Four of Swords Tarot Card Meaning (Rest & Anxiety)

The Four of Swords tarot meaning is mental fatigue. You’re overwhelmed and need rest to recharge your body and mind.

The Four of Swords guides you to pause and reconsider your priorities. Avoid impulsive decisions. The best course of action is to wait. Rest gives you a new perspective.

Avoid spinning your wheels and worrying about worst-case scenarios. The Four of Swords indicates stress because you aren’t living in the moment.

Common Symbolism

The Four of Swords symbolism seems dire as a figure lies on a bed. Three swords hang from the wall, pointing toward the figure; a fourth sword is parallel to the figure on the base of the bed.

The scene is serene, and the stained glass window in the background suggests the figure is in a sanctuary. In some variations, the scene resembles a tomb.

Yet the symbolism is of rest and relief, not death. The figure is peaceful and safe from the outside world. The placement of the swords is symbolic. The swords pointing at the figure indicate mounting pressure.

The fourth sword reinforces the figure’s strength and symbolizes stability. Some variations for this card involve four swords portrayed against a minimalist background.

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Upright General Meaning

The Four of Swords meaning suggests you must replenish your mind after a stressful time. You may be headed for illness or injuries if you don’t slow down, and the Four of Swords warns you to change your pace temporarily.

Don’t expect progress and finality when the Four of Swords appears. You aren’t ready to act on your ideas. Trying too hard sets you back. Rather than trying to get ahead, take time to rest and recharge.

The Four of Swords indicates a period of inactivity that can be self-imposed. If you don’t heed the warning of the Four of Swords, a rest period comes as the consequence of an illness or injury.

Even at a standstill, you are still making progress. Your brain needs rest so you can continue having brilliant ideas. Your creativity is drained when the Four of Swords appears, and you need to give yourself a break.

Avoid reading the Four of Swords as yes or no. The answer is not yet. Wait before pursuing a concrete resolution to a problem. The Six of Swords followed by the Four of Swords means to step back from a conflict to gain perspective.

Upright Love & Relationships

The Four of Swords in love can be a frustrating omen. You may want to meet someone new, but the Four of Swords indicates you aren’t ready. After a fight with a partner, the Four of Swords tells you to take a break and have no contact.

The Four of Swords tarot guides you toward temporary respite, not a breakup. But you may be tempted to chase a love interest or partner. The Four of Swords advice is to stop trying too hard. Take a temporary break from a partner.

Set boundaries to give yourself a mental health break. Don’t be in a rush to return a message. You won’t hear back from a love interest immediately, but don’t panic. Take a rest so you’ll be ready to work things out.

Give a love interest and yourself some time. You can’t sort out a dilemma with a loved one if you continue to carry out the same arguments. Take some time away to gain perspective and nurture your relationship differently.

The Four of Swords appears when you and your partner need more quiet nights at home. You may both have hectic schedules and aren’t spending enough time together.

The Devil and the Four of Swords appear in a reading when a codependent relationship is draining you. You must set different boundaries or a relationship will remain toxic. Your relationship is sabotaging your goals.

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Upright Money & Career

The Four of Swords in career and money indicates a period of burnout at work. You may feel exhausted or your work has become tedious. Take a short break or a long weekend to refresh your mind.

You may feel isolated at work, and others aren’t buying into your ideas and plans. Avoid power struggles. Take a step back and reconsider your plans. You may need to rest and take time off because of illness or excessive stress.

Your finances are stable when the Four of Swords appears, yet you don’t have excess money and resources. Take stock of what you have and avoid expenses as you may need to slow your work schedule temporarily.

The Ace of Swords followed by the Four of Swords indicates you are enthusiastic and don’t want to turn down any opportunities, though you must slow down and conserve your energy. Set priorities that align with your goals.

Upright Health

The Four of Swords in health brings warnings of illness or injuries related to burnout and stress. You may need four days or four weeks to recover from an illness. If you don’t slow your pace you could end up forced to because of an injury.

