Ten of Swords in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

Ten of Swords as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In contrast, the Ten of Swords reveals a resistance to accepting the end of a cycle, a determination to keep alive what is already over, or a tendency to dramatise suffering to the point of remaining trapped in old pain.

The consultant may be in denial about the fall, refusing to see that certain situations can no longer be repaired.

This opposite card can also signal an unhealthy attachment to pain, a mechanism of emotional self-sabotage, or an inability to forgive (oneself or others), thus preventing any form of healing.

Sometimes it also indicates the illusion that all is lost, when in fact it is only a temporary stage.

The opposition invites us to stop fighting the inevitable, to let die what must die, and to trust in the process of rebirth that always follows a fall, even if it takes time.

Ten of Swords as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As advice, the Ten of Swords encourages you to fully accept the end of a cycle, to acknowledge loss without trying to deny or minimise it, and to allow yourself to feel your sadness fully so that you can then let it go.

It is crucial not to cling to what is already destroyed, to let go with dignity, and to look to the future with the awareness that every ending contains the seeds of a new beginning.

This card also invites you not to identify with your fall: you are much more than what you lose or go through.

The advice here is to take a step towards acceptance, even if it seems difficult, and to remember that light always returns after the darkest night. It is time to let go of the past, not out of resignation, but out of love for your own process of evolution.

Ten of Swords as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the outcome position, the Ten of Swords announces that a difficult but necessary end will come, leading to the liberation from a situation that has become unsustainable.

This could manifest itself in the end of a toxic relationship, the abandonment of a doomed project, or the collapse of an illusion.

The outcome will be painful at the time, but it will bring immense relief in the long run, as it will allow you to break free from a cycle of recurring suffering.

This outcome is also a sign that reconstruction is imminent: once the worst has been accepted, healing can truly begin.

The Ten of Swords as a result is therefore a necessary step, a radical purification that opens up space for renewal, even if the emotional wilderness is only temporary. The outcome requires courage, but promises a newfound inner freedom.