3 Card Tarot Reading

The Ten Of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

The Suit of Swords, as in all suits, is a story of progression.

There are different levels of growth, opportunities for change that are presented to get you through the story from the beginning, middle and then to the end. The Ten of Swords is a culmination of all of the negative aspects of the Suit of Swords. Either you are just going through a cycle of having to survive through desolation or you have actively chosen to refrain from following the advice of those who know you in your life or even the advice presented in the cards or through higher source energy. Whatever the case may be, you are experiencing a really challenging cycle where you feel as though you have been utterly destroyed.

This card is symbolic of despair, of lack, a metaphorical death of an aspect of your life. This is usually the card that presents itself when you have been participating in something like a relationship that makes you feel victimized and instead of looking at the signs to get out of it when you had the time, you let it destroy you. Now you must figure out how to get out of this mess so that you can start anew in the form of the Page of Swords immediately following this card. Try not to be too discouraged: No matter how far we have fallen, there is always room to get up, brush yourself off and try again.

The image that is shown on the card is that of a person who has actually been pierced by ten swords. Up until this point, the swords were always present in the background or surrounding the individuals in the card, however these cards have actually thrust themselves through flesh to symbolize how deeply and integrally you are feeling this pain and this hurt. The sky above this seemingly dead person is black. This card symbolizes the defeat found in war, a disruption of home life as well as the ruin of plans or projects. Despite the violent imagery in this card, this is not a card of violent death. This is simply a card depicting the absolute end of something. Often times when the Ten of Swords is in your life, you feel as though you have been horribly and miserably abused, the end of this cycle is hard for you so the pain of the swords is how you feel.

One way to push through this time of your life is to spend a whole bunch of time giving. This may sound almost obscene given your current circumstances. But there is a need to rebuild in your life, and to do so you need to have a new perspective. You need to see that others may either also have it bad or maybe even worse then you. When you give over of your nurturing and compassionate self, not only does healing come faster for you, but you will be genuinely bettering the circumstances of those around you. This kind of fellowship and brotherhood, caring for your fellow man is going to help pick you up off of that metaphorical floor.

Remember that tomorrow always is capable of bringing new hope. You literally cannot fall any lower then you have fallen, and, in a sense, there is hope to be found there. Let go of the fears that have led you to this negative thinking, the ones that helped to create your conscious choice that things would not work out. Consider what the active role you played in this situation was and then seek to not repeat the same thought processes again. Allow yourself the freedom to learn from this lesson and to not get stuck in the same bad situation over and over again. Fighting pointless battles will never get you anywhere, so stop trying.

The lessons that you are learning at this time are going to move you closer to harmony, a balance between the material and spiritual things of the mind. Through living through this devastating experience to its unfortunate conclusion, you have been released and are allowed to start over, free of the old Karma. The old self is actually, metaphorically dead. You were killed as a result of your own thoughts. Consider the role of your creative mind and do what you can not to allow yourself to get stuck again. You have matured in multiple levels and from this point on will find that decision making that brings you toward ultimate emotional health will be easier to make than ever before.

The Ten of Swords in Love

The Ten of Swords only presents itself in a love reading when you have been completely obliterated by a love situation. You will get no more from this relationship, and you must start over. This is often a card that appears after a bad break up. You were so attached to the unhealthiness of your relationship that you had become accustomed to it, and you structured your whole life around it. It wasn’t a happy life, but it was a living situation that you perpetuated daily and so it became routine. The Universe knows that you simply cannot stay unhappy and unhealthy and it presents ways for you to get out of it, the Ten of Swords is this way. You would not listen to reason, so, the Universe had to pull the rug out from under you causing you to fall flat on your face to shake you out of your addiction to bad and unhealthy relationship pursuit. Now you must be grateful, allow for the change, and be alone for a little while to get yourself back on track.

