Mystic Dreamer Tarot

TEN OF SWORDS

A woman crouches on a stony beach, ten swords stabbed into her back all along her spine. She looks like she is trying to get up or just unwilling to fall all the way to the ground. Sunlight shines through the clouds over a still and peaceful ocean, symbolizing a calmness of emotions that seems at odds with the destruction on the beach.

This card says in no uncertain terms that, finally, it's over. You have fought and worked at it, but you cannot change the situation; there is no fixing it. You may want to try one last time, but you will have to accept that this time you are beaten. It's a strange moment because you thought you'd feel a lot of more pain and distress, but actually you feel calm and peaceful. Deep down, you are relieved that you don’t have to fight it anymore.

If reversed, this card indicates that although the situation is over, you refuse to accept that fact and are continuing to fight and cause yourself more pain than necessary.

Use your intuition

• Although the woman is stabbed with swords, there is no blood. What does this suggest about the nature of the situation?
• The image is bleak, but there are a tree and a castle in the background. How do they play into the card’s meaning?