You can feel it in your whole body. Someone has or is going to betray you. You grab your tarot deck to get answers or guidance, but you are unsure what card to look for.
52% of tarot readers think the Seven of Swords indicate betrayal. The Ten of Swords come in second at 24%. Other tarot cards that might show betrayal and dishonesty are the Tower, the Moon, and the Three of Swords. Infidelity is often represented by the Three of Swords.
Several cards might indicate betrayal. Depending on the context, there are a few to choose from. This article looks at cards that might betray some shape or form.
THE SEVEN OF SWORDS MEANS BETRAYAL
As betrayal might mean so many things, there is not one single tarot card that indicates you might be the victim of untruthfulness. One card stands out in the crowd as the universal betrayal card, the Seven of Swords.
The Seven of Swords means betrayal, untruthful ways, sneakiness, and cheating. The Seven of Swords also indicates that someone is getting away with something behind your back.
The Seven of Swords is a Minor Arcana card, though. This is the silver lining. The Minor Arcana cards represent minor life happenings and experiences that will not impact your life journey as profoundly. But don’t be fooled; it might hurt as bad as a Major Arcana happening when the betrayal occurs.
One interesting aspect of betrayal is the division between the experience and the act of betrayal. This might be two different things. I think it’s important to keep this in mind while investigating the cards of betrayal.
OTHER TAROT CARDS THAT MIGHT INDICATE DECEIT
As tarot cards are very complex, there is no card fits all. Other tarot cards might indicate dishonesty, betrayal, and deceit as well.
THE TOWER
The Tower is a Major Arcana card that might indicate betrayal. The impact is profound and long-lasting but not as spot-on as the Seven of Swords. The Tower represents sudden changes, chaos, and the ruin of plans.
Betrayal often comes as a shock and might impact your course in life. It might be a business partner being dishonest or your spouse leaving you for another.
The heartbreak is profound, and it might change your life profoundly.
The Tower is not only about betrayal; it’s about life-chattering experiences. The Seven of Swords takes the winning spot even if the Tower is a Major Arcana card.
THE MOON
Another Major Arcana card that might point to betrayal is the Moon. The Moon represents illusions, intuition, fear, and anxiety.
The Moon might show up when you feel something is wrong, but your conscious mind does not allow the information. Often this is a defense mechanism. The Moon is a card that you get if you fear betrayal is coming.
The Moon is more about the experience of betrayal than the act itself. It comes as a warning that you don’t know what is happening behind your back. This can be the start or onset of betrayal.
The Moon is a Major Arcana card, and its impact can be long-lasting and profound. Be sure to open yourself to the truth, don’t dismiss clues or strange happenings. By acting in time, you might be able to stop the events from unfolding.
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52% THINKS THE SEVEN OF SWORDS MEANS BETRAYAL
I decided to poll a tarot community on Facebook and Reddit to research what card tarot readers thought indicated betrayal. The Seven of Swords won with a landslide. 52% of the tarot readers answered the tarot card, meaning betrayal was the Seven of Swords.
24% of the readers thought the Ten of Swords was the card that indicated betrayal. This is easy to understand as the imagery is very telling. A man is dead on the ground with ten swords stabbed in the back – one in every chakra. The card’s meaning is defeat, resurrection (yes, look at the sun rising in the background), and a start of a new era after the battle is lost.
| Answer | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Seven of Swords | 85 | 52% |
| Ten of Swords | 39 | 24% |
| Three of Swords | 19 | 12% |
| The Moon | 5 | 3% |
| Five of Swords | 5 | 3% |
| The Devil | 4 | 2% |
| Nine of Swords | 1 | 1% |
| The Tower | 1 | 1% |
| Two of Pentacles | 1 | 1% |
| The Empress | 1 | 1% |
| Five of Pentacles | 1 | 1% |
| The Lovers | 1 | 1% |
THE TAROT CARD THAT MIGHT INDICATE INFIDELITY
Tarot cards that might indicate unfaithfulness and cheating are Three of Swords or the Moon. The Three of Swords represents heartbreak, grief, and sorrow. These are traits you most certainly will encounter if you have been cheated on.
The Three of Swords depict a heart pierced by three swords. In the background, the rain is pouring down. Everything about this card screams heartbreak and shattered dreams. The silver lining is that it is a Minor Arcana card. Minor Arcana cards represent everyday happenings in life that will pass. The happening might not alter the course of your life path in a significant way.
Of course, other tarot cards might also point to infidelity and betrayal. The Seven of Swords is the ultimate tarot card for deception and dishonesty. The Tower is also an indicator something huge is to be shattered.
The Moon is also an indicator that not everything is as it seems. Something unfolds behind your back, and you do not have the whole picture. The Moon represents fear, intuition, deception, and illusion. This is the perfect mix for being faced with infidelity and betrayal.
