In the Seven of Swords card, there is a man that is seen running away sneakily from a camp of some sort, while carrying five swords in his hands. Behind him, two other swords are on standing on the ground. From this image, we can deduce that the Seven of Swords is about stealth, getting away with something, deception or betrayal.

The expression on the man’s face shows quite a bit of confidence, and he seems to be sure of his success on this mission of stealing the swords. Unfortunately for him though, on the left, there seems to be a group of soldiers who have discovered the theft and one soldier is actually raising a flag or a weapon as if to signal his pursuit.

Upright Meaning Guide
Seven of Swords Upright Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Deceit, lies, trickery, cheating, theft, underhanded, scheming, dangerous/risky behavior, enemy masquerading as a friend, spying, lack of conscience, strategy, resourceful, flexible, escaping detection, getting away with it, adaptable, courage, daring, sharp wit, mental manipulation, cunning, overly rational

General Meaning and Interpretation (Upright)

In a general context, the Seven of Swords represents deception, lies, trickery, cheating, and lack of conscience. This card also signifies mental manipulation, tactics, scheming, cunning, enemies who masquerade as friends and spies in your camp. It is a Minor Arcana card of dangerous or risky behavior, daring, courage and staying ahead of the game. The Seven of Swords can also represent flexibility, adaptability, sharp wit, resourcefulness, being strategic or being overly rational. This Tarot card can also signify underhanded behavior, theft, burglary, fraud, dodgy deals and a general lack of conscience. It represents escaping detection and getting away with something.

Love & Relationships (Upright)

In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Seven of Swords is not a great omen as it can indicate deception, betrayal, lies, and cheating. This may be a sign of infidelity in the relationship. However, don’t jump to conclusions when it appears as it can indicate many types of deception not just cheating. Perhaps one of you is not being honest about your feelings or maybe trying to manipulate the other rather than being honest and upfront about what you want. This Minor Arcana card also represents enemies masquerading as friends so it can also signify a third party trying to stir trouble in your relationship! If you are single, the Seven of Swords indicates that you may meet someone who is deceitful and manipulative so be careful. At the same time, it tells you that if you want a genuine, loving relationship you need to resist the urge to play games with your potential partners and steer clear of people who play games with you. You may be relying on your sharp wit and cunning to stay ahead of the game when it comes to dating or you may be over-rationalizing your attitude to romance. Game playing may keep your partner interested at the beginning but at some stage, when you’ve built up some trust in them, you really just have to drop the act, be yourself and allow yourself to be vulnerable with another person!

Money & Career (Upright)

In a career Tarot reading, the Seven of Swords can indicate that there is some deceit or trickery around you in a work setting. Colleagues may be trying to undermine you, spreading lies behind your back or stealing your projects or your business associates may be involved in dodgy deals. Whatever the situation, this deceit appears to be escaping your detection. This Minor Arcana card can, however, be telling you that you may need to use certain strengths such as adaptability, resourcefulness, flexibility, your sharp wit and daring to put yourself ahead of the game. You may be putting strategies or schemes in place to advance your career or business. In a financial Tarot spread, the Seven of Swords may be warning you of deception around your finances so be on your guard against theft, burglary or fraud. It may also be telling you to avoid making risky gambles with money or investments or dodgy deals at this time. While you might get away with it, the hidden cost to your conscience and karma means it will not be worth it.

Health (Upright)

In a health context, the Seven of Swords can indicate that you may need further testing to get to the bottom of a health issue. If your symptoms have been ignored or dismissed by your health practitioner but persist anyway, it might be advisable to get a second opinion as this card can indicate that the cause of your symptoms may be escaping detection. The Seven of Swords also warn against engaging in behavior or activities that may put your health in danger.

Spirituality (Upright)

In a spiritual context, the Seven of Swords warns you of deception. This deception may appear in the form of associates, teachers or religious leaders who may be underhanded or deceitful in their dealings with you, do not allow yourself to be manipulated. You have intuition and a conscience for a reason! Follow them over any outside influences.

