10 of Swords: The End of Humanity
There will come a time when human beings no longer breathe the air. Perhaps the current mess of the planet – this disgraceful situation that we continue to cause through our greed and insanity – will contribute to this, although I’m not convinced it will be the end of human beings entirely. But whatever the cause will be, the end will come. Dinosaurs lived on the planet for 165 million years until a giant asteroid hit, causing their complete extinction.
I think it’s healthy for us to know that one day, the last human will breathe their last breath. We are not ‘normal’. We are strange animals. One leg is placed before the other to stop ourselves from constantly falling face-down on the Earth. That’s weird, very strange indeed.
Above: 10 of Swords from the Marseille-Waite Tarot by Iger/Laverty.
In the Waite-Smith Ten of Swords and decks inspired by it, a figure lies on the ground with Ten Swords sticking out of their body, although, curiously, there is little or no blood. The skies are either turning black over a yellow horizon – the darkness coming – or the skies are clearing to reveal Earth’s continuing beauty.
Will the current state of the planet cause the end of humanity? Maybe, maybe not. The sadness of the current situation is not just the potential end of human life (at least as we know it), but that so many other beautiful species are being taken down with us. And yet, I’m not convinced that it’s the end of humanity, not yet.
Either way, though, our time will come. And it is healthy to know that. Just as you – the individual – are not permanent, neither is your species. Nothing is forever. Everything changes. And when this human race of ours has eventually left the planet, leaving traces of all of the damage we have caused, yet also with the ruins of many beautiful buildings that have been expertly crafted, the Earth will go on. The Sun will rise. Slowly, some very sturdy species of animal – the rat, the tardigrade? – will evolve to become the strongest species, perhaps one day becoming smarter than we are. But they will be wiped out too. And one day (hopefully long, long into the future), maybe the Earth will die. It cannot be forever, because nothing is. (Let’s not be so arrogant as to think that it will not survive human behaviour, though – Mother Earth is far tougher than anything that we can throw at her.)
When the Waite Smith type Ten of Swords shows in an ecological reading, it is possible that you are being confronted with your worry and concern – perhaps not about the Earth, but for yourself, your species. That is normal and healthy. Eco-anxiety is a real thing, and it must be processed. We can’t run away from what is happening, but if you are feeling that this is really becoming an issue for you, I implore you to talk about it with someone. Sadly, it is becoming fairly common for humans to feel anxious and depressed about the state of the planet. We are the Earth, and so we are feeling the Earth’s suffering.
But perhaps when the Ten of Swords appears, we are also being confronted with our own finiteness as a species. In Buddhism, acknowledging the impermanence of everything – really looking around and noticing that this very moment, and everything contained in it, is _now and only now_, is one of the major keys to enlightenment. Let’s do everything that is in our power to stop this ridiculous mess from going further, yes. But don’t worry if you can’t do anything practical, either emotionally, financially or physically. Not everybody has it in them. It’s fine if you’re not able to be that person. Know that as an individual, your power is not as huge as you would like it to be. Sorry about that. We live in a culture that constantly says, _You can do anything you want to do!_ But then you look at the state of the Earth and you know that you can’t. So accept it. We must work to change things, yes. But we must also rest and be at peace, because that peace ripples out and has an effect on those around us, too. We must enjoy this beautiful life, whatever is or isn’t coming. I certainly am, and guilt-free too, thank you very much!
Above: 10 of Air (Swords) from the Sacred She Tarot
Crystal balls are awesome, but they won’t tell you what is to come, nor will any Tarot card. We cannot take on such gigantic responsibilities as the end of humanity on our individual and very tiny shoulders. That isn’t selfish, that is sane and correct. And ironically, the best way to do that, is to meditate on the knowledge that _human beings are not forever_ and to accept it. Stop struggling against impermanence for every minute of the day. The Earth can’t utilise your anxiety.
That’s all for now, friends. Thank you for being here – and please check out my Therapeutic Tarot Sessions and my courses embracing Tarot and Nature if you’d like us to work together. You can also sign up for the Tarot Blog newsletter (different to my main newsletter) below to receive occasional email updates (roughly monthly) with the latest posts.
Smiles from Scotland,
Stephen
