Tarot Tuesdays - The King of Swords
Stick 'em with the pointy end
Welcome back to Tarot Tuesday.
Before we get into today’s card I wanted to say that these aren’t a ‘pull for subscribers’, this isn’t me saying that anyone who reads this is going to need a solicitor this week. What I love about tarot is that all 78 cards have something to offer us right now in this moment. Whether you believe in fate (which I try not to, but my microwave speaks to me in angel numbers.) or the universe (which I do, in a ‘I saw we were all connected when I took mushrooms’ kinda way), or nothing like that at all, you can still pull a card (or three) and see what it brings up for you. So keep an open mind and let’s get to it.
This week, the deck has dealt us a regal challenge: the King of Swords.
“Never leave home without your sword - your intellect'“ - Alan Moore
This is the card of mental clarity, authority, and truth. Not truth as a weapon, but as a foundation. The King of Swords is sharp, but not cruel. He's decisive, but not reckless. He doesn't yell over you or spiral into blame. He sees the problem, names it cleanly, and gets to work on solving it. Honestly? He’s everything our current world leaders are not.
Learning Tarot can feel daunting; 78 cards to memorise (and then some people choose to give a whole different meaning if the cards come out upside down?!) and they have been used for centuries, so there’s all this history and symbolism that goes with the names on the cards, the imagery of the deck you use… It can be a lot. So shout out to Cult Mother for making it a bit easier for newbies to start, bring it in to present day relevance and make it their own.
Traditionally court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings) are seen to be characters or embodiments of people, but Cult Mother says that they can be stages of development, which I love and makes way more sense in most readings. Pages are Beginners, Knights are doing it, in the thick of it. Kings and Queens are the experts. One is not more expert-y than the other, but instead the Queens are experts of the inner; of themselves, things like intuition, empathy, vitality and Kings are the experts concerned with the outer; leadership, justice, practicality. You might say queens are experts with feminine energy and kings are experts with masculine energy, but that doesn’t mean any of these energies are not available to you, whichever gender you identify with.
The grown-up in the room.
If the suits of the tarot are energies we move through, then the King of Swords is the final evolution of thoughts and beliefs. He’s the grown-up in the room. Practically the opposite of the men currently in power. The ones who behave like overstimulated toddlers who can’t even manage a group chat, let alone a serious plan for economic recovery.
So maybe the King of Swords is here to ask us: what if we chose to lead ourselves? What if, instead of waiting for outdated and unjust systems to fix it, we decided to become the ones who do? This card is a call to rise. Not in chaos, but in clarity. The King doesn’t waste time whining. He doesn’t pretend he doesn’t know what’s going on. He assesses the situation, cuts through the noise, and chooses a course of action based on values, not vibes. He's strategic. Wise. Grounded in his beliefs but not blinded by them.
The Kings have been linked to Stoicism (Big S). The movement in Rome that birthed a philosophy of ethical self-improvement and a leading life worth living. It emphasised the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions, in order to become a clear and unbiased thinker. Sounds magnificent doesn’t it? Big King of Swords energy here.
“Your ability to control your thoughts—treat it with respect, it's all that protects you or mind from false perceptions—false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. It's what makes thoughtfulness possible, and affection for other people, and submission to the divine.“
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations (Book 3, 9)
This King doesn’t react, he responds. With precision, principle, and purpose. He acknowledges emotion, but he doesn’t become it. He uses logic, language, and strategy to move through complexity. He solves things. He speaks truth with his whole chest. That’s the kind of leadership we need right now. Personal leadership. Ethical, logical, soul-rooted leadership. Not more performative outrage, not more echo chamber soundbites, but clear thinking and brave words. And that starts with us.
This week, ask yourself:
Where am I being asked to step up?
What problems do I actually want to solve?
Where is my energy going, and is it aligned with what I care about?
Have I been pulled into everyone else's emotions and lost sight of my own character?
Cut through the bullshit
If you've been spinning out lately (hello fellow human), or feeling the overwhelm of everything, or just feeling the collective grief and rage of trying to live ethically in a wildly unethical world, then this card is like… well, its like a sword cutting through the bullshit.
It says: Simplify. Name the issue. Get clear on the outcomes you want and how you can help get there. It says: Use your voice.
This week’s task might feel like nightmare fuel, but stay with me: Make a video of yourself talking about something you're passionate about. This isn’t about performing. It’s about practice. I’m not saying post it anywhere. But can you speak clearly about something you care about, even if your voice shakes? Can you use your power to communicate something that matters?
Which leads beautifully to the affirmation for this week, if you want one:
It is my duty to use my power to communicate, to inspire, and to heal the world
Communication is magic and also rebellion.
We’ve been told to be quiet. To make nice. To stay small. But the King of Swords doesn’t shrink. He articulates. He leads.
If the world is going to change, (for the better, please), it’s going to be because we stopped outsourcing our authority. It’s going to be because we remembered that clarity is a spell, and strategy is sacred. So this week, try leading yourself; Sharpen your thoughts, say the thing, set the boundary, call the meeting, make the plan, ask the expert, BE the expert. If you're not ready to be seen? Speak it to your mirror. That counts too.
May your sword be sharp, and your intellect sharper. Stick ‘em with the pointy end.
Big love, Elektra x
I went to marketplace and found a perfectly in order, barely opened MW tarot deck. They are beautiful and modern. I am loving this. Thank you, such a gift.