Tarot in My Life: Ten of Swords - Get Over It!

"Get over it, Get over it,
All this whinin' and cryin' and pitchin' a fit
Get over it, get over it"
~ The Eagles

      When I first started learning and reading tarot cards, I cringed when I would see the Ten of Swords. Along with the Three of Swords, the Devil and Death, it is one of the most halting cards in Tarot.

      Lately it has come up often in the online tarot readings that I have been doing at Biddy Tarot. I think the Universe is trying to teach me something about its meaning as I help and guide others through their journey by answering their questions. I don't sugar coat this card when it comes up. I will interpret the card as fully as possible for the given situation and card position. Although the character depicted in the card (in each of my decks) seems in terrible pain with ten swords sticking into his back, I inform the querent to be aware that some struggle is in their life now, or was in the recent past, or may occur in the future.

      When I had this card come up in the first position in a Celtic Cross reading, I wanted to re-shuffle the cards and start over! I wanted to figuratively run from this card. But to have integrity as a tarot reader, I HAD to address the issue -whatever it was- in my querent’s life. If I didn't, I wouldn't be helping her, or be able to fully interpret her story in the full 10-card spread.  So, I took a deep breath and asked myself, what else can I learn about this card for my querent? My aha moment came as I looked more closely at the card to see the sun rising on the horizon!

      The Ten of Swords shows up when we have been going through a rough time in our lives. When physically we are feeling at the very bottom of our energy level, mentally we feel used up, and spiritually we feel like there is no hope. Sometimes, the Ten of Swords indicates a period of time in our lives when we feel like the world is against us, as if we are saying, "Go ahead, stab me again! What's one more knife in my back!"

      I have learned to not fear the message I am about to deliver, but to use my intuition and guide my querent through the pain represented in the card. I will tell her to go ahead and feel what you're feeling, but don't do it for too long, or you will get stuck. Sometimes in life, there are things we truly want and need to come to an end. Ultimately, the Ten of Swords is about endings... and like the sunrise, it's about new beginnings. It's about getting over it, getting up and moving on. It's about changing our perspective from a face down woe is me attitude, to a face up hello world here I come attitude. Instead of pining for what used to be, we need to enjoy what’s here now and look forward to what’s to come. The worst is over. Get over it!

The depth of darkness to which you can descend
and still live
is an exact measure of the height
to which you can aspire
to reach.
~Laurens Van du Post

Tarot Translation Group: What Does the Ten of Swords Say to You?

One of my favorite expressions for the Ten of Swords comes from my friend and fellow tarotist Mary Ellen Collins. About the Ten of Swords Mary Ellen says "Stick a fork in me. I'm done!"

That brings some much needed humor to the dark Ten of Swords image.

When I look at the Ten of Swords I remember that the swords can represent our thoughts, our fears, and/or other people's unkind words.

How often do we allow ourselves to be laid low by these sorts of things?

The Ten of Swords requires compassion. It is an acknowledgement of pain.  But the Ten of Swords also offers an opportunity for healing.

As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Check out the Tarot Translation Group on Facebook, and on the Jupiter Gardens Press website.