If You’ve Pulled These Tarot Cards, You’re In A Toxic Friendship

If you have a feeling you’re in a toxic friendship, well, you probably already know subconsciously that you are. Maybe you feel like your friend is using you, manipulating you, or just doesn’t seem to care about you as much as you care about them. 

These feelings might lead you to pursue a tarot reading focused on your friend. Performing a reading can help guide your feelings about the situation; the cards may advise you on how to heal yourself, how to withdraw from the relationship, or how to navigate the obstacles ahead of you. They may also reassure you that everything will turn out well in the end.

If you want to look out for signs of a toxic relationship within your tarot cards, there are a few specific cards to keep in mind. Just know that every tarot card has multiple meanings; receiving these cards in a friendship you trust and know is healthy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s toxic. But if you have a bad feeling about a friendship you’re in and are looking for reassurance, guidance, or confirmation, these are the cards you should keep an eye out for.

Seven of Swords

If you receive this card in a friendship reading, it’s likely to mean that your friend is using you for something. The friendship may not have started out this way, but now they are lying to you or manipulating you for their own gain. They could be using you to get what they want personally, professionally, or socially. They may also be manipulating you to hide an important truth from you.

The Seven of Swords advises you to use caution and stay alert when it comes to this friendship. Keep your boundaries in mind and do not allow yourself to fall victim to lies and manipulation. Set firm expectations from yourself and your friend to protect yourself, and withdraw from any relationships that feel fake or toxic.

The Devil

This card has many, many meanings. But if you receive it in a friendship reading, it could be a bad sign. It often indicates manipulation and that another person is in control of you. If you feel trapped in a bad friendship or like you are not in control of yourself whenever you are around your friend, the Devil may be warning you that it is time to break away from the friendship and take care of yourself instead.

Even if you’re not being manipulated, the Devil also represents codependency. Maybe you feel like you’re unhealthily entangled with a friend of yours; like they’re holding you back or you rely on one another to both of your detriments. The Devil can be a sign that this unhealthy pattern is leading to negative outcomes on both sides of the friendship. This card could appear to remind you that you must untangle yourself from these unhealthy relationships and grow as your own person outside of them.

Ten of Swords

The Ten of Swords often indicates a betrayal. This could mean that a friend you trusted or cared about will do something hurtful that will end the friendship. This card can also be an indicator that things will not end easily; that you may need to make the decision to end the friendship (or that you will have it ended for you) and that it will hurt you. 

Just remember that the Ten of Swords is also a reminder that, once the betrayal and pain of your lost friendship is over, you will begin a new chapter of your life and grow again. The betrayal can only happen once; it will allow you to grow yourself and break free of your toxic friendship in the end. Though the Ten of Swords can be a scary card to receive, it also invites you to start a new chapter for yourself once your toxic friendship has been ended.