Upright: Anxiety, Depression, Nightmares
Reverse: Dependency, Improvement, Turmoil
a centipede skillfully winds its way through intersecting swords, narrowly avoiding certain doom.with their many legs and segmented bodies, centipedes signify deep fears that plague both the subconscious and conscious mind. some are venomous while others are perfectly harmless, though it may be impossible to tell at a glance. the nine of swords tells us that we are entering a period of fear and anxiety, but through careful consideration, the danger may in fact be as tangible as a fading dream.
when upright, the nine of swords signifies the deluge of anxieties plaguing the user to the point of keeping them up at night. you are ruminating on them, fixated on everything that could go wrong. obsessing over your anxieties is a double-edged sword. if you allow yourself to give in to fear, your worst nightmares may, in fact, just come true. thankfully, much of the fear causing your sleepless nights resides only in your head. try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, and reach out if you struggle to remain optimistic. lean on those you trust to steer you towards a positive solution. the best way to combat the monsters under your bed is to turn on the light.
when reversed, the nine of swords suggests that your negative thoughts and fears have permeated deeper into your subconscious, throwing you into absolute turmoil from within. you’ve become locked into a cycle of never-ending fear, compounding each anxiety until it turns into something much worse than it actually is. you may have tried keeping these fears to yourself, but now is not the time to be alone. seek out help and support to alleviate some of the tension weighing you down, and resist succumbing to the voice in your head telling you that you’re the one at fault for your misery. if you’ve recently emerged from a period of intense fear and self-criticism, take this as a sign that you’ve successfully managed to work through your problems.
