The Tarot of Eli, LLC-Minor Arcana: Thoth Tarot- 10 of Swords-Ruin & Santa Muerte Tarot- 10 of Swords

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By now one may see the paradox of the death suit- swords. For the 10 of Swords-Ruin  indicates a new hope, a new direction born out of ruin and despair. The 10 of Swords card represents a mental conclusion, long sought, that has been a mental struggle which has rent asunder our plans and left us in an insomniac’s mental paradigm. One may have reached a conclusion that things are just not going to work out in 2 areas of their life;

1. Things of the heart (lower half of the image) as shown by the pierced heart
2. And areas of finance as shown by the balance scales at the top of the card.

This realization may cause one to experience a deep fear of "things not Working out" which only insures that they don't.

The Astrological sign of this card is Sun in Gemini. Individuals who have their Sun in Gemini, are very gifted at synchronizing paradoxes, polarities, and/or oppositions, thus they are able to look at all aspects of a situation, balancing the positive and negative aspects. This facility also can produce a deep heart-felt fear about the issues of finance, relationships, and creative initiative.

With powerful facilities of any kind, we have the Great Creative Pendulum of the Imaginative Mind that can swing from positive motion to negative motion right at the apogee of creative endeavors. When we are powerfully imaginative, we must also exercise powerful discernment concentrating our thought on what we want rather than what we fear and thereby, avoiding the negative swing right when we can see successful endeavor looming in the near future.

The combination of Swords and the Sun in Gemini represents the most destructive card in the deck. However; many astrologers state that, “The stars impel, they do not compel." This simply means that we are not slaves to some stasis destiny, but have the inner-spiritual capacity to considerably improve our earthly life. Choices are to be made and a change of perspective is always possible.

Qabalistically, 10 of Swords represents Malkuth (Physical World) in Yetzirah (Astral World). The divinatory meaning of this card is ruin, death, failure, disaster. This is more of a death card than the Key 13-Death trump, which is more of an inner transformational card than a physical death. The reason the 10 of Swords can be more of a death card is that it is the death suit and the Physical World influencing the Astral; the Astral being the foundation of the physical world where dreams become reality and some of those dreams we fear the most, are nightmares of ruin/illness.

What makes this card so very destructive is not ruin itself, but rather the fear of ruin which doesn't allow us to move-on and therefore change our destiny. Fear is focused energy-in-motion, and can be a good thing in small doses, but emotions (energy-in-motion) focused on a subject, or issue, cause the rapid construction of the subject or issue. This can be great when one focuses on living creation, but not so great when one focuses on destruction.

The Swords arranged in a Tree of Life format, shows us a break in the connection of "as above so below" which indicates our survival mind has closed itself off from the Higher Self of Spirit and wallows in its own fantasies of fear. Thereby causing destruction of relationships, ruin, death, disaster, complete disruption and failure, and the ego fearfully dancing in the almost gleeful brain as it may laughingly plot the destruction of happiness in others who it blames for its failures. Not a great card. However, it is also a harbinger of change.

The Angels of the Decan, are Dambayah and Menqal.

The 10 of Swords is Malkuth in Yetzirah, the Astral World. [For more information on angels, see Crowley's books: 777 and Book of Thoth]

To reiterate; for Material things, this is the most destructive card in the deck and most people dislike seeing it in a spread; However, those who know and use the Tarot as an instrument of Divination, understand that as in Astrology, "the cards impel, they do not compel".

Since, by focusing our thoughts, we have the capacity to improve our life-motion, we should do just that. Ethically this is no less moral than resigning a position when one sees a work related disaster on the horizon. What moral is broken, when one is told by the cards," That if you walk in the street today you will be struck by a motor vehicle", and that person now chooses to walk on the sidewalk instead? Divination helps us make focused choices. We should use the capacities we are given, as we are not Slaves of any destiny outside of our own making. Each of us possesses the Magic of the I-Magi-Nation, which has been profaned by our indoctrinators, but is still controlled by the Will of the Soul. The 10 of Swords, reminds us to willfully make a change of focus/perspective.

However, this Willful control, requires us to "Above all things, Know thyself", and to be an Active Personality that serves the Psyche, rather than a personality made by environment and/ or a reactionary presence that is controlled by peers, Patriarchy and/ or cultural definitions which insures that our destiny is that of Ruin, as our performance is always "after the fact".

The 10 of Swords Ruin, implies, the Horse is already out of the barn, and closing the barn door after the fact, is a Band-Aid, not a solution. Something that our governments are slow to learn.

