The Ten of Swords illustrates a man lying face down, obviously dead, with ten swords in his spine. A red coat wraps over the lower half of his body as a symbol of significance as he leaves this world. While the dark sky is clouded, the sun is rising, bringing a refreshed sense of hope. The tranquil sea also symbolizes peace, implying that even in moments of darkness, there is a feeling of calmness to be found.

Upright
Painful endings, deep wounds, betrayal, loss, crisis
Reversed
Recovery, regeneration, resisting an inevitable end
Astrology
Libra, Gemini, Aquarius
Element
Air
Ten of Swords

Upright Ten Of Swords

The Ten of Swords indicates an unpleasant yet necessary ending. For example, a relationship may get to an unexpected end, your job may be ended. It is as if this conclusion has come out of the sudden and shook your world. You could have never assumed it, but now it has arrived, leaving you thinking as if the world has crashed around you. You are suffering the pain of this unexpected end.

When the Ten of Swords shows up, you may be the victim of another person’s betrayal or dishonesty. You may feel as they stabbed you in the back. The pain is deep not because their behavior is painful, but because this indicates the end of your connection with them. 

Even if you have been hurt or deceived, you now have a choice to pick yourself up and move forward with your life, rather than hoping someone will take compassion on you.

Therefore, the Ten of Swords is admitting your current condition. You no longer hold change but let it happen, even if it creates pain. You understand that there must be a difference to help restoration, and you allow it to occur.

The good message is that the Ten of Swords indicates the final difficulty – no more sadness will happen to you from that source. You must feel the full meaning of what has happened before you can move ahead and start again. 

Pick yourself up and think about what occurred to you, and what you can acquire from the event. When you do this, the pain will fade, and you will shortly see why all of this required to occur so that you can develop into your whole potential.

Reversed Ten Of Swords

The reversed Ten of Swords shows that you are fighting an undeniable transformation or ending because you are not able to face up to what is occurring. However, the more you hold, the more this situation will continue to hurt you, so it’s time to get this over with so you can start again. Believe that everything is appearing for a purpose.

The reversed Ten of Swords urges you to review and free any perspective of your life that is not helping you. Rather than staying on your hurtful past, it is necessary to look forward and realize how these issues free you up. 

Finally, the reversed Ten of Swords can show up as a pleasing sign that the pain and sorrow you have been experiencing is stopping. When this card is upside-down, the swords look to be falling, liberating him of the pain. You are clearing the memories of the past and letting yourself the chance to move forward with hope for the future.