The Ten of Swords shows a man lying face down with ten long swords embedded in his back. A red cape is draped over the lower half of his body, while his top half remains unclothed. The sky above him is pitch black and there is a general feeling of pain, loss, and misfortune. However, despite these ominous images, there are positive aspects to this card. The sea before which the body lies is still and calm and the sun is rising in the distance beyond the mountains, indicating that the darkness will soon be dispelled. Thus, each new beginning must come from an end, and with every defeat are sown the seeds of future victory.

The Ten of Swords usually symbolises a sudden and unexpected failure or disaster, whereby a power beyond your control crushes you without warning or mercy. Sometimes you will be able to alter the course of this impending disaster but most of the time you will simply have to let go and take the hit. This card can also indicate a time when you have been backstabbed or betrayed by someone you thought you could trust. You feel incredibly hurt and shocked by such a betrayal.

As such, the Ten of Swords is often associated with feeling the ‘victim’ in a situation. You may feel powerless as something comes to a crashing and sudden end, and you feel as if you are being attacked or backstabbed by someone else. You crave pity from others with a small sigh of, “Poor me!” You may even use this challenging time to portray yourself as a martyr, to show that you have put your interests last but have suffered as a result.

The Ten of Swords also indicates a difficult experience of endings, loss, pain or release. However, the saving grace is that you have a new awareness and a positive sense of relief that the difficulty and pain will soon be over and will evolve into something new. As with all endings there will be a new beginning, a rebirth, and a rejuvenation of the spirit. So, while this card may seem negative at first glance, it is a card of hope and an indication that your troubles will not be permanent.

Furthermore, this is the final ordeal, and no more pain will come to you from that source. It is darkest before the dawn, and as gloomy as it looks, the sun will rise again. It can only get better from here.

The Ten of Swords is about letting go and accepting your current circumstances. You no longer resist change but allow it to happen, even if it causes some initial pain and hurt to you. You accept that there must be change in order to facilitate renewal, and you allow it to occur rather than fighting it.

When this card appears after a painful situation, it is a signal to pick yourself up off the ground and to reflect upon what happened to you and why, and what you can learn from the experience. Hidden deep beneath the surface of the Ten of Swords is the ultimate power of the Swords suit – the ability to analyse the situation and your responses, and learn from yourself. True wisdom does not come from without but from within. The Ten of Swords is a sign that the pain and hurt you have endured has not gone without purpose. The positive power within you can be used to learn from your pain and draw wisdom from defeat.

It is worth noting that the Ten of Swords is very similar to the Death card of the Major Arcana. It is not a literal indication of actual death but is instead evidence of an impending change or ending which may initially be difficult to accept.