The Ten of Swords [Upright]

The ten of swords is quite a shocking tarot card image, depicting a man laying face down on the floor. All ten swords are upright in his back – surely he is dead?

He lays still under the night sky in an almost peaceful pose. Beneath the horror, there’s a sense of calm and peace. This suggests that the death here is of who you were.

The end probably came quickly and was unexpected. Perhaps it’s the end of dreams, hopes, and ideas, but there’s the promise of renewal too.

Ten of Swords Keywords [Upright]

• Failure
• Backstabbing
• Exhaustion
• Betrayal
• Dead ends
• Bitterness

Ten of Swords Meaning [Upright]

The ten of swords tells of endings. Often these are sudden, shocking, and unwelcome. Perhaps you lost a job that seemed secure, or your partner walked away from a marriage with no warning.

It’s tough to cope with unexpected things. Like the sudden death of a healthy child, partner, or parent, the brakes on a new car failing or having your bag stolen on a Saturday afternoon.

Whatever event pierced your trust bubble, you have been thrown severely off course.

This is the point in life where you could retreat from others. You could take to your bed like the figure in the tarot image and lay down in a bed of sorrow and grief. However, the ten of swords tarot card suggests you don’t play the victim role.

Even if we cannot control what life serves us, we can take charge of our responses to those events. Only you can stand up and turn things around, and a desire to depend on yourself rather than wait to be rescued is your secret weapon. This card reminds you the power ultimately lies in your own hands.

Key Points – Love [Upright]

• The upright ten of swords has some positive things to say on the love and romance front. If you have a dying relationship, then now is the time to let it go. There’s no need to put up with less than you want, need, and deserve.
• It’s never a failure to let something die a natural death. The weakness is to ignore things and hope they’ll magically recover. However, if critically bad things are going o, like violence, cheating, or coercive control, please don’t wait. It’s OK to kill those connections stone dead.
• Single people need to let go of previous bad experiences to move on to form healthier relationships. If you carry baggage from one thing to another, the chances of things working are drastically reduced.

Key Points – Money [Upright]

• The upright ten of swords suggests you may need to cut your losses with a financial investment that’s gone wrong. Be ready to call it quits and move on, learning an important lesson from this experience.

Key Points - Career [Upright]

• TThe upright ten of swords often shows up when ties to a job or career direction are going to be cut. Sometimes the separation isn’t as drastic as moving on completely.
• Perhaps a troublesome boss or colleague will be the one to disappear, leaving you free to reestablish your position and feel comfortable again. Or it could be that a misunderstanding is resolved, which then improves the working environment for everyone.