Nine of Swords

Meaning:
The nine represents the utmost expression of the Swords suit. It is the final Swords battle, where one must battle oneself, one's own mind. The figure in the card seems overwhelmed, clearly having suffered from nightmares founded from worry, regret, anguish. Guilt or shame, despair, self-doubt - these things are all in the mind and those who suffer from them understand the spiraling, circular pattern that haunts us into the early morning hours. The Nine of Swords is the final representation of this, the Dark Night of the Soul.

The problem may, of course, be all in one's head, mental card that it is, but even if this is the case, the conflict is very real. And ultimately, this card gives the option and the warning that in the battle of one's own mind, the matter must be confronted and conquered - it is possible to wake up from the nightmare.

Symbols and Specifics:
The figure appears to have just woken up from a nightmare. The feathers in the background are distant and faded, as nightmares and dreams both can be when one awakes. The swords above are not pointed at her, but instead woven together in an almost ladder-like pattern - they are not what is holding her down. In fact, should she wake up from the nightmare, she could use that ladder to pull herself up - or possibly into the Ten of Swords. Either way, the swords and the mind both have reached its limit.