​ The Five of Swords indicates conflicts, hostility, defeat and dishonor. The energy of the Five of Swords is very disruptive and it manifests as chaotic energies and people acting out of self-interest. The Nine of Wands is exhaustion and the desire to give up after a long fight. However, at the same time, it indicates perseverance, experience and determination. The Nine of Wands is a card of transition and includes all the lessons learned in the previous numbers. The combination of the Five of Swords and the Nine of Wands can be very draining, as the energies of both cards can be quite difficult to deal with.

• Wanting to give up after a fight
• Holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds
• Stubbornness
• Passive/Aggressive
• Extreme selfishness
• Hindering the resolution of a problem
• Feeling exhausted from fighting
• Standing one's ground in a hostile environment
• Protecting oneself from criminal activity/dishonesty
• Standing up after defeat
• Repeated arguments
• Making a last stand
• Struggling with life's lessons
• Feeling weary from conflicts

​ To understand the elemental relationships between the cards, we should always take into account their actual meaning. ​The elements of the cards are Air (​Five of Swords) and Fire (​Nine of Wands). Fire and Air reinforce each other, ​so the intensity of the energies that the cards represent in this case is very strong. We could imagine this combination as fire that gets out of control.