I’m supposed write about a difficult card today. I say this because I drew a card to write this post, said to myself “this is too complicated a topic to write a quick post about,” and tried again. And got this instead. I hope this touches something important for you, because I wanted to write something lighter and got slapped down. ‘Tis Scorpio season!
the Ten of Swords
The Ten of Swords is one of those cards in the tarot deck that has a bad reputation- all bad news, all the time. Ruin, utter failure, disaster, take your pick. It’s a minor apocalypse. You can even see it in the image of the card– the dude is stabbed UP. Even in the head. That pretty cloak is trailing into rivers of blood under a black sky. This is a shitty message all the way around, right? You can’t possibly get any more defeated and dead than this.
as dead as dead can get
The good thing about hitting bottom is that there’s nowhere to go but up. If you’ve really gotten to this point, if all of your major organs have been run through with the stabby… well, there aren’t any swords left. Sometimes the silver lining of a situation is that it can’t possibly get any worse. And that’s not something to be taken lightly.
If you’re really in the pits, as bad as it hurts, just knowing that things can’t suck any more than they do at that moment can be a profound relief.
Nothing stays the same. It gets better.
the darkest hour is just before dawn
In this image black clouds are flying overheard; but if you look past the bloody foreground, into the distance, things are clearing up. The story doesn’t end with this scene.
Things to think about:
- Clean the wound. Sometimes we’re driven into dark places by anxiety or by focusing too much on historical details of a situation. This person did this, they always do this, I always do this, it will never get better, gaaah can keep you going round and getting stuck. But ultimately, the Ten of Swords is a card of hope. Washing away the harsh bits that are stuck to this big, painful situation will allow it to breathe and begin healing.
This is a painful task, but it doesn’t have to be vicious. Be gentle with yourself as you begin to find your way.
- Lighten your load. A period of transition like this heightens your senses, and heightens your sensitivity. Being more sensitive means that more is coming in– more information, more things to react to, more emotions, and more confusion. It is not a sign of weakness to pare down your responsibilities at this time. What can you give up to give yourself some breathing room? What side project, what draining relationship, what burden on your time can you cut loose to free yourself a little more?
And from Mike Doughty, one of Pluto’s poet laureates:
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