Knight of Swords: tarot meaning, upright and reversed

A rider charges forward with a raised sword beneath turbulent clouds.

Upright

resolve · urgency

Pursue a clear aim with courage while accounting for the speed of approach.

Reversed

recklessness · argument

Certainty and haste may become more destructive than the obstacle.

In a reading

The position gives this card a particular task: a description of the situation, a challenge, or guidance. Read its image and meaning alongside the other cards and the question that brought them together.

Golden Dawn correspondence

Knight / Prince (chariot): Air of Air. 20 degrees Capricorn to 20 degrees Aquarius. Court naming differs between decks; this identifies the Book T rank explicitly. This is the attribution in Book T.

Sources

A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. These notes are original interpretations of the Waite–Smith imagery, informed by that text.