6/Swords indicates a time of healing and processing after trauma. Not quite out of the woods yet, we blearily make our way to the light.

Maybe we feel unsure about our next steps; perhaps the only thing we know is we survived and things will get better.




As we move towards a healthy place, we still may be sad or regretful over what was but hope is like a beacon off in the distance. You know you will move towards something better, you know you deserve something better. Many traditional cards depict a person directing the boat. Not much is talked about this person but I find this is an indication that when we are at our most bereft, we are never alone. Spirit always carries us over the gap. Your only job is to learn hard lessons and get better.

1. I have been struggling getting over this issue in my life.
2. I am experiencing and processing trauma around this issue in the following ways...
3. I am being gentle with myself and hopeful about my future in the following ways...
4. I know Spirit is carrying me over the gap because...

5/swords depicts a man who has 5 swords while two others face away from him in defeat. The man is vibrant in his victory and cares not one iota that the cause of his happiness is also causing the misery in others. 5/swords is about self-interest, selfishness, possibly unethical behavior, and open conflict.

As much as we would like to think that we can justify our behavior all of the time, being human we have all done something in the past to get ahead, something we may not be proud of. Rather than forget how we have trespassed against others, the mark of spiritual and personal growth is to own our actions -good and bad- make amends (ourselves included) and move forward having learned the lesson.

While it is easier to not think about times we are not proud of ourselves, owning up to our faults with compassion and mindfulness allows us to learn from from our mistakes. We can condone ourselves as good people while at the same time feel shame about our actions and commit to acting better moving forward.

1. What is something you have done in the past that you feel guilty about? Have you done any work to move past how you feel about what you did? If not, what is stopping you?

2. Write briefly about a time where you did something against another and made amends, what happened and how did you feel?

3. How can using mindfulness (instead of justifications, excuses or ignoring what happened) help youtpo

You awaken in the middle of the night from some disturbing dream and find you cannot go back to sleep. In the darkness and quiet all of your fears, anxieties and guilt come tumbling out as surely as if they were monsters under your bed.

Thoughts and beliefs you shove deep down all day long finally have a chance to dance about your head as your lay there trying to regain a sense of control. 9/swords is about the misery we put ourselves through.

When day comes we walk through our day bleary eyed and incredulous about the horrible feelings that dissipated with the rising sun. 9/swords calls us to face those nasty little night terrors and work to put them behind us because there is no use or good or healing in making ourselves feel horrible.


1. Sometimes I lay awake at night and have these kinds of thoughts...

2. On a scale of 1-10, how silly are these thoughts of yours? What would you say if your best friend told you the exact same thing about herself? How do these thoughts continue to hurt you?

3. 9/swords can also come from a feeling of helplessness about an aspect of our life, what do you think this might mean for you and do you think its true? If the thoughts are not objectively true, why are you still having them?

4. Feelings of guilt can spring from something outside of your control, or is a call to action. Think about any guilt you harbor, which one is it?