Bohemian Gothic Tarot

TEN OF SWORDS

Lighter or more conventional meanings

Mourning and grief * Reaching a low point * Sorrow and regret * A psychological breakdown * Feeling desolated * Emotional exhaustion * Hitting an extreme low - but from here things should get better.

Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings

Anxieties about death * Coming to terms with a tragic event * Finding it hard to move on after some momentous change or shift in your life * Feeling hopeless.

This is one of the saddest cards in the deck and the image on this card is quite unambiguous; a woman kneels weeping in front of a gravestone. It's dusk and the whole scene is gloomy and bleak. Behind is nothing but sea and sky and the woman appears to be quite alone.

The Ten of Swords is another of those cards (a high proportion of which are in the Swords suit) that can be unwelcome in a reading. It speaks of despair, desolation and a feeling that you've reached the lowest point in your emotional and mental well-being. All this makes it sound as though getting this card in a spread is something of a disaster. It's certainly only rarely that it can be read as positive, but it isn't entirely negative either. There is a certain closure indicated in the Ten of Swords and this in itself can be healing. It can even, in some circumstances, be a comforting card because it recognises our grief and our need to mourn. Remember too that it often points to events that are already past; it usually does not always predict doom and gloom.

Our sorrow could be over something quite small and temporary - maybe we've lost a sentimental piece of jewellery, or had a quarrel with a close friend. We may be feeling anguish over something life-changing, such as a serious loss or bereavement. But whatever the situation, it's helpful to recognise the pain, and allow ourselves time and space to lament. The Ten of Swords assures us that we've reached the lowest point in our troubles and that things from now on will begin to improve. There is a sense of completion in this card and that in itself can be a solace. When we see the Ten of Swords in a reading, it often marks the beginning of recovery. Don't be afraid of this card; accept that life does have its tragedies as well as its joys and acknowledge the necessity to deal with our emotions as we go through a time of sorrow.

Some further ways to consider this card

Who is this woman and what is her relationship to the person buried in this grave? The Two of Wands also shows a scene set on a cliff with the sea in the background. Do you see any possible association between the two cards?

Like one who, on a lonely road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And, having once turned round, walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.