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Which card would you associate with guilt?


Iiwi

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On 1/17/2023 at 2:47 AM, Aliki said:

It really depends do you mean showing someone is guilty or if someone's feeling guilty about something they did?

Yes, this.  And it also depends on whether their feelings of guilt are justified or not.

We need to define 'guilt'—or, rather, fine-tune it, in each case—before deciding what card(s) might indicate its presence.

For example, if a querent is feeling guilty about something that isn't actually their fault—we've all seen/experienced this—probably The Devil would be the card I'd pick to indicate that state of mind. The thing about The Devil is that the devil doesn't actually exist except in the querent's mind.  Its influence, once recognised, can be thrown off.

The 9 of Swords indicates an intensity of worry or fear.  A person can get themselves into quite an emotional fankle that makes them unable to sleep at night ...but that doesn't mean their worry is caused by anything they actually did or didn't do.  You can worry a lot about something that will never happen, or blame yourself to the extent that you can't sleep at night for something that actually wasn't your fault.  You can also worry yourself sick over events and happenings—potential or actual—that you have no control over.  The 9 of Swords, coupled with other cards, could certainly indicate guilt (real or imagined) but on its own, in my opinion, it only indicates severe worry and obsession.  I wouldn't assume 'guilt,' just because the card appears in a reading.  

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On 1/19/2023 at 1:10 AM, Chariot said:

Yes, this.  And it also depends on whether their feelings of guilt are justified or not.

We need to define 'guilt'—or, rather, fine-tune it, in each case—before deciding what card(s) might indicate its presence.

For example, if a querent is feeling guilty about something that isn't actually their fault—we've all seen/experienced this—probably The Devil would be the card I'd pick to indicate that state of mind. The thing about The Devil is that the devil doesn't actually exist except in the querent's mind.  Its influence, once recognised, can be thrown off.

The 9 of Swords indicates an intensity of worry or fear.  A person can get themselves into quite an emotional fankle that makes them unable to sleep at night ...but that doesn't mean their worry is caused by anything they actually did or didn't do.  You can worry a lot about something that will never happen, or blame yourself to the extent that you can't sleep at night for something that actually wasn't your fault.  You can also worry yourself sick over events and happenings—potential or actual—that you have no control over.  The 9 of Swords, coupled with other cards, could certainly indicate guilt (real or imagined) but on its own, in my opinion, it only indicates severe worry and obsession.  I wouldn't assume 'guilt,' just because the card appears in a reading.  

It really depends i think few weeks ago i got my exs court card with the 9 of swords and the 4 of swords he ended up calling me definitely not sober at a horrible condition telling me he's sorry about everything etc i think i also seen 6 of cups somewhere in the read or in another he popped up before so i always see 9 of swords whenever I'm feeling it intuitively thought as that phrase "how can you sleep at nigh" (cause of the guilt) and also as someone who's having nightmares or seeing someone in dreams who may feel guilty about something they did to them which was also accurate from what i heard in my case it can have multiple meanings thought like depression crying etc but it can be a strong indicator of the feeling of guilt alone to my opinion 

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12 hours ago, Aliki said:

It really depends i think few weeks ago i got my exs court card with the 9 of swords and the 4 of swords he ended up calling me definitely not sober at a horrible condition telling me he's sorry about everything etc i think i also seen 6 of cups somewhere in the read or in another he popped up before so i always see 9 of swords whenever I'm feeling it intuitively thought as that phrase "how can you sleep at nigh" (cause of the guilt) and also as someone who's having nightmares or seeing someone in dreams who may feel guilty about something they did to them which was also accurate from what i heard in my case it can have multiple meanings thought like depression crying etc but it can be a strong indicator of the feeling of guilt alone to my opinion 

Yeah, it's about whatever is keeping the person awake at night.  It can certainly be a feeling of guilt, that they've done something very wrong and hurt someone.  However, I've got that card a lot when I'm just worrying about something ...health issues, financial problems, inability to cope with demands, fear of failure, etc.  For me it just indicates excessive worry or fear. The cause can be whatever is bothering me at the time.  I would never assume the 9 of Swords always means 'guilt' unless the circumstances call for that interpretation.

Edited by Chariot
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11 hours ago, Chariot said:

Yeah, it's about whatever is keeping the person awake at night.  It can certainly be a feeling of guilt, that they've done something very wrong and hurt someone.  However, I've got that card a lot when I'm just worrying about something ...health issues, financial problems, inability to cope with demands, fear of failure, etc.  For me it just indicates excessive worry or fear. The cause can be whatever is bothering me at the time.  I would never assume the 9 of Swords always means 'guilt' unless the circumstances call for that interpretation.

Yes when i get it for myself it's also severe anxiety nightmares i see prophetic dreams thought so they're not about guilt insomnia depression/sadness or cry worrying etc

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Dreamreader

As with all Tarot, context is important. But with the general concept of guilt in mind, I can think of several cards that fit.

 

The Devil is all about giving into one's worst instincts...guilt surely being among them. The Tower can be when guilt finally has no choice but to express itself. 5 of Swords could have guilt be the barrier you cannot cross. Ditto the 8 of Swords. Finally, the overwhelming burden of the 10 of Wands could well be grief.

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Chariot

I think the 5 of Swords can depict guilt. The card usually indicates some sort of unpleasant 'victory' that makes people miserable, or feel humiliated or unfairly done-by.  If the person who has won this victory is the Seeker in a reading, they might feel guilty about the methods they used to achieve their victory, or the way they gloated over it afterwards.  Example: The Seeker deliberately got her younger sister in BIG trouble by telling lies about the younger sister's behaviour.  The parents believed the Seeker's story, and punished the younger sister.

 

The 7 of Swords can also reflect guilt—a different kind of guilt from the 5 of Swords.  The 7 of Swords is more about sneakiness or clandestine moves that deprive somebody else of something.  Perhaps the person who has lost something isn't even aware of it ...yet.  This might be a good thing in some readings, if the moral position of the Seeker is solid, and the stealing was morally justified. But if it's not, this card can indicate a sneaky action that the Seeker should feel guilty about.  Example:  The Seeker stole money from her mother's purse in order to buy something fun for herself.  Her mother might not even miss the money—at least not immediately—but the Seeker knows she was wrong to steal it.

On a more elemental level, the Judgement card can also mean 'guilt' depending on what else is happening in the reading.  The Seeker may judge themselves, or be judged by others, as gravely at fault.  The guilt associated with a negative aspect of this card can be massive and long-lasting—the kind of thing a person can spend their entire lifetime trying to make atonement for.  Interestingly, the guilt associated with this card may be way out of proportion to what the Seeker thinks they are responsible for.  Example:  The Seeker is convinced that, as a child, they 'caused' their parents to get divorced by getting in trouble and bringing shame on the family, so they refuse to ever get married themselves 'for fear' of putting a child of their own in this kind of position.  (Punishment and forgiveness are also aspects of Judgement, which is something to consider.)

Edited by Chariot
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