In traditional playing cards, the suit of spades (or swords in Tarot) represent the "cutting away" aspect of a game. The Ace of spades notoriously stands for death. When playing the card game of Spades, the power to capture the cards in play rests in the hand of the player with the most spades. The root, the power and the court of spades are below.
The power of "knowing" is at the core of the spade/sword card. This suit represents the world of Briah, creation and the sphere of Chochmah, wisdom. In the beginning was the One Mind and it manifested the capacity for intelligence. Separating itself from emotion, the intellect of humankind is responsible for REASON. One must rise above base feelings of the flesh and use the skill of discernment before taking any action. Think before you act. When you make a decision, you "cut away from" other choices. Just as an incision cuts into something, a decision cuts also, but then separates the pieces and eliminates all but one piece. This is why many of the spades/swords represent a kind of death. Not all, but most of the spades/swords represent negative aspects of life: 6 out of 9 decans (36 of 40 pips) do not reveal happy cards. In fact, they are often dreaded.
Notice in the three decan cards above how the air sign of Gemini is situated below the single Hebrew letter, Zayin, meaning "sword." The letter resembles a sword. Imagine each of the swords above piercing through the sign of Gemini. Literally, you are cutting "twins" apart in order to distinguish one from the other! Cutting a bond in the 8 of spades might be an act of kindness from one point of view. In the 9 of spades, one finds the giver or receiver of pain. And finally, the 10 of spades reveals how some choices lead to fruition and other choices lead to death. The cliche of "getting paid back in spades" expresses "a decisive, complete, no doubt defeat." For example, "if I suffer a real or imagined injury from you, and I retaliate with disproportionate vigor, I have paid you back in spades."
Is life akin to a game of cards? "Each player (of life) must accept the cards life deals him or her; but once they are in hand, he or she alone must DECIDE how to play the cards in order to win the game." Voltaire (1694-1778)
www.etsy.com/shop/LunataTarot for reading or purchase Adept's Tarot deck. YL 2020
I didn't even mention the awesome power and reputation of the Queen of Spades! She can be a bitch, I understand. Her intellect and cunning could help you or hurt you. Both?