Top Five Tarot Cards: Being a Badass
Yes, there are tarot cards that mean it’s time to be a badass. There’s a tarot card for everything right?! There are two primary definitions of what it means to be a badass. The first is someone who is ready to cause or get into trouble. The second is someone of formidable strength and skill.
In my experience, it is the willingness to take a risk, to test the boundaries, and maybe muck things up a bit that allows a true badass to develop that formidable strength. It is through action that we grow, both in skill and in self-esteem.
Practice and experimentation help us discern what works and what doesn’t, increasing our abilities. Estimable actions create self-confidence and self-trust. The badass comes to exist and expand through taking chances, persistent hard work, giving zero shits about when other people naysay, and continuing to act even when obstacles appear.
Here are 5 tarot cards that will show up when you are doing that work of becoming and inhabiting your inner badass:
V of Swords- It’s time to do what’s best for you… even if it means breaking some golden rules.
The V of Swords speaks to the tension that exists between what you are supposed to do and what you want to do. For example, you are probably required to go to a job on someone else’s schedule and do work for someone else. (Perhaps you are lucky and that schedule works for you and your passionate about the work. But this certainly isn’t most people and the job is just a placeholder here, it could be something like a living situation or a relationship for you.) What you’d rather do is work that you enjoy and on your own timetable. How do you navigate this discrepancy between what is required of you and what you want to do?
Most of the time you simply suck it up, conform, and do what’s expected of you. The circumstances make it seem like the option of choosing to be a badass and rebel against the rules doesn’t seem worth it. And sometimes it’s not worth the effort but sometimes, like when the V of Swords shows up in a reading, you feel called to do battle against the pressures of society. Instead of trudging along, business as usual, you question, you act out, and you break the mold. You decide to put your own needs first instead of putting someone else’s needs first.
Yes, this battle will probably involved tearing some things down or burning some bridges. You will probably hurt people’s feelings or make their lives less easy. You might lose your job (or quit!). People may feel betrayed and confused. But life is messy! The badass in you knows that you can’t please everyone. The call has come to do what works best for you, what makes the most sense to you, what benefits you. You will act first and apologize later. You’ll get yours and hopefully make up for it when the time is right. This type of badass definitely causes trouble but it’s logical and practical trouble. It relieves the tension between what everyone else wants from you and what you want for yourself. You decide to accept the consequences of the trouble and cause it anyway.
VII of Swords- It’s time to do things on your own… especially if some asshats are trying to hold you back.
When you draw the VII of Swords, it means you’re ready to be the lone wolf, a pack of one, doing your own thing. This may look like anti-social behavior to others, but to you, it’s what needs to happen to hold onto your sanity and survive in this world. Let other people say what they will, you can handle their criticism like a badass. You can even understand their perspective because you’ve been part of the pack before and know how tempting it is to keep others in line so that you feel like the pack’s prerogatives come first. You just can’t live that way anymore. Now your own priorities are more important than keeping the peace or staying in the pack.
There’s a good chance this is happening because the pace of change is too slow within the group you’re breaking away from. The VII of Swords grumbles that you’re ready to get this show on the road and everyone else is dragging their feet. You’re not gonna wait around for some nonsense, you’re going to go out on your own. You can be your own boss. You can be your own landlord. You can be single and carefree. You can take the money and run. It’s time for your ideas to come first, your needs to be met first, your projects to take center stage. You deserve it!
You deserve it because no one else is as good at this thing as you are anyway! You are smart. You have innovative ideas. You have the skills and resources you need to do this thing all on your own badass terms. The truth is that you’re probably going to make some mistakes and hit some roadblocks when you go out on your own. You don’t know everything. You can’t know everything until you try, though. That’s why you need the armor of a badass to do this type of work. It’s not going to be easy. You won’t have help or backup because you scorned the group. Once again, your people are going to feel betrayed and hurt by your badassery and that is going to make your objectives more difficult since you won’t have support. You’ll need to develop that formidable strength and skill of a badass so you can keep going. It won’t be easy out there alone, but it will make you grow.
VII of Wands- It’s time to fight for what you believe in…and sometimes you gotta pick a fight.
The VII of Wands requires you take the offensive. You are ready to fight for what you believe in. You hope for the high ground and the resources to take a stand, but you’re going to fight for what you want no matter your circumstances. And it’s going to be tough. The road tends to be bumpy for a badasses. That’s because you are making waves when it comes to societal rules and expectations. You’re making an opposing argument. You’re going against the grain.
Badasses work best when they know what they stand for, what they are fighting for. If you’re going to assert yourself, be sure that you feel a deep passion for the fight, otherwise you’re probably going to burn out or lose spirit when things get tough. Spend some time gaining clarity of purpose, delving into the why behind your fight. Having a clear sense of why you’re fighting gives you confidence and helps you develop a positive self image as a warrior for a cause. Know what your truth is, know what you stand for, find what matters to you much more than fitting in or staying safe.
