Four of Swords

♃♎🛌😴🔋 

Key words

Upright: recharge, retreat, rest

Reversed: burnout, stress, caution

Description

A knight lies atop a tomb, their hands in the position of prayer. One sword lies beneath the knight, and three swords hang above them, pointing downward toward their head and torso. A stained-glass window sheds light on the knight, giving them a golden glow amid an otherwise gray scene. 

Numerology

4: Structure, foundations, stability

Upright

The Four of Swords represents a period of rest and recovery before taking on a new challenge. This period is necessary— you may be feeling burned out, ill, or just tired. Allow yourself time to fully recover. Engage in basic self-care, reassess your priorities, and don’t jump back into life’s challenges until you are truly ready. 

Reversed

You need to rest and recuperate, but you’re not allowing yourself to do so. Perhaps you’re feeling restless, tempted to ignore what your body needs because your mind is ready to face the next challenge. Think of this period as an investment in your future self: you will be more capable of achieving your goals in the future if you allow yourself to take it easy now.