Three Swords pierce a heart, a violent storm raging in the background. This rather grim card can be taken to symbolize how other people's ideas about you - or your ideas about them - are potentially very hurtful.

 

This card always reminds me of that No Doubt song:

 

Don't speak

I know just what you're saying
So please stop explaining 
Don't tell me cause it hurts 
Don't speak 
I know what you're thinking 
I don't need your reasons 
Don't tell me cause it hurts

 

Rejection, gossip, criticism, a revelation of something you'd rather not know - these can really sting. Harsh words can leave a lasting impression. But on some level, we need to hear these words. If someone bad-mouths you, better to know than to continue to believe they can be trusted. Criticism leveled at you can either have a point (allowing you to improve), or it doesn't and therefore shouldn't concern you. If your partner wants to break up with you, it's no use not wanting to hear them say it.

 

There's no way around the confrontation. We need to look the truth in the eye and let it hurt us. Only then can we process it, learn from it, develop a stronger mind, and know that we can move on.