If you’re already on your badass way and have made some progress towards spreading your message, the VII of Wands can come up when you need to defend yourself. If people are listening to your badass mission to change the world, there’s a good chance you now have competition trying to claim your ideas and take over your role on top. You will be challenged. Followers will come and try to take your place. Everyone wants to be the star when the concept is proven, but you’re the badass who proved it so you have a leg to stand on here. You’ll have to fight to keep yourself relevant and powerful. You need to always be learning, developing, and improving. If you want to stay in power, you’re going to have to fight for it like a badass.
One of the keys to making your fight effective is to have a lot of weapons at hand. I’m not talking about literal armaments, but rather: effective arguments, coping mechanisms, deep wells of stamina, and a profound sense of right in your soul. Do your research so that your talking points are ready. Find what soothes and comforts you when times are tough. Don’t miss out on self care because a warrior needs time to rest and heal between battles. Being a badass requires a long game, so you need to figure out how to develop stamina and perseverance. You can do this!
Knight of Wands- It’s time to chase what matters to you… especially if it’s trying to get away.
Life doesn’t often offer you what you want on a silver platter. You have to reach for it. You have to hustle. You have to give it your all and really go after it. That’s what the Knight of Wands is all about in a reading. You’re ready for action. You’re ready to follow your dreams and passions. You’re ready to take risks and be adventurous. You’re ready to be a badass.
Life is also short. There isn’t time to pursue every single one of your passions. You can’t chase every dream. You have to make decisions. You have to choose a path. You need to choose wisely, but at the same time, you can’t overanalyze or waste too much time researching all your options. The Knight of Wands knows how to go after a gut feeling. You know how to be courageous and choose without all the information or being sure of the outcome. You’re determined and brave and that will take you a long way.
Others may call you impulsive, but they don’t know what you know inside. You listen to your intuition. You listen for your soul calling. You know to pause for a beat to make sure that feeling isn’t the voice of someone else and their dreams or a bad case of indigestion or heartburn. After that quick pause for a check in, you go, go, go! The Knight of Wands charges forward without hesitation like a badass on a mission. You’re ready to gallop towards your objective, even if other’s think you are hasty or crazy. You’re not gonna let this thing get away. You’re chasing it because you know it matters.
And say it was a false trail? Or maybe you fail because you acted too quickly? The Knight of Wands couldn’t care less. You know that that pursuit was necessary. No trails are false because you always learn something important that you can use on your next great hunt. You can’t fail because you’re always expanding your knowledge and eventually that knowledge will add up to the wisdom to make really good decisions. This badass knows that taking risks is part of the deal and isn’t going to criticize or berate yourself for the setbacks that are inevitable in life. No one knows how to do something without learning and trying, and the Knight of Wands isn’t afraid to get in a heap of trouble on the way to a worthwhile objective.
The Devil- It’s time to obsess about the dream… and take no prisoners.
No list of badasses is complete with the ultimate badass, The Devil. This guy seriously knows his stuff and isn’t going to take any shit from anyone. The Devil isn’t afraid of the dark side, of the dangerous side, or of taking some calculated risks. The Devil can be tricky and cunning and you may need these qualities if you’re going to make the badass moves that you want to make. In fact, the Devil know instinctively that you have to play with fire in order to cook up something really tasty.
And instinct is the operative word here. The Devil moves from a baser place of deep knowing, unworried and unconcerned with convention. A base instinct may be interpreted as wicked or sordid, but it can also be seen as foundational and substrata. This is a basic need you have, not a want. A need that can’t be ignored. A need that is essential. When you follow the instinctual path of the Devil your meet your basic specific with appreciation, acceptance, and determination to act.
The Devil has a strong sense of ego and personal power. Other people may call this self-obsessed, narcissistic, or overly-ambitious. But you know deep down that what you’re doing is meaningful and necessary. Who cares what anyone else wants or what anyone else is doing? Just because you’re intense, doesn’t mean you are wrong. Just because other people don’t think you should do it, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. You’re willing to hurt people’s feelings, not playing by the rules of polite society. Remember, it isn’t easy to be a badass- it isn’t polite, and it certainly isn’t nice.
The Devil also gets shit done. When you use Devil energy you can focus to the point of obsession. You go after a project or task with focus and dedication. Your concentration and commitment are all-consuming. This ability to block out all externalities and focus solely upon your objective means that you can now create serious headway. You are a badass who stays up nights, gets up early, doesn’t get distracted, and definitely doesn’t second-guess yourself. This may come across poorly to others, as you may be neglecting other duties and responsibilities in your life. But you’re willing to make a big of a mess in order to get this thing done. When you accept the consequences of your obsession, you can work quickly and diligently to bring your goal into fruition. It might not be nice and pretty, but that just wouldn’t be badass.
I hoped you enjoyed this Top 5 Tarot Cards for Being a Badass. Are there other cards that you would have chosen to represent a true badass in the tarot? Let me know in the comments!
If you want to read more of my Top 5 Tarot Cards series, check out some of these posts:
Top Five Tarot Cards: Falling in Love
Top Five Tarot Cards: A Happy Marriage