Up: [[Tarot]] Created: 2022-11-03 Updated: 2025-12-03 > [!leaf] In Brief > Ambitious, impassioned, intense thinker. Goal-oriented. Blunt action and solutions > [!leaf] What Matters This guy chases after knowledge, wants to know everything. He’s on an active quest for higher meaning. A couple of tarot writers compare him to Sir Galahad of King Arthur’s Round Table because both are *clean of heart*. He's an idealist, a fighter for social justice who drives, drives, drives for the finish line, never slowing down to enjoy either process or goal. The minute he reaches one goal, he's on to the next. The Knight of Swords is brilliant, quite likely the smartest person in the room. He has incredible ideas and insights, often taking in the whole picture at a single glance. His problem is that he's so smart and so action driven that he doesn't give a toss what other people think. As a result, others might brand him impulsive, callous, domineering, or argumentative. > [!leaf] Actions to Take 1. Slow down! Stop whipping yourself from one achievement to the next. Write down all of your goals and desire, look at them carefully, compare them to your values, and really think about what you want. 2. Freewrite about your attraction to the thrill of the chase or your need for excitement. Is there something you’re afraid to face? Something you’re avoiding by keeping busy or moving on? — Idea from *Spiritual Tarot* 3. Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, author of *Tarot for Creativity*, suggests that this knight has “just do it!” energy. She suggests pulling a card to answer the question, “What single action can I take **now**?” Her focus is on creative life, but it could be anything you’ve been overthinking or avoiding. 4. Journal or freewrite in response to any of these questions: - What am I really committed to? What’s the evidence of that commitment? - What am I absolutely certain about? How does that certainty influence my decisions? - In what area of my life should I hold back or be a bit more cautious? Why? - And in what area of my life should I move forward rapidly and forcefully? Why? ![[Knight of Swords RWS.webp|300]] > [!leaf] Symbols Susannah Conway suggests that the quickest way to sort out the tarot Knights is to look at what his horse is doing. This horse looks stressed, and the mane looks like it is on fire. This is interpreted as the knight pushing himself too hard. Birds on knight’s overgarment and on the horse’s breast collar can symbolize an ability to turn adversity into opportunity *Holistic Tarot* but also flightiness! Butterflies are a classic representation of transformation. They are on the horse’s collar, and they reappear on the thrones of the [[King of Swords]] and [[Queen of Swords]] and also in the Queen’s crown. Trees in the background suggest that a strong wind is blowing against the knight but he charges against it, undaunted. *Holistic Tarot* The sword partly cut off by the frame suggests impetuous action. *Tarot Deciphered*