The Three of Cups is another tarot card that might show your partner is not telling you the truth. The card shows three people dancing and having fun. The card doesn’t have to mean friendship and party, but it might be three in a relationship. Many readers are swearing by thing card as an indicator of infidelity.
The Two of Pentacles might also indicate that your partner might juggle emotions. Maybe you are not the only love in their life? I have seen many tarot readers refer to this card regarding infidelity. Watch out for this card if you are doing a relationship reading.
THE TAROT CARD THAT MIGHT INDICATE LYING BUSINESS PARTNERS
The tarot card that might indicate a deceiving business partner is the Seven of Swords and the Five of Swords. The Seven of Swords are the ultimate tarot card for lies and deception, but the Five of Swords target competitive situations.
The Five of Swords represent winning at all costs without considering the feelings or outcome of the opponent. As business is very competitive, this card might represent a business partner stealing your ideas, patents, clients, etc.
The Nine of Swords is another one that might indicate a business partnership going sour. The Nine of Swords represents anxiety, depression, and trauma. These will occur if you are getting duped by your business partner. If you look closely at the card, you notice how a man attacks another man with a sword. You also see how the blades are piercing the woman in the back.
I know some tarot readers swear by the Wheel of Fortune as well. The Wheel of Fortune represents sudden changes and the constant ups and downs in life. The Wheel of Fortune might indicate that your business is about to take a hit if times are good and that it will suddenly prosper if times are bad. It might be a business partner that suddenly backs out or alike.
THE TAROT CARD THAT MIGHT INDICATE SELF-SABOTAGE AND DECEPTION
Not all betrayals are not caused by a lover, business partner, friend, or family. Sometimes we lie to ourselves and cause harm through self-sabotage.
The Moon is a tarot card that indicates you are not truthful towards yourself. You live in an illusion, and the truth might be hidden deep inside.
When things don’t turn out as we want or wish, we create alternative truths to milden the blow or feelings of misfortune. Self-sabotage is caused by inaction or unwillingness to handle the truth.
Maybe you are afraid of success. When things start to fall into place, you destroy it without even knowing it. The same if you notice failure is on the brink, and you lie to yourself and proceed because you can’t take the feelings of defeat.
The Moon is a powerful card that has many layers. In my opinion and experience, self-sabotage is one of the most significant traits of this card. You don’t have the power or willingness to listen to your gut feeling or look behind the veil. You don’t want to see the truth as it is.
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THE SUIT OF SWORDS AND BETRAYAL
One tarot suit stands out for betrayal and deceit, the Swords. The Swords represent truth, communication, authority, rationality, and knowledge. It’s easy to see that Swords play a significant part in creating lies, betrayal, and deception.
The suit of Swords is known as the bad guys of the suits. Many of the cards come with hard lessons. Truths are hard to face, and communication often leads to conflicts and sorrow.
In my opinion and experience, Swords are challenges that throttle us forward in life. We learn by the challenges we face. Even if they are complex and filled with pain, we grow from them. No one wants to go through hardships, but they shape us into the people we are.
Even if the Suit of Swords comes with hard lessons, try to look at them as the pain we need to endure to grow and learn. Not all hardships will come with a rainbow, but many do. The horrible break up with your former boyfriend might have seemed like doomsday. But today, when you look back, it might have been a blessing in disguise.
CONTEXT IS EVERYTNING
When looking for signs of betrayal or infidelity, you need to create a spread targeted to the topic. You can’t just pull a card out of context without asking about betrayal or alike.
If you, for example, do a reading about an upcoming trip and the 7 of Swords appear, it might not mean your partner will cheat on you necessarily. It can mean many things like you will get a sneaky great deal on the flight ticket. It might also mean that you will be able to pull off a strategically great move on the business meeting you will attend. You get it. Context is king.
IN SUMMARY
52% think that the Seven of Swords is the ultimate tarot card that indicates betrayal, deceit, lies, and dishonesty. The Seven of Swords depicts a man stealing swords from a nearby camp.
Other tarot cards that might indicate that you are being tricked are the Moon, the Tower, Three of Swords, Five of Swords, and Nine of Swords.
As always, there are no single cards to show betrayal. Always look at the context and the spread overall. Swords are significant indicators that harsh truths are about to surface. So watch out for those.
You can also betray yourself, for example, self-sabotage and an unwillingness to see the truth. When the Moon shows up in your spread, please take a minute or two to reflect on what you might be hiding deep inside. Maybe you have to make a difficult decision; perhaps you are not facing the cold facts?
With experience, you will learn what card indicates betrayal for you. Hopefully, you don’t have to face these cards that often. No one likes being tricked.
Sandra Törnroth
Intuitive multi-modal tarot reader with a love for crystals and everything esoteric
THE DEFINITIONS IN THIS ARTICLE ARE BASED ON THE RIDER WAITE DECK AND SYSTEM.
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