You may suffer from migraines, stress-related injuries, and fatigue when the Four of Swords appears. A physical illness is triggered by anxiety, stress, and mental health, such as autoimmune diseases or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Tarot should never be used to derive a medical diagnosis. If you are aware of illnesses like this being present, the Four of Swords can indicate a flare-up of symptoms if you don’t slow down.

The Queen of Swords followed by the Four of Swords indicates a professional or expert is trying to help you set boundaries. Pay attention to people who show you, tough love; they are trying to help you pace yourself.

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Upright Spirituality

The Four of Swords in spirituality readings indicate relief and sanctuary from stress. You may go on a retreat or begin meditating. You find healing and serenity by setting boundaries and giving yourself time to clear your mind.

You find the balance between work and mundane matters and spiritual development. The Four of Swords can indicate a need for perspective and harmony. If you neglect spiritual practices the Four of Swords reminds you to slow down and ground yourself.

The Four of Swords advice is to balance your conscious and unconscious needs. Pay attention to your dreams and intuition which guide you in your waking life.

Practice yoga or use intentional rest periods to restore your energy and creativity. Learning spiritual ideologies is only the first step, you must also put your beliefs and tools into practice.

Reversed General Meaning

The Four of Swords reversed can bring freedom from or avoidance of limitations and restrictions. You heal from an illness or injury or find relief from anxiety and suffering.

When the Four of Swords is reversed you may be ignoring the card’s warning message. You may become more anxious or agitated because you aren’t slowing down and resting.

Pay attention to feedback from others. Friends and loved ones may notice you are cranky and making poor judgment calls because of fatigue. The Four of Swords appears when you ignore signals that you must slow down.

You are accident-prone when this card appears reversed. Your timing may also be off-target. Perhaps you’ve healed from an illness and can return to your baseline, no longer needing so much rest.

But if you didn’t heed the warning of the Four of Swords you continued burning the candle at both ends. Mounting anxiety and stress won’t go away. Do something different to restore balance and harmony.

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Reversed Love & Relationships

The Four of Swords reversed in love indicates the need for a break from someone getting under your skin. You may hesitate to set boundaries in a relationship, but you’re bound to become irritated and resentful.

Take downtime to process relationship issues but are being smothered by a partner who does not respect your need for personal space. Set time away to tend to give yourself a break.

The Four of Swords reversed in love also appears when you are trying too hard to court a love interest but not giving them, or you, substantial breathing room. Avoid chasing your love interest and focus on your needs.

Reversed Money & Career

The Four of Swords reversed in a career and finance reading suggests you lost the balance between work and self-care. You are prone to work-related illnesses or injuries, and you lose perspective on career matters.

You are ignoring warning signs when the Four of Swords appears reversed. You need rest but aren’t stopping. You run the risk of burning out as resentments toward your colleagues grow.

Time off brings peace of mind and perspective. You can’t progress in your career unless you take the time to balance your needs with the demands of your work.

Cut back temporarily or take a break from work for a few days. Give yourself time to process new ideas so you can be more effective in your career when the Four of Swords is reversed.

Your financial situation is stagnant and could improve, but you are making careless purchases. You lack financial strategy when the Four of Swords is reversed. You can improve your finances, but first, you must step back and change your perspective.

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Reversed Health

The Four of Swords reversed in health readings is a warning sign that health issues await if you don’t slow down. You are being careless and this can lead to significant consequences.

The reversed Four of Swords warns that accidents, illness, and forced respite because of the need to recover await if you don’t slow your pace. Be mindful of your limitations and set boundaries to preserve your energy.

Anxiety, obsession, and mental health symptoms flare up when the Four of Swords is reversed. You aren’t managing stress well, and eventually, this will catch up with you.

Reversed Spirituality

When the Four of Swords appears in a spirituality reading, reversed, it means you avoid dealing with subconscious warnings. You may be keeping yourself busy and ignoring feelings.

Fear and control issues disrupt your spiritual connection. You are focused on anxiety and ignoring your higher wisdom. You may feel isolated, and your disconnection from others makes it difficult to stay grounded.

Work on cultivating faith and hope. Your focus is too narrow, and you are blocking yourself from seeing possible solutions. Take a break from your normal routines and refresh your connection to a higher purpose.