My Take on the Four of Swords
Okay, so let’s talk about the Four of Swords. I remember pulling this card a while back, wasn’t even doing a big spread, just a quick ‘what’s up?’ kind of draw for myself. Life felt like running on empty, you know? Just totally drained, pushing through deadlines, juggling family stuff, the usual chaos.
So, I shuffled the deck, really trying to just quiet my head for a second. Cut the cards, drew one. Boom. Four of Swords.
Honestly? My first thought was, “Great. Just what I needed. A card telling me to do nothing.” Seemed kinda passive, right? Like lying down while the world keeps spinning. There’s this image, usually a figure resting, swords hanging around. Looked peaceful, but I felt I didn’t have time for peace.
What I Did Next
For a day or two, I tried to ignore it. Kept pushing. You know how it is. Coffee, more coffee, just keep going. But things started slipping. Simple mistakes, feeling foggy, getting snappy with people. It was like my body and brain were forcing the issue.
So, I finally caved. I looked at that card again. Okay, message received. It wasn’t really about giving up, more like hitting the pause button before the whole system crashes. I decided to actually schedule some downtime. Wasn’t easy.
- I actually blocked out time in my calendar. Called it ‘Admin Time’ so nobody would book meetings. Sneaky, maybe, but necessary.
- I turned off notifications on my phone for a few hours each evening. Radical, I know.
- Instead of pushing to finish one more thing before bed, I just stopped. Read a book, stared at the ceiling, whatever. Didn’t matter. The point was to stop doing.
- Got more sleep. Like, actual, proper sleep.
The Realization
It felt weird at first. Guilty, even. Like I was slacking off. But after a few days of forcing myself to rest, things started to shift. The fog lifted a bit. I wasn’t magically bursting with energy, but I felt more… level. Like I could think straight again. That feeling of being completely overwhelmed started to shrink.
Looking back, that Four of Swords wasn’t telling me to check out permanently. It was a strong nudge, a warning sign. Like a battery light flashing on the dashboard. Ignore it, and you’ll end up stranded. Pay attention, pull over, let things recharge, and you can get back on the road.
So yeah, that was my practical run-in with the Four of Swords. It’s not always about some deep mystical thing. Sometimes it’s just your deck telling you, “Dude, seriously. Take a nap.” And sometimes, that’s the most productive thing you can do.
