Nine of Swords

Upright: pain and fear caused by harm from oneself or others, lack of courage to face challenges, feeling trapped without a way out, sensing others’ suffering and taking it upon oneself.

Reversed: maintaining an open heart in pain, seeing hope and a way forward, oversensitivity leading to suspicion and emotional repression.

At midnight, the girl awakens from a nightmare, burying her face in her hands. Nine swords hang horizontally on the wall, appearing as if they are piercing through her back, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. In the dead silence of the night, only the pounding of her heart can be heard — this is the silent agony of the Nine of Swords. The girl covering her face, surrounded by nine suspended blades, mirrors our own spirit when mired in emotional torment. Haunted by old betrayals, suffocated by burdens carried alone — all the unspoken fears creep quietly into bed with us at night. Her hair instinctively bristles into sharp spikes, defensively shielding her from imagined threats, revealing her profound helplessness.

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