The Ten of Swords - Painful Endings in the Tarot
The Ten of Swords is a card that calls us to face the end.
Hit play below to listen to the audio lesson, or scroll down to read the text version.
To give you a bit of context whilst you reflect on your own relationship to the card, here are a few key things to know about the Ten of Swords.
Traditionally, the Ten of Swords is a card about endings - unhappy ones - at least at face value anyway. The Rider Waite Smith version certainly brings the drama through in the illustration:
A body lies prostrate, face down on the shore. Ten swords stick out of from the figure’s back. Overhead, a black sky hangs over the scene, but far out in the distance, across the deathly still water there’s the golden gleam of the sun on the horizon.
When this card comes up in a reading, it can represent a difficult situation that has come to a final, painful conclusion, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and defeated. Or, it might signal that you need to create an end to something negative in your life that’s been dragging on and on.
The card is an invitation to reflect on situations in your life that feel like they have reached a difficult and painful end. It could be a relationship or job that has ended - or needs to. Or it could nod to any other element in your life that is painfully leaving you behind, or that you must choose to leave behind yourself, even if it hurts to do.
Even though the Ten of Swords can be a challenging card to receive, it can also represent transformation and new beginnings. Thanks to that golden horizon, the card can be a reminder that even though things may feel hopeless right now, there is still a chance for growth and renewal.
In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key themes and symbols in the card might be telling you. What lessons can you take away from this situation, and how can you use those lessons to grow and become stronger? And remember that even though it may feel like the end of the world right now, you have the power to create a new beginning.
This mini-tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot. I hope you gained a little context to help you continue reflecting on the card in your own way, and I’ll see you tomorrow for another mini-lesson.