The Lord of Ruin is another of those dive-for-shelter cards that most people hate to see coming up in a reading. And certainly sometimes the card will presage a painful, even devastating event.
But this is not the underlying tenet of the Lord of Ruin. It's the end result of failing to engage with the true message it brings.
You see, the 10 of Swords is about the power in our own minds. The end result of our thoughts, beliefs and aspirations. If we have believed in our worthiness to achieve and attain; if we have struggled to reach the highest limits of our own current spiritual potential; if we have lived in an ethical and fair manner, we will inevitably have attracted joy, happiness and success into our lives.
If, on the other hand, we have fallen short of our best; believed in our weakness and therefore empowered that belief; if we have given in to negative and harmful thoughts, we will inevitably attract to us sadness, distrust and a reason to fear.
And then the Lord of Ruin walks in. We make so many of the events that happen in our lives...and we pay too little attention to ensuring that we make only good things for ourselves. I have never believed that we can eliminate painful and testing times entirely - we learn so well, when we do things the hard way, to give up hurting to learn. But I know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that we can reduce their frequency.
Most often, the 10 of Swords should be interpreted as an unexpected, shocking and traumatic upheaval. But it's worth looking for clues about how you might be able to lessen the impact. If you find cards like the 9 of Cups or the 8 of Swords, then it's probably better to give the dust time to settle before making an assessment. Things often look a lot worse than they really are. With the 8 of Wands or the 5 of Disks, you might feel that clear communication would resolve difficulties.
When the card comes up with Adjustment/Justice it often points to legal matters. With the Tower the problem is caused by an outside influence (but this could be one of those nasty spiritual jolts that life sometimes gives us when we're stagnating or fearful) and you then need to look for other cards indicating who or where. With Death, the 10 of Swords takes on its saddest aspect, indicating sudden endings.
This card has the major function of reminding us that what we think today creates tomorrow. And yesterday created today. We could do worse for ourselves than to do the best we can at the time.