The Tarot of Eli, LLC-Minor Arcana: Thoth Tarot- 10 of Swords-Ruin & The Declarative Tarot -Layers of Mind- No. 10 -Catharsis

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Above all things, know thyself!

#10. The Kingdom of Spirit is embodied in my flesh.

Both the Thoth 10 of Swords and the Declarative Tarot-No. 10-Catharsis indicate ruin and a new hope, a new direction born out of ruin and despair. On the Thoth Card this is shown by the bright yellow light at the card center and the blazing sun in the Declarative Tarot Card.

The 10 of Swords card also represents a mental conclusion, long sought, that has been a mental struggle which has torn asunder our plans and left us in an insomniac’s mental paradigm. Therefore, one may have reached the 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 Thoth image) as shown by the pierced heart.
2. And areas of finance as shown by the balance scales at the top of the Thoth card.

These 2 realizations may cause one to experience a deep fear of "things not Working out" which only ensures that they don't. The Kingdom of Mind is coagulated in the flesh!

The Astrological sign of the Thoth card is Sun in Gemini. Individuals who have their Sun in Gemini are very gifted at synchronizing paradoxes, polarities, and/or oppositions. Therefore, they can 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 Sun in Gemini, we have Solar Mercury- ruled by Gemini who has its own paradox, all is about competing mind and intellect which in this process, the boundaries in-between multidimensionality is about to be destroyed. Therefore, astrologically this card represents the Sun in Gemini in the death suit of Swords and therefore, is the most destructive card in the deck, making this the true physical death card; Death of a loved one, of a personal creation, etc. ; However, many astrologers state that, “The stars impel, they do not compel." This simply means that we are not slaves to our fate but have the inner-spiritual capacity to improve our earthly life as fate is ours to make and to change. Choices are to be made and a change of perspective is always possible. Don't confuse fate with destiny; Destiny is done by the Soul and that destiny (To Be) is fulfilled by your manifestation. However, fate is "Freedom of Choice", and that belongs to Self-Consciousness.

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.; something Gemini excels at. When we are powerfully intellectual, we must also exercise powerful emotional discretion while concentrating our thought on what we want rather than vacillating between what we want and what we fear; thus, avoiding the negative swing usually at the time when we can see successful endeavor looming on the horizon.

Qabalistically, 10 of Swords represents Malkuth (Physical World) in Yetzirah (Astral World). The divinatory meaning of the Thoth Tarot card is ruin, death, failure, disaster in and of dreams. Since Swords in the Thoth Tarot and in the case of the multi-stabbing of the 10 Swords which are considered the death suit, this is more of a death card than the Key 13-Death trump, which is more of a personality-transformational card than that of a physical death. The reason the 10 of Swords can be more of a death card is that it is the traditional suit of death and also the Physical World influencing the Astral; the Astral being the liquid foundation of the physical world where liquid dreams become coagulated into manifested reality and some of those dreams, we most fear are nightmares of ruin and if concentrated on through worry or fear, build themselves in our lives. Hence, 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 fate.

The Swords arranged in a Tree of Life format, shows us a break in the connection of "as above so below". right above the heart, which indicates our survival mind (ego) has closed itself off from the Higher Self of Spirit and wallows in its own fantasies of fear of loss and love lost. There is destruction of relationships, ruin, death, disaster, complete disruption, and failure, fearfully dancing in the almost gleeful false ego as it may laughingly plot the destruction of happiness in others who it blames for its failures; Not understanding, that to concentrate and emote these thoughts of destruction, is self-destructive. Not a great card. However, it is also a harbinger of change. The Angels of the Decan are Dambayah and Menqal.

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 deconstruction must happen before new construction can take its place. Construction to deconstruction and then reconstruction is shown in 4 steps of Alchemy, Putrefaction, Dissolution, Solution, and the final, Coagulation.

It should be known that by focusing and declaring our thoughts of I AM, we have the capacity to improve our life-motion. By ignoring the indoctrination and dogma planted in our minds by the Patriarchy, we out preform cultural perspectives. Therefore, the 10 of Swords suggests 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. Or, what moral is broken, when one is told by the cards," that if you if you keep smoking your heart will fail", (Ruin also could mean illness and recovery from illness) and that person now chooses to stop smoking? Divination helps us make focused choices. We should use the capacities we are given, as we are not Slaves of any fate outside of our own making, and nor is the individual False-Ego of our own making; hence, it is not ourselves! However, this control of Fate requires us to "Above all things, know thyself", and to be an Active Personality, rather than a personality made by environment and/ or a reactionary presence that is controlled by peers, or cultural definitions, and childhood programing of the brain; all of which creates a fate that is ruin. When reaction creates our performance, life is always "after the fact" and the Will can have no presence in the moment. Spirit is Will, and therefore, if guiding us, becomes Action in the Now which implies an Active, fertile, and productive life, rather than a "yesterday persona" that is dead to the "Now" and/or to the moment.

The 10 of Swords Ruin implies, "the Horse is already out of the barn", and closing the door is a Band-Aid of denial, not a solution. Something that our governments are slow to learn. Hence, it's best to focus on what you are thinking, pay attention and don't allow fears to unlatch the gateway of your mind! For your thoughts create no others, nor their definition; your thoughts are the operating fulcrum of your Life-Motion, they create your fate! For a fulcrum to operate efficiently, a rigid base is a necessity. Therefore, as a "personality" and/or ego, which is a mechanism of the Mind and/or Self-Identity becomes the Fulcrum of our life and if dysfunctional as thoughts of I AM a failure or stupid, of shame or embarrassment etc., the mind must devote most of its energy trying to hammer out a permanent way of movement (overcome negative fear based thought), while trying to overcome the counter motion of a "wobbling base", i.e. an uncertainty of Self. In such a situation, the outcome for proper performance is bleak indeed. 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 life! We are the Immortal Psyche/Soul of the Celestial Self, not the brain nor the body! We are a Soul that owns a body not a body that owns a soul!

