Tarot Card Comparisons: The Hermetic Qabalah Thoth Tarot-10 of Swords-Ruin & The Connolly Tarot- 10 of Swords

 The Hermetic Qabalah Thoth- Ten's, a every suit, represent Malkuth-Kingdom- which is the lowest Sephira on the Tree of Life; lowest as in position, not in value.

Malkuth is the Earth, the sacred panspermia (fertilized by comets and/or "The Heavens") physical world, and the Ten of Swords, represents the unadulterated energy of mind, confined to the lowest microwave frequency-(most condensed) consciousness on earth.

 The animal survival brain, is indeed the Ruin of all Hu-man thought, if Will is controlled by sensuality.  Remember, Hu-is Mandarin for "god" and Man, comes from the Hindu-Manas, meaning "Mind", hence the survival mind interferes with Image-making, and/or Imagination, the creative Divine-mind. Here the survival ego, is ruining all mental progress with ruinous thoughts of fear.

This is not because it is a bad-beast, it is because of the foundation of it's consciousness, which is based on"avoiding being eaten".  This process of survival thinking makes everything "unknown other than myself", and thus seen as enemy before it convinces the brain otherwise, and/or becomes a friend; friend is often another of the same species but not limited to, for it is based on a totally self absorbed frame of "fear of pain" mind.

The One Mind, whose substance is Spirit, see's everything "another way to be me", and therefore all that is...is Self. This is called a Divine Universal Collective Unconscious, and/or the Divine Creative whose self identity is I AM. This Higher Consciousness of Self, is Love based, i.e. I AM All, thus All is Me. Hence, if one is A Spirit Being A Human, everyone, is another way to be the  Me of I AM.

This State of Mind opens perspectives that activate the Kundalini Yod/Spirit Force of Divine Will-to-Be, which climbs up the Body Tree of Life (Spine) and stimulates the Pineal gland in the Human brain (top part of the brain, rather than the Lizard/survival brain at the brain root),  opening up the Power of Divya Sidhis (Sanskrit for "magic abilities').  The Ten of swords implicitly states this mental process is not yet happening and the body is being run by Animal Survival division-thinking, which Ruins the identity of I AM SPIRIT for the individual. Therefore, instead of the I AM ME, identity being Love of Being, it becomes "fear of being".

The Ten of Swords, represents reason gone mad, the logic of lunatics, or for the most part, the reasoning of philosophers who divorce their reason from reality... like most "new agers" and Theologians.

To further illustrate this scattering of reason, this card is ruled by the Sun in Gemini.  Gemini's mercurial-airy dual quality disperses the rays of the Christos-which is the Shinning Mind identity of The Divine Creative and commonly called the Son/Sun of God. Therefore, Sun in Gemini, the sign of "good twin bad twin" disrupts the harmonious and stable energy, as does the atmosphere of Earth scatter the Solar rays. The belief in "good and bad", is a totally fear based prey animal thought system! The Hermetic Qabalist knows that "if exists, it is supposed to"!

This card therefore indicates a new hope, a new direction born out of ruin and despair. Thus, the necessary ruin and/or deconstruction to start something new. Therefore the 10 of Swords card represents a mental conclusion, long sought, with much ruinous thinking becoming a mental struggle which has rent asunder our plans and left us in an insomniacs mental paradigm.

The 10 of Swords implies that one may have reached a conclusion that things are just not going to work out in two areas of one's life.

The realization of ruin, may cause you to feel a deep fear of "things not Working out" which only insures that they don't. 

 Individuals who have their Sun in Gemini, are very gifted at synchronizing paradoxes, polarities, and/or oppositions thus they are able to  look at all aspects of a situation, balancing the positive and negative aspects. This need to balance everything, can also produce a deep heart-felt fear about the issues of finance, relationships, and creative initiative. 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. When we are powerfully imaginative, we must also exercise powerful discernment, concentrating our thought-forms on whom we are, rather than what we fear.  By thinking joyfully of the journey towards our goal, rather then concentrating on the stress to achieve it, one is avoiding the negative swing right which happens when we can imagine successful endeavor, looming past the hills of labor and fear, hence, loosing it before we get there.

Wholeness, and/or Holy Spirit, which because of "fear of the body" (fear of pain etc.) thinking is completely misunderstood by the mundane. Mind, is One, there is only One, Spirit is the "substance of Mind" and/ or "The one energy that cannot be created, nor destroyed, only transformed and transmitted", this is physics 101! 

Therefore the Magus knows that I Am is the existence of Mind and the Body is the expression of "Me", and or Self-identity.  Therefore "I AM"  which denotes existence, is the One-Spirit- Mind, and Me is the Child of Mind! Therefore, the Hermetic Qabalist knows that if you don't have a complete Union/Collective of Spirit which is Spirit (I)  Mind (AM) and Body (ME) then you aren't "wholly Spirit" !  Hence, if you don't have a human body, living from your Psyche's whole presence, you have nothing to teach me. I AM Spirit Being, where one without Being, is merely an incomplete experience; not "holy" as such a one is missing an identity of Spirit! Thus the Qabalistic Axiom of "As above so below; so below as above"! Or if you are more Taoist, then the Tao Koan (...question, or statement, which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and test a student's progress in Zen practice), "If it is here, it is there, if it is there, it is here, if it isn't here, it isn't there"!

