Can’t heal it if you don’t feel it.
This is one of the simplest and most direct images in the RWS deck. Just a heart run through by three Swords; the sky is grey and cloudy, and it is raining. Heartache, deep pain. An unwelcome card if it describes an outcome.
There can be some positive meanings to this card, however. First, there will always be painful times in life, when plans go awry or hopes are dashed. Pain is inevitable, but it need not be entirely a bad thing.
The saying, “can’t heal it if you don’t feel it” is a summary of an important concept. Often when we feel hurt, we stifle that emotion, shove it down so we no longer are aware of it. Sometimes this is necessary in order for us to continue to function; sometimes it is only a convenient expedient. In either case, buried pain does not get healed. We need to recognize these hurts before we can heal them and move on.
Three of Swords is not limited to buried pain; it may refer to a painful outcome of events. Sometimes it serves as a warning that a course of action may have a negative outcome. Heeding the warning might enable you to avoid some heartache.
In other contexts it may be saying, in effect, “You can have success, but it will cost you some heartache.” That is to say, the Querent might be willing to pay the price, for the sake of the goal. An example might be leaving an abusive relationship, or stopping some addictive behavior. It may be painful in the beginning, even though in the long run it will lead to more peace.