old you have to

foreseeable threat

have to take care of my friend

you have to be on your own private path

invasive surveillance

being celibate is a must

you must go on foot

the consummate night owl

Ace of Swords and Death

Not once in ten years of thousands of posts have these two cards modified one another. You can see why when you read this.

Ace of Swords means, yes, the supreme power, as well as ‘must’ and winning a victory. It’s an order too. And Death in Tarot Verbatim is a negative modifier who follows Ace of Swords mopping up its mandates.

Death can mean not, but it can also say ‘ends up’ or ‘ends in.’ These two are diametrical opposite meanings. You have to look to other cards, refer to the question, or ask in a different way. Strangely, this contradiction is seldom a problem in my work. You can see some basic useful phrases here, especially ‘must not.’

must not

it’s not over

not final

have to end

has to end

has to stop

stop orders

order to cease and desist

had to put an end to it

not win

wins in the end

no victory

ends in victory

‘Victory or death.’

not armed

for sure in the end

not for sure

no rules

a rule against

no threat

threaten to end it

not a mandate

a mandate to not

not militant

ordered not to

Ace of Swords and Devil

This is another pair of cards that haven’t connected with one another in ten years of daily posts.

Look last to Devil in your spreads: It has many unrelated meanings that are miscellaneous. It is very very seldom an important card in any spread you are likely to experience, much less being a lead card unless it is the subject of the question itself. (But how often do you ask about the devil?)

Devil represents vices, and it means ‘wrong’ as Moon does. Devil shares a lot of Moon’s meanings. It often indicates an attachment (of any sort).

Ace of Swords says ‘absolutely’ or ‘absolute’ and ‘must.’ Ace of Swords is also victory over anything. So, overcome the devil’s temptations. It can be force too, and a technical meaning for Devil is ‘wrong use of force.’

With Ace of Swords being threatening, a lot of Devil’s meanings are redundant, and therefor not used with Ace of Swords … like ‘very horrible.’

a big mistake

overcome our differences

a problem to overcome

absolutely wrong

armed criminal

criminal in prison

knife injury

obsession about weapon(s)

violent rape

Overcome my vice(s).

Victory over the dark side.

battle with the devil

demonic attack

fighting demon(s)

defeating demon(s)

(his) id overcomes (him)

my dark side got the best of me

hate the most

very unpleasant

very malefic

very brutal

extreme force

gotta get nasty

have to destroy

mad as hell and won’t take it

threatened with disease

the biggest liar of all

extreme decay or rot or mold

very dirty

most evil

very bad

threatened with illness

very mad

the most horrible

most immoral

meet force with force

have to destroy

challenging obstacle

the hardest part of all

extremely difficult

severe disability

big trouble

the most perverted

addiction overcomes

driven by a bad habit

forced to be in prison

intimidated by a brute

severe punishment

violent pervert

forced to have sex

overcome a handicap

extreme senility

enraged when he/she is ordered

got to overcome ‘the crud’

overcome infection

overcome addiction

extreme pain

just have to suffer

extreme corruption

Ace of Swords and Tower

This is another pair that hasn’t met in ten years of archive posts. We have ultimatum in Ace of Swords and destruction or splitting in Tower. Tower is one of two divorce cards in Tarot Verbatim.

At first glance, you see the force of Ace of Pentacles, and the Tower knocked over. These two cards have to be about some kind of clash, eruption, or splitting apart. A volcanic eruption splits land apart as much as a divorce splits a relationship apart.

Something has to be destroyed.

Overthrow by force.

You have to quit!

ordered to desist

Have to divorce.

destructive force

fired for defiance

have to confront

reject outright

suddenly overcome

have to get outta there

totally out of control

fire your weapon

a very big boom

got to throw them out

involuntary bankruptcy

overturn the people in power

violent eruption

violent explosion

massive explosion

such force it burst at the seams

mandate to break (the company) apart

controlled demolition

has a meltdown over his orders

order of eviction

aneurysm threatens

go on strike over an issue

have to throw the bums out

armed confrontation

unexpected defiance

it comes to a head unexpectedly

a divorce over being threatened

violent upheaval

discharge of a firearm

arrested for weapon

have to divorce

have to reject

a major earthquake

heavy destruction

Ace of Swords and Ten of Pentacles

In Tarot Verbatim, Ten of Pentacles is the negative marriage card and is ‘people who have a problem or people who are a problem.’ It is reliable for these meanings too. Its meanings range from just ‘not fitting in with this crowd’ and ‘neighbors’ to gangs, organized crime, and other problem organizations like crooked politics at any level (including the personal and family level). (All the marriage cards in Tarot Verbatim have this range of applications.) Ten of Pentacles represents slurs of any sort – whoever you think of as those people. Ten of Pentacles is the card for those trashy neighbors and the infighters at work.

