Excerpt from Dark Days Tarot Guidebook by Emily Mundy:
Four of Swords
The subject of this card is not yet dead nor defeated, only resting in a prayerfully contemplative pose. Three swords are put away and only one remains taught in hand, gleaming as the reserve of inner strength and power. Solitude’s gift is one of time and centering, so you can regenerate both internal and external resources. In a reading, this card upright directs the querent to be a witness to themselves. This is a time to retreat in observation of your methods and motivations, recurring thoughts and dreams. Reversed, you are nudged to look into your inner world for the answers to quieting the present clamor. There is current room to strengthen your relationship to yourself.
Suggested prompts:
upright: rest; inner-retreat; rejuvenation
right: quiet; solitude
left: unrest; busy-bodiness
reversed: distraction; manic movement; exhaustion