No matter what deck you’re using, you know the Nine of Swords means trouble. Traditionally depicting a young woman sitting upright in bed, her head in her hands, with nine swords hovering over her, it practically radiates grief, anxiety, worry, and pain. But all is not lost! Generally, when this card appears in your reading it’s to indicate that the querent is suffering very real mental anguish (and that’s not to be discounted!) but very possibly more anguish than is necessary for the situation at hand. In other words, yes, you’re worrying and you have every right to worry, but chances are good…the situation you’re worried about is nowhere near as bad as you expect.

That said, this is a card that you should take note of, especially as you meditate on your readings. Is it worth the mental pain you’re experiencing to move forward on this path? Can you accept the uncertainty of the future without angsting over it quite so much? Or, alternatively, is someone around you suffering more than you realize? Look to the cards around the Nine of Swords for clarity.