‘Absolutely’ and ‘for sure’ are common translates for Ace of Swords. Ace of Swords is militant, domineering, and can be a weapon. It’s force, ultimatum, must, and orders … and also overcoming. It can also represent the most, the extreme, of anything – and that includes the suffixes like ‘-est.’

This is yet another pair of Tarot cards who haven’t met in ten years of daily posts. That means I match their single-card meanings, hitch them together for you to refer to.

Being the boss of a crew of disgruntled people.

Inmates take over the asylum.

This is the ghetto, for sure.

Your family culture is your challenge.

Domineering people you don’t get along with.

Lay the law down to the quarreling kids.

It’s the baddest of bad neighborhoods.

The hazards of distressed property.

Noisy neighbors you have to deal with.

Those trashy neighbors put you at risk.

Infighting for dominance is normal for those people.

They’re not your type of people and they are taking over.

Warring factions.

Be assertive in the family conflicts.

Your dysfunctional family opposes you.

A dysfunctional culture gets the best of a person.

Ordered into Rehab.

Oppose the foreigners.

An ultimatum in the family feud.

In a soap opera and still the master of your own fate.

A clash with the in-laws.

You overcome the drama.

“They’re family, so I have to.”

Overcoming my background.

Fighting a class war.

House is an absolute mess.

This gang rules.

Ace of Swords and Two of Swords

Ace of Swords says ‘have to’ and Two of Swords says ‘can’t.’ Without another card to mediate the impasse, these two cards sit on one another’s messages. That’s why in ten years they have not appeared together onstage. Just look at the things they can say! You look to surrounding cards for explanation.

No one’s the most powerful.

No one’s the boss.

The unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

Ordered not to.

Can’t be forced.

Can’t force (it).

Forced to stop.

Have to stop it.

Has to stop.

Forced to quit.

Absolute end.

Can’t win.

Must block it.

No more threats.

Put a stop to it.

Not armed.

Isn’t enforced.

Boss says ‘no.’

Is not the boss.

Absolute stalemate.

Overcome inertia.

Counter force.

Can’t overcome.

Absolutely forbidden.

Ordered to not let anything get through.

We’ve got to stop.

No way are you obligated.

The main obstacle.

You have to shut everything out.

Not in a position of power.

Isn’t interested, no matter what.

Have to stifle myself.

No longer the dictator.

Not the one to intimidate.

Refuse once and for all.

Ace of Swords and Five of Swords

Five of Swords is a story about his weapon being stolen by a frenemy (friendly enemy) who pretends a play fight is real duel. So we have two cards about weapons, and Ace of Swords also means intimidation and threat. Finding an upbeat message from these two isn’t happening, unless you count a theme of overcoming cruelty and such.

These are two cards that haven’t met up in ten years of daily posts.

Stand up to abuse.

Overcome cruelty.

Some powerful entity threatens your tormentor.

Never let anyone take advantage of you.

Your enemy is armed and out to get you.

Enforcement on the take, or cops stealing weapons.

You are being toyed with: Get militant.

Be a threat to them; they are picking on you.

For sure, he feels entitled to what’s mine.

The perfect squelch to an intimidating situation.

Issue an ultimatum to a wise-ass.

Stealing a weapon (or weapons).

Fight back when threatened.

Assert yourself against the bully.

Ultimatum to a thief.

Armed against a mugger.

Dare them to mug you.

Get the best of a thief.

Be militant; show no mercy.

Defeated by (your/his) bad attitude.

A wise guy challenges you.

Put a snarly dude in his place.

He outsmarts authority.

Uses power to rip people off.

Mutiny is met with force.

Abuse of power.

Intimidate the intimidator.

Ace of Swords and Eight of Swords

Yes, these two haven’t met in ten years of daily posts, and no wonder: You have the weapon and a death in Tarot Verbatim. But not to worry – these cards have other meanings that make useful phrases. Funny how none of them showed up in all this time.

