The Ten of Swords, like many of the swords cards, has a generally negative and harsh message. This is the card for betrayal and hitting rock bottom, either due to your own actions or the actions of your enemies.
Just by looking at this card, its meaning is clear.
The Ten of Swords is about being stabbed in the back. Traditionally, this tarot card shows a dead man lying face-down on the ground, with ten bloody swords sticking out of his body.
Although the general meaning of this card is brutal, it also carries a message that the past is over. It no longer holds you and you are free to move in any new direction you choose. That’s a freeing and positive thought!
You’re in the muck right now, though. There is a sense of total loss and defeat and you are at the absolute bottom. This is a painful and unwanted ending, but you can’t deny the situation any longer.
What is done is done. Your only option is to accept this fact and move on.
While there will be many tears and regret, once you put the past behind you and choose a future path, you will be able to move quickly onto something better.
Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it is bad. This difficult and terrible situation will open the door for something new and wonderful to happen.
In a more literal sense, this card can indicate back pain, surgery, or relapsing back into addiction.
Keywords for the Ten of Swords Tarot Card
- A complete and painful ending
- Enemies, backstabbing, defeat
- Hitting rock bottom, relapse
- Back surgery or pain
Keywords for the Ten of Swords Reversed
- Seeking redemption
- Healing an old wound
- Finding the courage to start over
Patterns and Correspondences of the Ten of Swords Card
- The Swords = rules the mental and intellectual world
- Suit of cards = spades
- Timeline = hours to days
- Number 10 = beginning again with wisdom
- Zodiac sign = Gemini
- Element = Air
Keep reading for sample tarot readings using The Ten of Swords card, but first…
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Ten of Swords Tarot Card Meanings for Love
No good news here, unfortunately. The Ten of Swords tarot card indicates a complete and painful ending, with the added bonus of betrayal and crisis.
This does not bode well if you are struggling to maintain a relationship. This card isn’t a guarantee for a breakup, but you are facing the ending of something. It may be the end of the relationship, but it may be the end of a phase or role in your life.
This is a difficult time, but whatever happens will open the door to something better. Wallowing in the heartbreak will draw out your pain. Accept what has happened and let it go. Forgiveness is required, not optional.
If you are looking for new love, it is imperative you release and forgive all of your past partners and love role-models. You will be unable to move into a healthy relationship unless you completely move on from your past.
You would benefit from therapy or counseling to identify the beliefs and patterns keeping you stuck.
Overall, expect communication to be blocked and difficult.
Ten of Swords Tarot Card Meanings for Work
You have enemies at work who are working behind the scenes to damage your reputation. Unfortunately, if they are successful, there isn’t much you can do other than accept the defeat, learn your lessons, and move on.
The best revenge will be to start over with gratitude, joy, and a bigger, better plan. You don’t ever have to stoop to their level. They will stay stuck mired in their manipulations and gossip, and you will rise above their petty fears to create a life they can only dream about.
Keep your standards high and keep your focus on the future. Let the past go.
You must forgive yourself for all of your past mistakes and personal failings. They are in the past and you are now a new person. You have learned from your mistakes and grown stronger.
Open yourself up to completely new opportunities and don’t taint the present by holding on to grudges or expectations from the past.
Ten of Swords Tarot Card Meanings for Health
This card often indicates back pain or surgery. If you are suffering from pain or problems, the only remedy is to seek help. You can’t fix these problems on your own.
Consider alternative options like acupuncture, massage, or yoga before jumping straight into surgery. Do everything you can to get this problem solved.
If you are carrying old resentments, grudges, and bitter feelings toward people or events in your past, please release them. The stress and negativity is affecting your health (even if it doesn’t seem like it).
You must release the past so you can move on to a better future.
Ten of Swords Tarot Card Meanings for Money and Finances
Keep your money close and don’t trust anyone who offers you an investment that seems too good to be true. Even your closest friends and family can betray you (intentionally or by mistake).
If you have made horrendous financial decisions in the past, forgive yourself and begin to take small steps in the present to improve your situation. Forgiveness is an on-going habit, so continue to release your past pains as you build your new future.
Starting over is actually a blessing. This time, you’ll have the benefit of the lessons you’ve learned, the mistakes you’ve made, and the knowledge you’ve gained. You are ready to create wealth and true financial security.
Ten of Swords Tarot Card Meanings for Spiritual Guidance
Before you can attend to spiritual matters, you must forgive yourself and the others who have hurt you.
You can’t live in the past and at the same time expect to be present in your life. It’s one or the other. Meditation and prayer will help, but the key is forgiveness.
You only have one moment – this moment – to live your life. Don’t waste this precious time by holding on tightly to something that no longer exists.
Once the past no longer holds you, you are free to move in a new direction toward what matters. You’ll be able to live your life with joy and purpose, without the pain, weight, and stress you’re currently carrying.