Welcome to The Psychology of Tarot series, a Jungian reimagining of the cards as pathways into the psyche. Each episode draws on a key psychological concept and archetypal themes to offer insights that deepen both inner work and your tarot practice.
The IX of Swords is not a card most of us greet with enthusiasm. Its nightmarish image reflects the hauntings that stalk us in the darkness, the sleepless nights riddled with anxiety, overwhelm and despair.
What if we reimagined the card as a reflection of the archetypal dark night of the soul, honoring the painful and overwhelming experiences as an initiation into deeper psychic evolution? With this in mind, we can lean into and welcome the intensity, uncovering the fertile seeds of change that lie in the unconscious and the symptoms that plague us.
In this episode I cover:
The classic definition and interpretations of the IX of Swords
Quotes from 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack and Practice of Psychotherapy by C.G. Jung
How the IX of Swords represents the archetypal dark night of the soul along with its mythic counterparts
A Jungian perspective on meeting psychological darkness as part of the individuation process
Example readings and approaches to interpreting and reimagining the card
Join the conversation
How do you typically read the IX of Swords? Which mythic dark night of the soul do you feel most drawn to? Which card should I explore next in the series?
The Nightmares & Nigredo workshop is this Saturday, register to join!
The workshop for this month’s inner work theme — Nightmares & Nigredo — is happening this Saturday, November 15th at 11:00 AM PST (attend live or watch a replay the following day).
Join us as we as explore the deeper meaning of nightmares through Jungian dreamwork and alchemical symbolism. We will learn to read the imagery of these dreams as alchemical processes, recognizing how fear and fragmentation conceal a deep creative intention.