Eight of Swords also means contained, can’t, locked up, stopped from, binding, restraining – and a lot of other things you see in the sentences.

executed it through red tape

ruled that it’s void

a binding order

order to seal …

restraining order

gag order

stop order

ordered to prison

overcome impossible odds

impossible win

power is limited

have to, but can’t

enforcement prevented

have to cancel

Absolutely no wiggle room.

has to be confined

has to be restrained

The boss’ hands are tied.

No way to be victorious.

Limitation on the power.

no way but to be in a cage or crate

master of my fate within limitations

Force or energy is contained.

Cannot get out of a tight spot.

threaten a helpless

threaten with death

defeated and it’s hopeless

canceled once and for all

Pyrrhic victory

powerful prison inmate

command to shut down

a damper on (his) power

am totally in my shell

got to cocoon

completely defunct

completely dead

put the quietus on

had to be mothballed

it’s not allowed – you can’t

unable to make them

got to put it on hold

unable to win

a winner with a disability

impossible odds overcome

cannot let myself be aggressive

can’t assert himself/herself

absolutely stuck

Ace of Swords and Nine of Swords

Nine of Swords is up nights crying, stress, angst, grief, and any bad dream you can think of. It also is about having a bad night, including fears. Ace of Swords is the worst of, but is overcoming it too. The wee hours that get to all of us sometime or another.

Afraid of The Big One.

Gotta go cold turkey.

I’m so sorry I had to do that.

overpowering angst

have to be on the night shift

It hurts so bad.

big crybaby

Anxiety threatens you in the wee hours.

The worst kind of nightmare.

Hurting from a stab wound.

Woke up from a dream about a threat.

Lack of sleep is a main factor.

A bad dream brings fear at night.

fear of weapons

armed because is scared

Have to be up in the middle of the night.

Have to have a good cry.

It’s nightime when it gets to you.

grief gets the best of you

overwhelming stress

main thing to worry about

a worrywort for sure

mainly, being unable to sleep

so very very sorry

the one thing I’m most sorry about

What I have to do gets on my nerves.

Have the jitters at night.

Headaches at nighttime.

dread the darkness

doing my own thing and going through hell

Ace of Swords and Ten of Swords

Here again, we have an Ace of Swords pair that is about victory and defeat. We also have the weapon, and ten of them in someone’s dead body. Hopefully, victory after abject defeat. These are unlikely to show up matched to one another.

You win but it hurts a lot.

overcoming a huge loss

fighting the pain of it

victory after abject defeat

the strong one laid low

the winner laid low

the winner and the loser

victory and defeat

overcome bankruptcy

felled by a weapon

egregiously wounded

the biggest disappointment of all

the most tragic loss

the most humiliating

the pain of betrayal

a major betrayal

a suffering soul, for sure

sure to fail

a huge loss

laid low by this, mainly

overpowering depression

absolutely wrecked

absolutely ruined

overcome the pain and suffering

it’s a fixer upper for sure, dilapidated

suffers for the victory

revenge for the devastation

stab wounds with a knife

a murder victim

the main thing that makes depressed

the lowest low point

When you’re up you’re up, and when you’re down you’re down.

Ace of Swords and Page of Swords

Both of these mean a threat. Ace of Swords is making it and Page of Swords is feeling it. Ace of Swords is asserting. Page of Swords is reactive, is receptive – is in fear, nervous, worked up, or even thrilled. Ace of Swords is aggressive and Page of Swords is on guard.

all fired up to win

something is up, and it’s all-important

have to guard the turf

the one thing to be scared of

Jealousy gets the best of him.

got to be alert

nervous about an ultimatum

Orders are to be on guard.

taking umbrage at authority

teenager is mad when you tell him what to do

got to win this one – all nerved up

he’s mad at the world, and the boss

he is frantic to be Numero Uno

nerve-wracking challenge

on edge because he has to

exciting challenge

the biggest thrill of all

the urge to assert himself

feeling threatened by a superior force

feeling trapped by an unseen force

got to, no matter who or what

intimidated, and hyper-alert

nothing’s there but I feel trapped

the unknown drives him crazy

his instincts take him over

adrenaline rush makes him aggressive

Be alert to your surroundings.

overcoming panic attacks

being master of my fate is scary

overcome the paranoia

gets mad at orders

a tense confrontation

not about to be that high-strung guy

teenagers rule

afraid of The Big One

Ace of Swords and Queen of Swords

Ace of Swords brings out the edgy side of Queen of Swords. When paired with other cards, she is less so.

