Swords · Minor Arcana

Ten of Swords

Tarot Card Meaning

Ten of Swords tarot card from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

Upright

  • betrayal
  • rock bottom
  • painful ending
  • crisis

The final blow. This is rock bottom — but the only way from here is up. Dawn breaks on the horizon.

Reversed

  • recovery
  • regeneration
  • resisting ending
  • survival

The worst is over. You survived what you thought would destroy you.

Symbolism

A figure lies face-down with ten swords in their back — total defeat, but dawn approaches.

See how Ten of Swords appears in your reading

Try a Free Reading