The King of Swords
Symbolism
This King sits on a throne, decorated with butterflies. They represent the airy, light nature of the mind and how subtle and fast changing it is.
There are clouds and two birds in the background, and it seems to be windy on the top of a hill. He sits as the ruler of his mind and his thoughts.
His sword is tilted to one side, which shows that he is more relaxed with his power than rigid and forceful. He knows the power of the mind, and he knows that the balance between focus and relaxation is key to mental control.
Keywords
Upright: Structure, will, truth, routine, rational intellect, mental focus, intelligent, good communication, disciplined, detached, integrity, honesty, clarity, compassion, fairness, mentor, ethical.
Reversed: Dominating, strict, dictator, controlling, intimidating, manipulating, judgemental, cynical, cold-hearted, tyrant, bully, dishonest, lacking morals, illogical, over righteous, stubborn, rigid, lack of father energy, misuse of power.
Upright meaning
This is the King of the mind, of air and of truth. He is that outward going smart part of us who is confident in his realms of knowledge and yet still open to learn more. His gift, however, is in the clarity and truth that he shares with the world with clear communication and strong intellect.
This King can be seen in us when we bring out our discipline and bold decisiveness. Wielding our sword, we know when to say ‘No’, and when to say, “Yes”. This is the guy with the healthiest boundaries, or at least the ability to bluntly state his truth and call a spade a spade. He is not easily swayed by his emotions, making him stable in the winds of change.
The high-level intellect of this King and his ability to hold space and keep a clear mind makes him a great counsellor, mentor and objective truth-speaker. He is the classic professor and scientist who knows what he knows but doesn’t claim to know it all. When this King comes up, we are asked to tap into our knowledge and speak our truth.
The King of Swords is aware of the limitations of the mind, so while being direct, he is also flexible. He knows when to bend with the winds, and when not to. We are asked to feel his maturity. Long gone are the days of the knight rushing forward to share the truth. Now we know that hermetic law, “All truths are but half true!”. We don’t need to be right all the time or fight an unnecessary fight. We can respect others opinions.
Reversed meaning
The shadow of this King comes out when the ego attaches to the intellect. Our identity and worth is centred around what we know, how right we are, and how intelligent the world sees us to be. When these programs are in place, we will argue when we know we are wrong, we will be stubborn, aloof, cold and detached.
The Shadow Kings have control issues. This one uses his superior intellect to be the boss, to dominate and manipulate. He can be the master trickster, knowing how to twist reason to suit his desires. He will convince you that you are wrong when deep down, you know better. And he will be that lying cheat to himself too. He will persuade himself to hold to beliefs that no longer serve him.
The greatest fear of this King is his emotional past. He has become so intellectual, partly because he is afraid to feel. He will easily judge emotional reacts as being weak and convince himself not to revisit any past traumas. Being so detached from his feelings makes him unable to hear his body speaking to him. This promotes abusing ourselves physically even in the name of ‘healthy activity’.
Because our mind is so strong with this king, so are our judgements. We will be critical towards the world and towards ourselves. The self-critical voice is an old program based on keeping us safe at one time in our lives. Now, the mature intellect uses it in harsh and cruel ways. When we see ourselves being sarcastic and trying to outwit others, we can practice more empathy and compassion.
This kingly part of us can benefit from coming down to earth. He will often attract experiences that force him to be humble and step off his throne for a while, in order to observe the lies he is telling himself and others in the world. This will all be part of the shift into this healthy kings’ role.