Upright Keywords
ruin, failure, bitterness, collapse, exhaustion, dead end, victimization, betrayal
Reversed Keywords
survival, improvement, healing, lessons learned, despair, relapse
Another one ofthe most striking and ominous cards in the deck, the Ten of Swords shows a manlying flat on the ground with his face facing the dirt. He is covered with ared cloth from the chest down to his legs. Ten long swords arestabbed into his back, he may not have seen this end coming. There is aterrible stillness in the air: the sky above him is black and cloudyindicating the fear and negativity associated with death. The waters infront of him are still, with no ripples - adding to the eerie stillnessand finality of this card. Looking into the horizon, in the east, the sunis rising, and the weather seems very calm despite the darkness. The Tenof Swords seems to intimate that this is the lowest point in one's life,and it cannot get worse than this. At least, even in this state, the sun isrising.
The Ten of Swordsindicate a major disaster of some sort. It shows that a certain force ofextreme magnitude has come to hit you in your life - one that you may have notforeseen. There is a sense of betrayal that is indicated here, for thecharacter is stabbed in the back. This seems to be a reminder that despite howmuch we try, we cannot control everything - there are things that are beyondour ability to change. Here, this situation is unavoidable.
The tale ofthe suit of swords is a powerful metaphor, one that ends in tragedy. The swordsare a symbol of the intellect, of intelligence and logic, and yet we find thefinal culmination of this suit a complete and total defeat of the spirit. Wemust realize that the swords are a weapon that can have immense potential fordestruction or for good. The story as it unfolds from the ace to the ten is onewhere an untrained individual uses this weapon for faulty reasons - makes manymistakes, and then spends an entire lifetime attempting to run away from thepower that he misused.
The story as itunfolds from the ace to the ten is one where an untrained individual uses thisweapon for faulty reasons - makes many mistakes, and then spends an entirelifetime attempting to run away from the power that he misused.
This personbelieves the swords are external to him when they are part of him, and whenthey inevitably return, he once again suffers. His pain is not the pain of hiscircumstances usually, but the pain of fear, of anxiety, of not being able tobe a master of his surroundings. After the hopelessness of the nine of swords,what could have happened? Were you overwhelmed by the pressure? Or did you takethe final sword upon yourself and admit defeat?
The Ten ofSwords depicts that situation where your mentality is ‘poor me’, you feel likethere is nothing you can do. Pause and remember that as with the deathcard, the end of something means a new beginning. Let go of what you have lost,and focus on the new path forward because that is where your life ismeant to go. A good example is a break-up with your partner - thoughit could be intensely painful, it could also be the beginning of a newsense of independence.
Upright Love Meaning
breakup, separation, sadness, grief, pain, infidelity
Upright Career Meaning
loss of job, office politics, breakdown from stress, burnout
Upright Finances Meaning
financial loss, failed investment
Unfortunately,the 10 of Swords tarot love meaning can indicate a relationship that is comingto its end, or a period of time filled with suffering, bitterness, grief andpain. Likely, the relationship was headed towards failure of some sort, and youmay have already seen it coming. Sometimes, this card can also suggestbetrayal, indicating infidelity. While this period of time may be incrediblydifficult, you’ll need to come to terms with it and accept the inevitable end.Singles may be dealing with similar feelings that have lingered after a pastrelationship. Only with acceptance, can you truly heal, and move forward. Theworst has happened, and despite how it looks, it can only get better fromhere.
In the worstcase, you may be reaching the end of your current job right now, as the 10 ofSwords signifies endings, and cutting one’s connections. Sometimes, this cardcan also suggest that you may be dealing with office politics that have leftyou defeated; perhaps colleagues have been spreading gossip. Alternatively, youmay instead have been working very hard, pushing yourself to collapse, andforced to take a rest. All of this may have been necessary for you to grow;when you go forward and heal from this ordeal, think of what you have learned,and know that you will survive.
Your financialsituation may be grim. You may have put your money into something that has notyielded fruit, and you may be dealing with losses right now. Ensure that youcut all expenses related to this failing endeavor, and instead be cautiousabout your resources. Avoiding risk can be beneficial for you now.
When we seeany version of the Ten of Swords , the feelings are powerful. Whetherreversed or upright, the card signals the finality of defeat. There is no wayto avoid this tragedy - it has happened over a long course of events that havebeen a long time coming.
With thereversal though, also comes to a recognition that you have hit rock bottom,there is no more that is left for you to give. With that also comes the releasethat things can only get better and the cycle can start anew. But like with theeight and nine of swords, this release must be initiated by you. There is anopportunity being presented here to correct what has hurt you, but you mustmake the effort to climb out yourself. What has happened was terrible, buteveryone has a part in the responsibility.
Reversed Love Meaning
healing from past, putting relationship back together
Reversed Career Meaning
changed jobs, found less stressful work
Reversed Finances Meaning
avoided financial ruin or bankruptcy
You may havemany scars from past romantic wounds, but the reversed 10 of Swords tarot lovemeaning can suggest that you may be on your way towards healing. If you are ina relationship, the bonds between you and your lover that seemed permanentlysevered before may be healing. In other cases, the relationship may havealready collapsed, but you have managed to cope. There may still be feelings ofanger and despair, but also recognition of the lessons that this heartbreak hastaught you. It is likely you’ll be able to recover from this situation withmore strength than ever.
Your path tohealing from past stresses is getting started. You may have changed jobsrecently, or left a job that was creating lots of frustration, anger andresentment for you. Whatever had happened, the worst of it is now over. You canbreathe a sigh of relief that what is ahead will be easier to deal with.However, this card can instead suggest that this stressful time is gettingworse, and that unless you do something to distance yourself from it, you areon the verge of collapse. You’ll need to weigh whether your mental health isworth the amount of suffering you are going through.
You may havebeen on the brink of financial failure, but you may have been able to narrowlymiss it. You can also be recovering from a loss of resources, like bankruptcyor a divorce, and you may finally be getting on stable foundations again.
If you’ve beencommunicating about finances poorly, you may be dealing with the consequencesright now. Lack of clarity about your own financial situation could also be theculprit. Perhaps you lent money to a friend or a family member, who has failedto pay you back, or you may have given or spent more than you could actuallyafford. You’ll need to make sure that you’re more clear about your ownboundaries and limits next time.
BooksArtworkBlanketPremium boxPresentatieThis project is made by Jan Otte for his final project at Ap hogeschool.
You can find more of his work at his personal website.