Night falls, and I should be resting, feathers tucked, dreams carrying me into softness. But instead, I sit stiff on my perch, crest raised, eyes darting at every flicker in the dark. A shadow sweeps past the window—surely it’s danger. A branch scrapes the roof—it must be claws. Even the hum of the fridge jolts me, as if something unseen is creeping closer.
This is the Nine of Swords: the way fears multiply when the lights go out, how the mind invents monsters from every whisper of sound. On my perch, I feel them keenly. The world seems full of unseen hunters. Yet, with morning light, most of them vanish.
The card teaches me this: our fears in the night are often exaggerations of what is real. The swords are heavy, sharp, and close, but many exist only in the imagination. I must remind myself that not every sound is a predator, not every shadow a threat. And still, I honor the part of me that feels vulnerable, perched in darkness, aware of how fragile life is.
Message of the Card: The Nine of Swords calls you to look at what keeps you awake at night. Your fears may not be as large as they seem in the dark. With gentle self-compassion, you can quiet the wings that thrash inside and wait for dawn to reveal truth.
The Tarot Midwife 