It's best to focus on what you are thinking, pay attention! For your thoughts create no others, nor their definition, as your thoughts are the operating fulcrum of your Life-Motion, they create your destiny!

For a fulcrum to operate efficiently, a rigid base is a necessity. Thus, as in a "personality", which is a mechanism of the Mind, if the mechanical (personality) Fulcrum (thinking) must devote most of its energy trying to hammer out a permanent way of movement (overcome negative thought), while trying to overcome the counter motion of a "wobbling base", i.e. an uncertainty of Self, the outcome for proper performance is bleak indeed. This is the deep inner message of the 10 of Swords.

Again, I cannot overstate the necessity for "Above all things, know thyself"! Each of us must understand, that by thinking ill of ourselves or of another, we only supply our body with ill thoughts that confuse our performance and ruin our destiny!

However, 10's are notoriously short lived, as they are an end of a cycle, and soon a new cycle begins, So a 10 of Swords, can also mean, the pain you are going through now is on the mend, especially if you are recovering from a physical or mental injury, where your movement has suffered a "ruin", but by newly focused perspective, you are aiding your recovery. A ten is 1+ 0=1, which is the number of Kether, on the Tree of Life, thus a cycle of the Tree ends, and a new one "down the Tree" begins.

The advice of the Dead:

Sublimate all the negative events that have passed and make the most of all possibilities that are manifesting around you as soon as possible.

--From the Santa Muerte-Book of the Dead, by Fabio Listrani

The Santa Muerte- 10 of Swords, presents us with a ruin, that is becoming overgrown by fertile new blooms and the Santa Muerte figure has become the symbol for regeneration/transformation; the Butterfly. Here, the evolved lowly worm of the past, has become a advanced perspective , able to see from above, a new perspective. The suffering, pain, tears and fears of the past have reached their apogee and are transforming, enabling a new outlook. By grabbing the opportunities that are presented in front of us, makes us able to deal with the past negatives. Therefore, the Thoth and Santa Muerte 10 of Swords, represents comparable definitions.

The 10 of Swords card reminds us that with positives comes negatives and when thrown during a divination it indicates:

• The Divinatory meaning of the 10 OF SWORDS is ruin, death, failure, and disaster. Since this card is in MALKUTH (Earth) it is more of a death card than Key 13-DEATH, of the Major Arcana. DEATH, key 13, is more of a situational death, a transformation, whereas, #10 of Swords- Ruin, is a "personal disaster" waiting to happen. When and if this card shows up in the "house and Home" or "Beneath" you position in a Celtic cross reading, go get a thorough physical checkup from your doctor and focus on your physical and mental health. You need a "personality tune-up" and it’s time to pay attention to how you perceive the world.

Also:

• That in the next 10 weeks or 10 months, we will have the capability to experience resolve negative thinking about both finances and things of the heart. Especially our fear of ruin about relationships with Gemini people in our life (May 21 to June 21).
• One will feel fears of things not working, or “I know this is not going to work" and are cautioned not to believe them and just concentrate on what you desire to happen.
• There is a positive here to understand, and that is just when we are about to achieve our goals, great fear of not achieving them shows up. So when that fear is experienced, one may now know it as a positive sign that a little more effort is needed to "get over the hump" towards successful pursuance of your dreams.
• When fear of ruin is seen as a stepping stone, its debilitating effect is greatly reduced and we are almost there; wherever  "there" may be.
• Swords reminds us of the conundrum of the mind.... that if you think with great self absorbed-power, you can also be powerfully self-destructive. This is the paradox of the Artistic personality.
• Knowing that these moods of creative joy swinging into heart felt fear only means we are a very creative thinker, which can help us to avoid being a victim of our own powerful oracle that is imagination.
•  Within 10 days, 10 weeks, or 10 months, choices for a new beginning may be seen, depending on how long we fear.
• Transcending one’s old patterns, does require a ruin of the past patterns so this card can also represent the realization of ruin if we continue on with the patterns of the past.
• It can also represent ailments of the heart and depending on the cards around it, a visit to your health practitioner is advised.
• It is good to remember, however much doom our thinking is immersed in our future is fluid and can change in a moment just by shifting one of our operational patterns. We have the Power of Spirit, which is to identify and transform identity, moment by moment. This card tells us it is time to do so!

If ill defined by the surrounding cards:

• Arbitrary end. 
• Ruin.
• Catastrophe.
• Violence. 
• Illness.
• Lack of belief in self-power.  (Just because you don't believe it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist- The Soul is a place of "Knowing" and has no belief system; I Am Knowledge. Belief is a psychological system  invented by the Patriarchy, to control the imagination of the many. )

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