Ten of Swords—Forgive & Forget?
Tarot Tuesday
“Ten is the end of a cycle. If you release the idea of yourself as someone who’s been massively fucked over and instead begin to let go of the drama, you are that much closer to the start of a healing new cycle”. —Michelle Tea, MODERN TAROT
Deck: TAROT OF THE DIVINE: A DECK AND GUIDEBOOK INSPIRED BY DEITIES, FOLKLORE, AND FAIRY TALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, by Yoshi Yoshitani
I’ve been regularly pulling tarot cards for almost two years, but I’m not even close to being able to do a reading without guidance. With that said, I’ve pulled enough cards to get a general feel for many of them. Learning to trust my intuition and determining how a particular card applies to my own life—either in the moment or historically—is a big part of my tarot process, so while I often rely on “traditional'“ card meanings, I allow myself the freedom to go where the card and my thoughts take me.
What I offer in this newsletter are some general interpretations but also interpretations that are personal to me. I invite you to put your own spin on the cards to gain meaning for yourself.
The purpose of my tarot journaling is to clear my mind of chaos so I can make room for creativity. I hope you find it useful, as well.
Ten of Swords
So what does the Ten of Swords tell me? In this deck and others it conveys betrayal. The image in this deck, TAROT OF THE DIVINE (one of my all-time favorites), is of Sedna, a figure from Inuit mythology. In this depiction, her father betrays her by pushing her out of his kayak and chopping her fingers off when she tries to climb back in. She sinks to the ocean floor, and, consumed with anger, she spends eternity seeking revenge.
Admittedly, this is a heavy-duty card for our first pull. Taken at face value, we can probably all think of a time when we’ve been betrayed by someone who should’ve had our back. Some religious traditions encourage us to “forgive and forget,” or to “turn the other cheek” (so your enemy can smack that, too?!). But that’s easier said than done, and I’m not convinced it’s the healthiest action one can take. Sometimes, people do things that are so egregious that forgiveness is out of the question.
On the other hand, living in anger and/or resentment isn’t healthy, either. Perhaps the “forget” portion of this adage is the best course (once you’ve given yourself the chance to sit with your feelings for a minute so you can process them).
Whatever your take on betrayal and forgiveness, it’s worth thinking about. Approach your reaction with curiosity if you can. This puts space between the event and your eventual response, which can be a helpful thing.
Self-Betrayal
Perhaps more importantly, let’s consider the ways we betray ourselves. This happens when we make choices that are out of alignment with our values. If you often feel at odds with yourself, think about your values and whether you’re living according to them. Literally—what do you value? Let’s say you value time with your family, but you consistently make choices that prevent you from honoring that value. Or you value reading, but instead of making time for it, you waste precious hours scrolling through social media or the internet.
These are forms of self-betrayal, and over time, these seemingly small infractions add up, and we like ourselves less. The less we like ourselves, the less energy we have to pursue our creative and other goals.
The great thing about the tarot (at least the way I practice it) is that the same card can have multiple meanings—today I’ve focused on betrayal, but when I pull the card again, I might focus on loss or, more specifically, the power our thoughts have to stimulate intense emotional states. It all depends on what’s going on in my life at any given time.
Think about it—what thoughts and feelings does the Ten of Swords bring up for you?