Nine of Swords – Cruelty: Divinatory Meanings

Cruelty means the state of being cruel. In law, the conduct of a spouse that causes mental harm or physical suffering.

The Nine of Swords shows that the continued dissociated thinking from the Eight of Swords results in gloom, despondency and despair. We are all doomed to suffering and sorrow. Everything is death and decay.

Book of Thoth – Cruelty

The Nine of Swords is called Cruelty. Here the original disruption inherent in Swords is raised to its highest power. The card is ruled by Mars in Gemini; it is agony of mind. The Ruach consumes itself in this card; thought has gone through every possible stage, and the conclusion is despair. This card has been very adequately drawn by Thomson in “The City of Dreadful Night”. It is always a cathedral — -a cathedral of the damned. There is the acrimonious taint of analysis; activity is inherent in the mind, yet there is always the instinctive consciousness that nothing can lead anywhere.

The Magical Image of the Second Face of Gemini in Picatrix

In the second face  of Gemini ascends a man in whose hand is a Pipe, and another being bowed down, digging the earth: and they signify infamous and dishonest agility, as that of Jesters and jugglers; it also signifies labours and painful searchings.

The second face of Gemini is ruled by Venus from June 1st-10th

The comedy of clowns is rooted in cruelty in some form.