Reversed Meaning Guide
Seven of Swords Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Confessing, coming clean, turning over new leaf, conscience kicking in, ignoring warnings, pathological liar, serial cheat, slander, dangerously two-faced, malicious, con artist, blackmail, unworkable strategy, being outsmarted, getting caught, running away from consequences, coward, no backbone, stealing credit, military,

General meaning and interpretation (Reversed)

In a general context, the Seven of Swords reversed signifies coming clean and one’s conscience kicking in so if you have done something you are not proud of you may find yourself confessing and turning over a new leaf. It can represent careers in the military or security. Alternatively, this Minor Arcana card reversed represents pathological liars, serial cheaters, people who are malicious or so two-faced they are toxic or dangerous to be around. It also represents slander, blackmail, and con artists. The Seven of Swords reversed can also signify ignoring warning signs, being outsmarted or finding that your strategies or plans are unworkable. This Tarot card can also be an indicator that you are lacking a backbone, behaving in a cowardly manner, stealing credit for other people’s achievements or running away from consequences. It may also represent ignoring warning signs or getting caught.

Love & Relationships (Reversed)

In a love Tarot spread, if you are in a relationship the Seven of Swords reversed is not a great omen as although the card has reversed it usually still indicates that there has been deception or cheating in the relationship. This deception will be exposed and the truth will come out but this card can indicate a number of scenarios in the circumstances that bring this about. The cheater or deceiver may trip themselves up or accidentally expose their lies but their partner may ignore the warning signs or choose to turn a blind eye to their behavior. The cheater/deceiver may discover their conscience, come clean, confess and turn over a new leaf and their partner may choose to forgive them and move on. The cheater maybe get caught out and run away with the person they have been cheating with. However, again, you must not jump to conclusions when this Minor Arcana card appears reversed as it can also be an indication that a third party who has been spreading lies or stirring trouble in your relationship will be exposed for the liar they are. If you are single, the Seven of Swords reversed indicates that you may meet someone who is a pathological liar or a serial cheater so beware! It can also be an indication that you are ready to give up the game playing of your previous relationship and are ready to turn over a new leaf and be more genuine with potential partners.

Money & Career (Reversed)

In a career Tarot reading, the Seven of Swords reversed indicates that if you have been deceitful or underhanded in your work your conscience may kick in and you may decide to confess or you may be exposed. This Minor Arcana card reversed may be an indication of others in your work environment being extremely two faced or deceitful and being exposed as such. The culprits may also try to run away from the consequences of their actions. This card may also be telling you that your current plans and strategies are unworkable so you might need to go back to the drawing board and be a bit more creative. In a financial Tarot spread, the Seven of Swords reversed still carries a warning of deception around your finances and it can be a stronger indicator that you may become the victim theft, burglary or fraud. However, it may also be telling you to that if you have been deceptive or fraudulent in your financial dealing you will be exposed or you may decide to come clean.

Health (Reversed)

In a health context, the Seven of Swords reversed indicates that you may be ignoring warning signs in relation to your health. This self-deception will not do you any favours and could make an illness worse so be mindful of the messages your body is giving you and take appropriate action.

Spirituality (Reversed)

In a spiritual context, the Seven of Swords reversed tells you that someone may be trying to offer you spiritual guidance at this time but just be sure you only take what works for you and throw the rest away. While the wisdom they depart may be useful to you, there may still be an ulterior motive in play that you are unaware of. It can also be an indication that your conscience is coming to the fore again where you may have previously ignored it. This is a welcome development, keep it up!

Reference:
Labyrinthos, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/seven-of-swords-meaning-tarot-card-meanings?_pos=10&_sid=18b5a7f6f&_ss=r)
Lisa, 2019, 11/13/19, (https://www.thetarotguide.com/seven-of-swords)