Reflections on Swords in the Negative: 10 of Swords - erm...F**k it...

I am saving my favourites for when I am really and truly "in the mood". Ha.
Image wise I love the Anna K Tarot, best 10 of Swords ever, as you can see the figure walking away from the Swords and the blood, he's wounded but the first time I saw this card I thought it looked like he was saying: sod it am going anwyay.

This card can be a mini (or not so mini) Tower moment. Let's look at this in terms of keywords, these I am penning down myself from the "feeling" and meaning of the card:

• Breakdown (mental or literal)
• Ending
• Collapse
• Anguish
• Pain (again mental or physical)
• Exhaustion
• Hitting rock bottom
• Restart
• Self destruction (as in self harm or related self destructive behaviours)

Yes of course it is a 10 so there is a new beginning ahead, but what? And how? Since I am looking at these also from a psychological point of view, I'd say that this would be the darkest side of depression (as if it isn't dark enough), the point reached where "f**k it" could mean going in either direction: beginning or end.
I have seen this card come out to represent someone in spirit that passed by means of suicide (the client told me afterwards), and I would say that this is very much a turning point card. Since it cannot get any worse (really?) where do I go from here? Well the choice would be mine or yours to make. In a spread of course you would have to look at the surrounding cards for the whole story.
Drawing this card as an outcome for a love reading could be an ending or a complete (and not pleasant) rehaul. For career an ending and if you were to look at physical or health matters then this could be indicative of the person being overwhelmed and exhausted. But there are so many combinations that it is difficult to try and be general.

The 10 of Swords is telling you that hey, you know this pain? It ain't going to go away, Not yet. Not unless, like in the Anna K Tarot deck,  you pick yourself up, buy some bandages and move on. Or you'll bleed to death if you choose to stay on the floor.

“Be the flame, not the moth.”
― Giacomo Casanova

Reflections on Swords in the Negative - 3 of Swords: SORROW

At first glance, in most traditional decks, this card is represented by 3 swords piercing through a heart. The imagery is very direct, although I have picked a different image here (from the Wild Unknown deck) as to me it represents better the energy of the 3 of Swords,

Most people go "argh" when seeing this because, let's face it, it is painful. But I have always given it  a bit of a positive spin. It's a 3 and so it is a stage that will resolve itself and heal. In this image the pain is so tight, there is the need for release.
The sorrow felt from the 3 of Swords is sudden and painful, and it is not a cut finger or a bad fall. Like most Swords it is about internal hurt, mental anguish and heartache (literally).
Look how tight those bonds are, what are we afraid to release? What would happen if we let go? Well, we would heal. But not until we have used an entire box of plasters, tons of painkillers and used 10 boxes of tissues from crying.
Release is the key for this card. Release in order to regenerate. Think of when you cut yourself, you bleed right? As soon as the cut is made your wonderful blood is going into survival mode and starts sending its own soldiers to the wound, and it starts to coagulate. In order to then form a scab that will stop the bleeding. Think of the scab as a shield.
The tight bond that is keeping the pain inside needs to be released, in order to form a shield that will allow us to restore our energies and heal.
In terms of a mental state this could be impulsive, like someone not wanting to release the pain, hence hurting themselves even more. The start of a depressive state, mood swings. But it will be temporary.

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear."

(C.S Lewis)