I woke up today in an absolute FUNK, ready to spiral. I drew 10 of Swords, naturally, and I realized that today is the final day of Gemini season. The card that corresponds to this time—the 3rd decan of Gemini (decans are just a way of dividing an astrological season into 3 chunks, about 10 days each. It allows for more nuance as we describe the energy of a sign. Each decan has an associated Minor card in the Tarot as well)—is 10 of Swords. 10 of Swords also = Sun in Gemini.
We often balk to see 10 of Swords in readings; it looks so harsh, so final, as if it describes a rock bottom or a sort of death. And yes, it is a sort of death, but it’s one we can learn to welcome. The death it describes is the death of old stories that we’ve been telling ourselves about who we are and what we’re capable of. It is coming up against the moment when change feels impossible, and somehow, surrendering into the idea that change is all we can really do. It is letting go into transformation.
And yes, it is also scary af. Real change, even change that promises to be wildly positive, is terrifying. Our egos are designed to keep us within the realms of our known worlds, because: survival. 10 of Swords has many similarities with the Fool in this way. It’s inviting us into the new, and it feels incredibly risky. The Fool is gallivanting right of a cliff; the figure in the 10 of Swords almost looks like the bloody aftermath of that folly. Both cards threaten our sense of security in a huge way. They also remind us of what is even more true: staying the same is killing us slowly and making us miserable in the process.
I have pulled 10 of Swords for these quotes over the years:
We do one thing or another; we stay the same, or we change. Congratulations, if you have changed. -Mary Oliver
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. -Joseph Campbell
Impossible is an invitation to imagine something else. -Alok Vaid-Menon
And my favorite:
Joy [is a] radical undoing…letting go of the names we’ve hemmed ourselves in with and are being hemmed in by. -David Whyte
10 of Swords as an invitation in joy via radical undoing. Joy, in 10 of Swords?! It is deliciously paradoxical.
Returning to the astrological correspondence of this card, Sun in Gemini: think about the little naked baby on the horse in the Sun. That card is about rebirth and freedom, but it’s also about seeing to the essence of something. Think of the Lovers card (that’s the Gemini Major) and its call to witness yourself fully, to step into and embrace who you are.
The clarity both of these cards offer can feel absolutely ruinous if you’re overly attached to old stories about yourself. The ego can throw a very melodramatic temper tantrum when confronted with the imperative to change—and 10 of Swords is so over the top, right?
We can come undone and fall apart. Or we can come undone and be liberated. We can experience this radical undoing and discover ourselves in an entirely new way.
Here is a spread to help look at the story that is ready to be changed.
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This resonates so much for and really helps to clarify some thoughts I had yesterday after pulling both the 10 of swords (as an undergirding aspect to things happening right now) and the sun (where I should focus on casting for myself. Thank you for this deep dive!