The Ten of Swords in Health

When the Ten of Swords shows up in a reading about health, the news is not generally good. This often comes up as a result of accidents that have caused broken bones or other random injuries that make you feel as though you are completely inept and broken, as well as destitute. If you are not injured at this time, consider this a healthy warning to keep track of your thoughts so that you do not accidentally create room in your life to become injured. Take time to slow down, to relax, and to ponder your next move before making it. Do not get caught up in busy-ness and if there is anything that is making you feel victimized or frustrated on a consistent basis then you must treat this as a potential disease or injury, you must eliminate it from your life right away before you create something that you can’t get out of.

The Ten of Swords in Work and Wealth

The Ten of Swords in Work and Wealth is referring to a time in which you allowed yourself to mess around with your finances, jumping through financial hoops or making poor judgments or investments and now you are feeling the repercussions of this. You must start over again. You will find that your finances will not get better until you learn how to handle your money. Many of us gamble away our finances every month by using more credit than we could ever pay back and we find that every month we are doing a balancing act. And many of us can keep this up, however your balancing act is no longer working for you. This card cautions you to not make any more random purchases until you can feasibly put aside some money for emergency purposes and can afford comfortably with no guilt, to buy something else. Break the cycle and gain financial freedom.

Ten Of Swords In Reversed position

When you have received the Ten of Swords in the reversed position then you are going to be experiencing a time of overthrowing of evil forces. The devastation of the Ten of Swords is a passing phase and is cycling out of your experience. Now you are moving on to acquire some success and profit. You have begun to rebuild and have found the courage to start over again.

Upright Ten of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Low point in life
• Preparing for happiness
• Hitting rock bottom
• Accepting darkness
• Better days coming
• Feeling numb to pain
• Fresh start

Reversed Ten of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Sacrifice for a greater good
• Neglecting yourself
• Putting other's needs first
• Lack of motivation for success
• A puppet on strings
• Hidden potential
• Accepting your 'fate'

The Eight of Swords is commonly known as the card of victimization.

This means that you are currently going through a phase where you are completely bound by your circumstances. You feel as though you are not capable of getting yourself out of the destructive phase that you are in and that in fact if you were to try, devastating repercussions would follow. You fear pain and restriction, yet that which you fear is exactly what is blocking you the most. You are going through a season where you do not trust anyone and you worse you are constantly doubting your own abilities. You are perpetuating this cycle by trying to battle more than one issue at a time and that is part of what is causing you debilitating indecision.

You need to stop thinking that your emotions make up who you are entirely. Drowning in your emotions, which are as fluid as the tides, is not an appropriate way to work on your goals. The 8 of Swords can at points be harsh to take in because there is a level of personal responsibility that you must recognize on the role that you play in your own life’s miseries. The maiden that is depicted in the card is blindfolded as well as tied up. She is surrounded by swords and for all intents and purposes is indeed stuck. However on closer inspection you can see that her binds are only loosely wrapped around her, and there is a clearing in the swords behind her which would make escape possible if only she allowed herself to try. The key to this card is the lack of the desire to try, exemplifying where you are right now. You have complete control over your circumstances at this moment but you have allowed yourself to get addicted to the way things are even though the way things are causes you to be a complete stress case.

You are absolutely consumed by a victim mentality. And up until this point it was working for you. Now you are seeing the issues that can arise from this lack of decision making and a belief in your own ineptitude. It may be a way to survive, but it is most certainly not a way to live. The only opposition that is holding you back is your mental training, the habit from the practice of victimization and a certain level of blind acceptance or even ignorance to this very fact. Perhaps this was how you were raised, or you developed a habit due to a series of negative experiences, however now the 8 of Swords is giving you a warning, letting you know that it is time to improve your circumstances, and if you choose to ignore this warning, life will get worse for you.

The way out of this cycle is to balance your mind and your spirit. Recognize that you are actually an extremely creative individual who is absolutely capable of handling their life and can have anything that they want. The mind is going to open for you to include the extensions of your personal self with a partner and children as well as the necessity to widen your circle of close friends. You must stretch passed your comfort levels. The first response that you have to new situations is to close your eyes and hide because there is so much to do. But you must meet these challenges head on should you hope to escape death by swords.

