Ten of Swords

​No positivity here today, sorry all. I'm only glad this card came up today--Nov 2, 2020--rather than tomorrow, election day. Egad, how depressing that would have been.

There is nothing to cheer about when the Ten arrives. Upright, it is pain, destruction, defeat and a terrible end. Even reversed, it can often represent clinging to disaster and not being able to move on.

Skilled tarot interpreters are good at finding the card's positive messages, such as "there is nowhere to go but up" or "the future is bright," but in a practical and grounded sense, this card is pretty much the worst.
 
Questions answered by Ten of Swords:
Who? A dead person 
What? A catastrophe
Where? The floor, the ground
When? The middle of June; Ten days; The end
Why? The situation is as bad as it could possibly be
Yes or No? No
 
Ten of Swords
​Before any card: The total devastation or end of (card)
After any card: Destruction, end, failure
 
The Ten of Swords as:
...an action?

• Destroy something, such as demoing a room to remodel
• Feel sorry for yourself

 
...a place in your house?

• The first aid kit
• Where the most accidents occur

 
...a place in your city?

• Hospice care
• A mausoleum

 
...a place in the world?

• Humanity itself

• A place of terrible devastation

 
...something to eat?

• Baked pasta
• Potato casserole
• Deviled Eggs

 
...something to clean?

• The knives
• The silverware drawer

 
...where to find the missing item?

• Under a blanket
• On the floor

 
...a color? Black, grey, white
 
...a movie theme? Rock bottom, death

• Macbeth
• Kill Bill
• Everything Must Go

 
...a new career?

• Funeral director
• Forensics
• grief counselor
• gravesite worker

 
Ten of Swords combinations
With Death: Complete failure.
With Nine of Wands: Have bravery in your defeat, we learn from our mistakes.
With Page of Cups: (10 before Page) A terrible loss leads to a happy new surprise, like a baby after a miscarriage, or a great job after a layoff. (10 after Page) A happy surprise comes with problems.
With Four of Swords: Make sure you've taken proper time to recuperate after a loss.
With Knight of Pentacles: Hard work pulls you out of this defeating moment.
 

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So there you go - today you can dig a grave, demo a room just because, eat some boring pasta, and watch Macbeth. Enjoy?