I am Here and There, thus a Wholly Spirit, for all the power that ever was or will be in Here Now!

What does one think the Qabalistic Tree of Life Represents?  It is a "molecular" design of  YOUR Psyche! From Above (The Supernal Triangle of Trinity---I AM ME) you have progressed into a more and more condensed state of " I AM ME" (each level is a trinity/Triangle), seeking the ultimate in Self-Awareness which is the last Sephira on the Tree, called Malkuth-Earth, where every identity/thought becomes a "living example"! On Malkuth, I truly can become a Master Creative Intelligence, as I not only exist, I become a living example of my Perspectives! If those Perspectives are dysfunctional, I'll definitely "Know" it, because of the Sensual Being, that is My Hu-Man Sensor Body!  The Hu-Man makes my Self Identity as Imagination (Divine Creative) Whole! Malkuth is my "I-magi-nation"! Here I have Dominion!

This progressive condensing of Thought, is misinterpreted (on purpose) as the "fall", denoting a stumble out of happiness (Edan).  Therefore, such a belief is a propaganda that doesn't allow you to be "All You", as a divided mind is easily enslaved to the wants of "the few who wish to rule the many" (..."a house divide must fall"). Such an enslaved identity is bound to thoughts/identities of "need" that are controlled by Rulers, therefore one is always in pursuit of an identity, (running from "bad" seeking "good") which is often interpreted as "the pursuit of happiness"; i.e. in pursuit of a "wholeness" which produces a destructive/ consumer-identity that must always be chasing a "something"! A Constructive/Creative Identity, is Wholly Spirit; a complete Manifestation of Mind; a Manifestation, not a chase! At Birth, you were the Whole of Spirit Manifestation, why else would Christ inform one  that "holiness" is to "...Be as the Children"!

The position of the Sword Hilts, are as the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. However, the central Sword, which represents the Sun ("Heart", Soul/Christ-Buddha intelligence), is shattered by Swords 1 through 5, as well as, by swords 7-9 . Your Soul is "broken",i.e your Psyche is not whole!   The Tenth sword represents the intellect with it's moral qualities shattered as well. Thus, we know the 10 of Swords is depicting Intellectual Ruin, by baser and/or lower  thought.

The heart (self love), which also represents the Higher Thought of the Psyche (Soul) is pierced and in ruins as well, dampening down, weakening, and corrupting the creative impulse, confusing the "I AM" by the obfuscation of "I Ain't" (good/bad thinking). The Ten of Swords, therefore, consuls the personality to purge the brain of unworthy thoughts and ideas, what doesn't proclaim your Wholeness, for unworthy thoughts corral the creative impulse so that it putrefies into malice. Self-Malice is a procurer of "illness". Remember, the Medical Journals, have stated that many cures are proven to be placebo effects [The placebo effect points to the importance of perception and the brain's role in physical health.], therefore, many illnesses are also effected by "placebo" of malignant perception!

 Hence to Think ill, is to be identified as  ill.  But so goes the opposite, for to Think Well is to be identified Well! Think divided, be divided. Think Whole be Whole!

" I AM Whole Spirit. For Truth is made Manifest,(not fantasied as a belief). I AM Manifested as a Whole Mind Trinity!"

This is Hermetic Mental Qabalistic Alchemy, the design of which is represented as the Qabalistic Tree of Life that is the Manifestation of which is ALL of YOU...All Ten States of Energy Psyche!

You connect the "Above Divine identities with the Below Created-identities"! This Ascended HuMan (you can't ascend a human body/psyche unless you have one!) is called Adam Kadmon; in the Gnosis of Qabalah, Adam Kadmon is Manifested Whole Spirit, i.e. a perfect balance of Spirit, Mind and Body.

The Connolly Tarot-10 of Swords, is unable to illustrate the Hermetic Alchemy of Spirit. However, it is artistic, colorful and bright. This card seems to depict that one is progressing through a gateway of implanted swords, which could indicate old "stuck" thought patterns. The progressive motion seems to be reinforced by the glow around the woman and the Stellar Universal Collective Unconscious all around her, shedding its "light on her".

The Author's description of the card, states it represents extreme depression and unhappiness with a sense of loss, which it seems to fail to illustrate, but then goes on to state that one is allowing new energy to transform them.  So this card relates to the ending of a self-destructive cycle of thought, as change is immanent.

I for one, prefer more substance to a Tarot card.

For the querent, the Ten of Swords is almost a worst symbol than the 9 of Swords but being a 10, which is 1+0=1, means it is short lived and on the way to change.

This card alone, is ill-dignified; However, if the accompanying cards are all well dignified, this is a  1 week or 1 month card of indignity (ten is  1-0), and the personality is well aware of the need for a change in perspective.

Thank you for your interest, comments and supportive donations. As Spirit, don't forget to play with your animal!  May you live long and prosper!