No one but me and my students knows this is the bitch card. You can count on it coming up for that if you look. But this Tarot card in Tarot Verbatim™ and in Rider Waite has a few dimensions. Her story is that she is a widow and/or a baby of hers has died, so she is bereaved. Since widows get no respect most times, her hand is out in the gesture of ‘Gimme mine’ and her mouth has that stern disapproving set to it. This is where we get the ‘holding them up to her standards that they are not meeting’ spectrum of meanings. The outstretched hand and the look on her face must be what makes this card turn up for the bitch reliably. She is many many times a man’s hated ex.

Ace of Swords bolsters the commanding aspect of Queen of Swords’ demand. You gotta give the lady her due.

My militant mama.

Dominating matriarch.

She had to sacrifice.

Mother is number one.

Ex-wife is adamant.

Mama-Bat is a dictator.

Grandma is the boss.

She is his widow first.

The mother of the boss.

She sure is the bitch.

Mama absolutely misses you.

She sternly asserts herself.

She has suffered, that’s for sure.

She has to be strict with you.

She nags you because she has to.

She accepts that he’s the boss.

The one thing she complains about.

Her fighting spirit predominates.

Mama does without when she has to.

On the fightin’ side of this edgy dame.

The lady is on the warpath, issuing orders.

A dissatisfied woman is combative with (you).

It’s important because she is your elderly mother.

Take her demand for what is rightfully hers as an order.

Your obligation to your self-sacrificing mama.

His long-suffering mother misses him.

Now that she’s older, she orders you around.

She mourns her child; that’s important to her.

Controlling mother of a mama’s boy issues an ultimatum.

Ace of Swords and Seven of Wands

Ace of Swords (adamant, confrontational, issuing commands and threats) and Seven of Wands (invading another’s space, confrontational, threatening and pushy (and mouthy) do not appear as a pair in the ten years of archives. Explanation is: They mean too many of the same things, so they attach to other cards to make a message instead of echoing their close relative.

Because both cards are about conflict, the milder meanings of each are less likely to make meaningful sentences. Neither of these cards is as negative, standing alone, as they are together. Of course.

We see a lot of Seven of Wandsy folks these days, the mouth mooch who wants what belongs to someone else, the aggressive in-your-face defiant person, usually with not much going for him or her. Seven of Wands is the lead card for that type of situation.

Just as in nature the animal who has established a turf usually wins against one that challenges his domain, in your Seven of Wands stories, the rightful owner, or the one who’s right, wins.

100% self-defense.

Defeat the invaders.

This is “Hell no I won’t” against “Hell yes you will.”

Have to defend your position or yourself.

Defending yourself with a weapon.

Be aggressive with the aggressor.

attacks an armed (man)

not let (him) win

violent invasion of property

have to deal with unexpected opposition

caught off guard but you win

defies authority

The ruling is: disorderly conduct.

You have to push yourself hard

You succeed when they come after your real estate.

He gets in your face when you are stronger than he.

Indignant against the order.

They outnumber you but you are strongest when attacked.

His/her one purpose is to stir up strife.

Success at defending what is yours

Things are going against you: Assert yourself.

You have to defend your property against neighbors’ encroachment.

Ace of Swords and Nine of Wands

Ace of Swords is the aggressor; Nine of Wands is defending, and is uneasy or nervous doing so. He is a border guard who is still on duty with a head wound. Nine of Wands can be about headache or head wound. Ace of Wands is armed, aggressive, and strong.

This pair of cards – yet another that is not represented in ten years of daily posts – is all about defending, holding ground, feeling uneasy, hanging, afraid of an attack of some sort.

The Defendant wins.

Hold out until you win.

Hang in there: You are winning.

overcome being intimidated

overcome your nerves

fear of being hurt again

fear of weapons

very, very high-strung

afraid I’m going to have to

have to keep defending

powerful defense

got to hold your ground

dreading ‘The Big One’

so nervous about giving orders

under the most strain I have ever been

I hate it when I have to use force.

Nervous about using my weapon.

defensive about being aggressive

uneasy about what I have to do

force your point to defend your position

Be cautious: superior firepower.

When I’m on duty, I’m strong.

Guarding the fort is top priority.

brave under fire

You held out: You won!

the supreme ordeal

You have to stand your ground.

constant intimidation wears you down

oppressed by someone who’s stronger

Guard duty makes you strong.

He cringes and then gets violent.

under a lot of pressure to ‘pass with flying colors’

Under extreme pressure to perform in adverse conditions.

You are strong but you have a bad feeling about what’s out there.

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