The King of Swords is a powerful figure that is seen firmly grasping a prominently sized sword as he sits on his throne surrounded by storm clouds. He represents the ultimate in authority figures and shows up in the querent’s life as a law man of some sort. Head rules the heart with the King of Swords, and he may be a judge, police officer, or some other type of authority figure that has the ability to ruin one’s life with one felt swoop of a pen. There is a feeling that the King of Swords is a man of great wisdom, but he is, like the Queen of Swords, extremely empirical and sees things from a standpoint of right and wrong or black and white. There is no in between with him. He may also be seen as an abusive father who was strict and neglectful at the same time; he may have even had a substance abuse problem.
The court cards of each Minor Arcana Suit represent people, and the physical and astrological characteristics of a person as well. In the case of kings, there are astrologically significant details that should be made known. The King of Swords is associated with the signs of Taurus and Gemini. The nature of the energy that is carried by the King of Swords is considered fixed for Taurus and mutable for Gemini. This shows that these individuals are very flexible and have the quality of adaptability in their energies when the individual being identified is a Gemini, and there is stable and constant energy within the Taurus described by the King of Swords. The elemental property of this particular king, which is fire energy, mixes with the energy of the suit he appears in: air energy. The King of Swords shows a combination of air and fire energy, which embodies refinement or the ability to hone things into their most right and true forms. This indicates that the King of Swords in a spread speaks to the polishing of the human spirit. The physical characteristics often found to accompany a King of Swords individual include brown or hazel eyes, as well as dark brown or black hair. It is advised that the querent pay attention to the man depicted in the King of Swords that has these physical characteristics.
Although there is very little to go on in terms of an outright card meaning, the surrounding cards will be of immense influence and importance to the King of Swords and the interpretation of it.
The King of Swords in an Upright Position
The upright interpretation of the King of Swords shows a powerful man who is in control of his behaviour and quite comfortable with controlling the behaviour of others as well. He is an authority figure of some sort that is interested in preserving the proper balance of justice regardless of the cost. He is the strict father who doles out harsh and sometimes unreasonable punishments for small infractions. He is very stern in his demeanour and commands respect wherever he goes. He can be intensely judgemental and a bit self-righteous, pointing out the flaws of others while being blind to his own faults. Whenever a court card appears in a spread, it does not necessarily always signify a real human being, but a quality within the card that the querent needs to take up as part of his own persona or philosophies in order to experience growth and a better outlook on life.
The querent may find that he is mimicking the behaviours and patters that are synonymous with the King of Swords. The querent may find that parenthood is forcing him to lose touch with his fun and light hearted side, which any parent of a teenager can relate to. The querent may find himself becoming unreasonable and unfeeling in his discipline, and will find it hard to turn off this part of himself. The querent may also find that he is involved in a legal matter that has drained all of the joy out of him. At this moment, he may find himself more concerned with the right and wrong of a situation as opposed to the intricacies that have fuelled the crime or infractions against him. He may also be the authority figure in these types of situations, happening to be a judge, lawyer, police officer or government agent. There is also an undercurrent of abuse of power with the King of Swords: let this be a warning to the querent to keep his temper in check when dealing with his children and people at work.
The King of Swords in a Reversed Position
A reversal of a court card has an inverse meaning that corresponds with the court card it is attached to. The King of Swords is a very different character in a reversed position. He withholds truth form people and is beginning to confuse facts or lose important evidence that cases hinge on. He could be losing his touch or become even more rigid with the reversal of this card. The man seen here may take advantage of his position in order to benefit himself, and he may take bribes behind the scenes. He could also begin to censor specific outlets in his home in an attempt to have his kids grow up right. Computers, cellphones, and TV may be off limits in his house as a form of creative punishment.
The querent could see himself becoming this tyrannical ruler with his family. He could become controlling and demand that everyone around him become transparent with their activities while he lies to everyone’s face. He could find himself disorganized more than usual and unable to retain the information he is so meticulous about memorizing in his upright positioning. The querent should beware of having his heart rule his head because this could get him in trouble in terms of infidelity or another exploit where he is doing something he intellectually knows is wrong but is inexplicably drawn to.
Key Terms
- Judgemental
- Universal Law
- Legal Proceedings
- Abusive
- Strict father
- Abuses power
- Authority figure