The Eight of Swords in Love

When the Eight of Swords has appeared in a reading regarding love and relationships, you will find that you feel as though you are completely stuck in your situation. This card often comes up regarding the potential end of a marriage. Usually there is a deep level of unhappiness that has been going on for a long time, but the lack of deciding to leave the marriage is what creates a situation that is not easy to simply resolve. Many in love are afraid to change their circumstances because they have grown so comfortable with the unhappiness and worse, are afraid to be alone. Question yourself at this time; are you perpetuating something that makes you unhappy so that you do not have to be alone? How are you keeping yourself in chains? How are you behaving as if you are a victim? How could you better strengthen yourself and take control of your life?

The Eight of Swords in Health

The Eight of Swords in a reading about health is referencing a hypochondriac nature. That of a person who is constantly saying they are sick enough that they actually become sick. These are the people who are overindulging in medication that is prescribed by a doctor and who have a million ailments. In essence these issues that they have are self-created and self-perpetuated, and if you find yourself stuck in this kind of situation then you are going to need to learn how to live without believing that you are just a sick person.

Consider learning how to break the habit of indulging in these medicines so that you can perpetuate your own health. Some medications are important to survival, this is true, but some take medication just to dull out life. If this is you, seek substance abuse health. The Eight of Swords makes this recommendation so that you can gain control over your life before matters get worse.

The Eight of Swords in Work and Wealth

When the Eight of Swords shows up in a work and wealth reading, there is a feeling of being victimized by coworkers or supervisors. You feel as though you are entitled to have more than what you have received thus far. Sometimes you are being overlooked for promotions because there is nowhere to go in your position or money issues with the company. Other times you are being looked over because you are not working hard enough. When the Eight of Swords is influencing a work reading, the latter is more probable. If you are struggling in your work environment, consider how much time you actually spend working and see if there is a gap or you are taking too many breaks and the like. See how you can become a better employee.

The Eight of Swords in Outcome / Future Position

The eight of swords in an outcome/future position is connected to our own limitations in life. In a positive spread, the outcome can indicate that their have been emotional upheaval and that you will not give up and that you need to face the truth of the matter. There is also a focus on over-analyzing elements and this becomes a cycle of problems. In the future, it is likely that you still will not see things that you don’t wish to see. If she actually could see what has happened in the past there is no reason for her to continue. In terms of an analogy, it is telling you to open your eyes in the future to all the things that tried to hold you back.

Reversed Eight of Swords in a reading

The 8 of Swords reversed is blessing you with the energy of freedom. You have done the work to improve your circumstances and you are now able to take off the blindfold of victimization and you can see clearly what is going on around you. Now you can truly use all of the creative energy that you have inside of you, freely. You are able to focus on wonderful ideas that set you apart from everyone else. You are no longer backed in a corner, so make sure not to fall back in old habits. You also might be so excited by your new found freedom that you may preach too strongly this message to others and this could prove to alienate yourself. Expressing gratitude and thankfulness for your healing is one thing, trying to recruit others against their will is something else. Keep this in mind. 

Upright Eight of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Limited by obstacles
• Mental barriers
• Feeling trapped
• Wrongly accused
• Seeking for freedom
• Confusion and anger
• Feeling lost

Reversed Eight of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Inner strength
• Awaiting salvation
• Escaping problems
• Being the victim
• Feeling comfortable
• Carelessness
• Avoiding issues

The Four Of Swords Tarot Card Meaning

When the Four of Swords appears in your reading your ability to negotiate circumstances that are not to your liking is magnified tenfold.

You are a flexible person; you wish to have a commitment in you life that stays in balance, which is not fluid. Now is the time for you to balance your emotional self, your spiritual self and your physical desires so that they do not control you. When life is swinging out of control it makes you feel as though it is impossible to settle, you become like a feather in the wind, flying from one experience to the next, never truly gaining satisfaction. Hence the Four of Swords is advising you now to pull all of the extroverted tendencies inward.