However, before one gets the night terrors over this card's appearance it should be noted that the 10's can be notoriously short lived, as they are the end of a cycle and/or phase, and soon a new cycle begins as an Ace. Therefore, a 10, 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"; However, by a newfound and 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 " up/down the Tree" of Life begins.

The Declarative Tarot-Layers of Mind-No. 10-Catharisis represents a transformative moment and/or inner tipping point where a critical event is reached, and a new event horizon is seen. He is shown an a-ha moment causing a weightless feeling after buckling under the heaviness of mental burdens. The very nature of a cathartic moment is the emerging realization of emotional self-separateness as a false perspective and realizing we are a wholeness of Spirit-Mind-Body, a collective of multidimensional intelligence. When we are the Authentic Personal Trinity of Self-Spirit-Mind-Body, we realize the body must find error, the Mind must solve this error and the Spirit supplies the Energy and will to do so.

The Central figure of No. 10- Catharsis is an image of a person in a sudden release, a catharsis in motion. We know that catharsis is the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions, a type of purging. Here the freed person is letting go in one hand and reaching towards the blazing Sun of the Soul with the other and letting the winds of change remove the unnecessary boundaries we have emotionally impose on ourselves. This is a moment of transcendence and the emotional (energy-in-motion) bonds we have placed on our identity are now dissolved and used as the fuel to propel our ego towards our Immortal Psyche. Hence, the masks we have worn, measurements of time we have feared, the childhood icons, incomplete and parasitic relationships, burn away in a blaze of bright intelligence. Hence, although we have removed some pebbles from our life traveled shoes, this card represents the deepest release and most foundational shift from within. Here a new fulcrum is being constructed, a solid foundational knowledge of I AM!

When we realize we are the authors of our own story, our body pen is shown as a sparking quill pen. For our Minds self-identity authors, the story through body in-form-action. With realization we take the pen in hand, with a new intent and actively rewrite the future chapters of our life story as an authority rather than a parroted media word hypnotized persona powered by "knee jerk" slogans. Here inspiration is the bird soaring up towards the radiance on high. To the left of this card, is an image of a solar eclipse and the glasses necessary to observe it. We are reminded that often when experiencing ecliptic and/or transformative moments the true brilliance of the Soul/Solar Self/ "Sun of God (dess)" and/or Higher Self can be a bit much to behold. This dazzling of Brillance can leave one intoxicated, and not able to operate well in the mundanity. Therefore, take the time to center, and observe the transformation in a safe relaxed way.

Also shown are rocks falling away from a cliff. Implying lost footing where one's reality was not supporting oneself and now the false perspectives fall away to reveal the truth of self-authority. The three small figures represent the "peer pressure" we encounter when we decide to become authentic. These are relationships which tend to want us to "fit in" to a social norm that none of us are. Spiritual inspiration propels us beyond the concerns of the social hierarchy and/or the politics of compromising self, to please others. Friends will come of a more authentic bent as we continue towards our own light. The Inner Guardian of the Soul, often called our Holy Guardian Angel, will guide us on our new adventure when we become astonished by seeing our divine inheritance has always been with us, we had no need to seek it.

Hence this message is not always pleasant, for this process can bring emotion anguish and suffering, where one has totally fallen into a state of defeat and/or death of a relationship. If surrounded with positive cards, it can mean a temporary but fleeting success and slightly improved circumstances. Therefore, it is a card of Ruined plans, relationships, and monetary destitution. Hence, a complete failure in relationships and business is expected. The placement of the 10 swords as a tree of life symbol, implies that betrayal, grief, and disappointment await you; However, the surrounding cards may show this is the end of a phase and won't last. Then there are the swords in the hips (Hod-Netzack) and legs (Yesod), implying your motion is impaired. In whatever instance, you are going through a soul-crushing event, and it feels like your world is at an end. Even though every moment hurts, sometimes a meaningless distraction seems to help. However, all of this is short lived, and the pain will end, and you will come out stronger having survived it.

The ruin even conveys the necessary mercy to end an unpleasant and problematic situation and to overcome the grudges it may have generated. This mercy comes from above (2nd Sephiroth-Chokmah-Wisdom) to below and will aid in the execution of a practical way to foster friendships, reconciliation, and promises. However, if forgiveness does not come, hypocrisy or hatred will influence us or those who deceive us, and reconciliation will not become possible.

The 10/Ten of Swords and No.10-Catharsis reminds us that with positives comes negatives, with light comes shadow 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 the 10th Sephiroth-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" your position in a Celtic cross reading, 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 yourself and 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 ruining 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 steppingstone, its debilitating effect is reduced, and we are there, wherever "there" may be.
• Swords remind us of the conundrum of the mind.... that if you think with great self-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 highly creative thinker, can help us to avoid being a victim of our own powerful oracle, which 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 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 the 10 of Swords/No. 10-Catharisis is ill defined by the surrounding cards, it implies:

• Arbitrary end. 
• Ruin.
• Catastrophe.
• Adverse end.
• There is no question for positive results, there are obstacles, and limitations, no movement forward is foreseen.

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