This is very interesting ...Yes, definitely a stark difference from the rest of the deck, which is lovely. In Numerology there are only the 1 - 9 whole Numbers. Every larger Number is reduced to a single digit (10 = 1 + 0 = 1) .....However, in the Tarot, we give it a little leniency with the Tens.
Ten (10) in Tarot thus becomes that "hair-breath" moment between the end of one Cycle (9) and the Beginning of another (1). The Ten Cards are all a bit "over-kill"..........
10 of Swords -- do you really NEED ten swords to stab someone in the back? 10 of Cups -- Too MUCH joy and happiness? Is this really an idyllic situation or a fantasy? 10 of Wands -- Too many Passions? 10 of Pentacles -- Too much Abundance?
That said ....There's no such thing as a purely negative (or positive) card. ALL of the Tarot Cards have a spectrum of meaning ....There are two sides to the coin
With the 10 of Swords, swords are thoughts & ideas, and anytime we have a lot of swords, there's too much thought or thoughts/ ideas, here. If you Read Reversals, turn this card upside-down and the swords (thoughts and ideas) fall away (the same for say, the 3 of Swords)....
I don't use Reversals, so I am looking to the other Cards in the spread, and the "Question" originally posed by the Client, for context...
You also mentioned the Death Card. Both Death and the 10 of Swords, in the Waite/Smith versions of the Cards, have the dawn coming up, in the distance. This symbology isn't arbitrary.
Sure, the 10 of Swords can be "reaching Rock Bottom", but change often only happens when we are thrust out of our comfort zone, and are at the extremes (really good / really bad situations)....
One Cycle is ending, with another beginning, and thus new Opportunity (yellow is the color of optimism - again not arbitrary).
Conversely, we can look at the 10 of Pentacles - Sure, it can mean legacy, family inheritance, profitable investments, financial stability, genealogy, but also family matters, squabbles, the problems that come with too much wealth. In the Waite/Smith version of the Card, it's only the dogs that even pay attention to the family patriarch!
Take the 10 of Cups -- an idyllic scene! Happy and abundant family life. Joy, harmony, sharing your home, lasting friendships, marriage, children ....but it can also be over excess, showing off, etc.
Look deeply folks into any seemingly "all-negative" card, and you'll find the seeds of the "positive". Look deeply into any seemingly "all-positive" card, and you'll find the seeds of the "negative".
In a Reading, never take a Card at face value .....Remember the "Question", context, and look to the other Cards in the Spread -- Use your intuition, and you will see where on the "spectrum" the meaning lies...............
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