The image of the Four of Swords in the deck shows the quietness of a church with a stained glass window being the only opportunity to see the light from outside. In this you know that the world exists, but in your own unique experience the Church allows peace of mind and creativity that can only be found from reflection. A knight lies in effigy upon his tomb. His hands are folded together in a prayer. This is symbolic of a time of peace after war, the necessity to contemplate one’s future moves. The Hermit, a card of complete and utter introspection and wisdom gathering is influenced by this card. This is the pose that the Hermit takes before he makes the decision to go up to the mountain. Everyone needs to get away sometimes. This is your time. There is no hurry, you must renew your mental energies and right your thoughts.

You must be willing as well as able to face the problems that have presented themselves to you. You cannot ignore them, for that is extremely unhealthy. You know that you are capable of establishing your own sense of harmony so you just need to recuperate. While taking this time in the Metaphorical church, remember that this is only a temporary phase in your life. You must not allow this repose to be your forever constant position, for that would be counterproductive. Use this time to the best of your ability and let it be something that guides you and brings you inevitable fulfillment in a real way. Compose yourself and meditate, regrow your sense of balance. This card is a symbol for you of centering your thoughts on a solid mental foundation. You will get through this and when you do you will have a stronger sense of identity than ever before. You will be able to use your planning, rational mind to your benefit and achieve a great many things.

The Four of Swords in Love

If you are currently experiencing a level of single hood, the Four of Swords in Love is telling you that you must be introspective about what it is that you truly hope to get out of the pursuit of love. In this you have been so extroverted that you are not connecting to anyone of lasting value, therefore you are going through a phase of feeling empty and frustrated to the extreme. All that you must do to remedy this situation is to spend some time with yourself for a while so that you can determine what the best next step is going to be for you. You need to establish what about you need to change to attract someone that will be with you for the long term.

Within a relationship, the Four of Swords also encourages the same level of introspection except in this sense; you and your partner have lost a sense of who you are separate of your relationship. Now you must take the time to both ponder who you are outside of the relationship so that you can healthily bring something positive to the table. This is the best way to work through relationship troubles. If the relationship is not strong enough to handle the time that you both need to be alone then that speaks volumes of the condition of your relationship. Seek counseling if it is hard to speak to one another about your problems.

The Four of Swords in Health

There will be a time of introspection and dormancy in your life when the Four of Swords appears in your reading about health. Meaning that your physical body has been through a lot and you need to actually lay flat without moving for a while to allow for it to heal and re-energize.

The Four of Swords in Work and Wealth

The Four of Swords in your Work and Wealth life shows that there is a detachment from what it is that you want in your work life, your finances have been in an upheaval for so long you do not even feel like it is possible to ever feel better about it. However this card is one of repose, so you must allow yourself some downtime to process your emotions so that you can make informed decisions about where your investments should go. Trust your inner voice. In work the four of swords indicates you are burned out. It is time to rest. This rest will help in the long-term.

Four of Swords in business

In business, this is quite an interesting card, it can indicate that we need refresh ourselves. The four of swords may imply that in your job you will earn money without the stress, so you can take time out and relax. This indicates that you do need to take a break. At times, this card can indicate taking on too much work and you need to take some time out and prioritize your work. Maybe hire someone who can help as you are simply taking on too much. 

Reversed Meaning Of The Four Of Swords

At this point in your life, if you have received the Four of Swords in the reversed position then you have allowed your lifetime responsibilities to become too much for you to bear. Now is the time for you pursue advice from your higher self, or connect to your highest vision of a universal god form so that you can get back to your peaceful solitude. You will be able to get back to yourself again, and there are a good many opportunities ahead of you. Though you may experience opposing energies or find that it is too hard to get moving, you just need to recognize where you are at and allow yourself to pursue peace.

Upright Four of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Wanting a break
• Tiredness
• Yearning for peace
• Vacation
• Relaxation
• Taking a step back
• Taking it slow

Reverse Four of Swords Meanings in Keywords

• Big change
• New beginning
• Insecurities
• New opportunities
• Self-evaluation
• Intuition
• Reviewing your past