I agree with previous posts: Look at the sky with air-ruled swords
THE FIVE OF SWORDS
An ambiguous sky on the Five of Swords clears the air for your defeat. As this card falls in a spread, it might plunge you into the depths of individual loss as it signals unfair success of a treacherous adversary. Through this card, a typical duality within the Swords Suit turns into duplicity. Occasionally you defeat an enemy with slicing intellect or unethical deeds. Suffering personal downfall, however, offers a primary meaning of the Five of Swords. Despite a supreme effort, you will likely lose. The Five of Swords is about not only defeat and disappointment; it also warns that dismay after failure can spiral you into progressive decline. Accept defeat; learn from it and then move on to the next challenge in life. Good losers graciously admit losing but true winners study a setback to uncover the reasons for failure and then congratulate opponents, while quietly resolving to improve. As Mark Twain imparts, “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
If the Five of Swords appears in a reading and you have won, there is still a caution to observe. Like the two swords on the ground, arrogance and pride are often the trophies of tough disputes. Do not assume you are invincible. Conquering an antagonist might cause you to think you have a right to feel proud but resist a temptation to gloat. Smirking, like the man on this card, invites another attack. It simply boils down to the Golden Rule of Christianity: “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” If you prefer the Hindu approach in an oversimplified version, accept “What goes around comes around.” Either way, this universe offers a means to level the playing field. Rise above attempts at vengeance if you ache from a recent defeat; also avoid glaring displays of pride as you overcome an adversary. Proclaiming invincibility encourages people to prove you wrong. If your conquest came from unscrupulous action, expect an attempt at revenge. When you suffer defeat, remember, “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord” or just leave it to Karma. Every major religion on the face of this planet provides a cure for devious ailments and you are not the doctor.
An intriguing aspect emerges from imagery on the Five of Swords. Unlike typical gray sky in the suit, conflicted heavens, which offer both blue sky of clarity and clouds of confusion, appear on this card. Showing aftermath of a conflict, symbolism on many Waite/ Smith variants portrays a victorious man and two defeated opponents. In showing a man with two swords at his feet, this card details the plunder of a conquest. Since he already holds three swords, his prizes represent little more than an empty victory. Perhaps the winner did not truly defeat the other two men in combat. Possibly the pair dropped their swords before walking away. Either they feared losing or knew winning would be a futile exercise. In a sense, they win by deciding not to fight; because realizing when fighting serves no purpose, allows wisdom to become a shield. In this symbolism, there lurks the ominous warning to fight is to lose: Keep this in mind if a conflict is at hand.
In numerology, the number five has strong ties to the notion of autonomy. This card shows two people who know that freedom sometimes comes with a price. Two of the strongest characteristics linked to five are movement and change: Symbolism on this card implies both energies. Despite a devastating defeat shown on the Five of Swords, two of these people are still free to progress and create new enterprises. The fifth path in the Swords saga leads to new ideas and undertakings, which mirrors the Venus in Aquarius astrological influence on this card. Although two defeated men forfeit a price for liberty, keep in mind that freedom is truly priceless. Autonomy, strongly embraced by numerological and astrological factors, offers powerful influence to this card and teaches you to move on after defeat, with your head held high. Anyone who employs treachery to win is no winner at all, in a broader sense because deceit will eventually lead to his or her undoing. This five emerges as singularly the best card in Tarot to illustrate that old adage “It is not whether you win, or lose: It is how you play the game.”