The image on The Three of Swords clearly describes a situation in which you experience some sudden pain. You literally feel as if someone has taken a sharp object and jabbed it through your heart. Even something as minor as a snippy remark can feel this way. Notice how this contains just a heart and three swords. When your heart is breaking, you feel as if that is all you are - an open wound. The Three of Swords can be associated with heart break. A person with this card suffers emotional pain and is hurt inside. Such a person is usually disappointed and gets some unsettling news. A person with The Three of Swords usually gets his feelings hurt and even hurts someone else’s feelings. Such a person receives little solace.

In readings, The Three of Swords often represents that nasty little curve balls that life can throw sometimes - betrayal, abandonment, rejection, separation, a reversal of fortune. These hurts are painful because they hit you when you least expect them. If you have drawn this card, you may know what it refers to, but if not, The Three of Swords is a valuable warning. It is likely there is something amiss in your life that you are unaware of or unwilling to acknowledge. Curve balls hit us when we are looking the other way. Examine your situation carefully. Talk to the people in your life. Do not take anything for granted. Listen to your inner voice, it will help you locate the problem.

It is also possible that you are contemplating hurting someone else. With this card, I think it is important to remember that each of us is capable of cruelty. We are all human and we all make mistakes - sometimes, serious ones. In the end, all we can do is trust in the goodness of life and try to live up to that ideal. When you slip, forgive yourself, and try to forgive others in turn, but even better, head off trouble before it arrives. The Three of Swords is all about sudden situations which turn your world upside down in just a moment. It is about being stunned, disbelieving and finally heart broken.

The Three of Swords can be associated with being separated and wandering far from home. It is about being spurned or rejected and feeling isolated from those you love. The Three of Swords is also about being deserted in the time of need and feeling lost. A person with this card experiences a painful truth. Such a person finds his trust misplaced. He is usually let down by his close ones. He even has a role to play in letting someone else down. A person with The Three of Swords is usually stabbed in the back and turns against someone. Such a person even breaks his word. The following can be associated with this card :

• Heart break
• Loneliness
• Betrayal