I need help understanding a reading?

I’ve been having issues with my current relationship. Me and my partner are in an open relationship but I feel really guilty about getting with other people and I decided to use my cards for some advice. If anyone can help me understand it better from an unbiased point of view. Please give honest answers and don’t judge, this is my first relationship or experience with being open

Question asked: What is going on in my relationship, what can I do to fix what I did?
(I feel guilty about getting with other people and I want to know how to move forward)

Bottom of Deck-10 of Swords

Top of Deck-Judgement Upside Down

Overall Outcome-10 of Swords (shuffled and popped out again?)

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I won’t comment on the cards as I’m not experienced enough to do so, but I will say open relationships aren’t easy. And my advice is going to be to talk to your partner. Try to think about why you’re feeling guilty and address that with them. Feel free to ignore this if it isn’t the type of advice you wanted.

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I can’t give a personal interpretation of the cards, but the 10 of Swords showing up twice & once being a jumper, it wants you to recognize the card.

Ten of Swords Upright Meaning

The Ten of this suit represents finality, the end of something. As is easy to grasp from the picture in many decks, there is no hope for revival here. A limit has been reached, a line has been crossed and there is no turning back. In some situations this may be felt as a tragic loss, but it often brings with it a paradoxical sense of release and closure. The waiting and wondering are over. There is no more ambiguity. You can rightly let go and move on, as there is no more progress to be made here.

Emotionally and psychologically, this card appears when one is exhausted and used up, burnt out by the effort of caring and responding and trying to make a difference. When a person feels this way, they have reached burnout and can no longer be held responsible for anything, and therefore can be forgiven for caving in or ceding the fight. The simple instructions are: “Go no further along these lines!”

Ten of Swords Advice Position

The Ten of Swords in this position advises that you lay low for a while. Don’t make a move. Keep yourself as safe as possible until the drama, even the possible trauma, plays itself out. Once the turmoil dies down, then you can assess the damage and start to make repairs. The situation can be compared to a hurricane moving through the neighborhood. You can’t be sure whether it is going to pass over a corner of the field or whether it is going to slam into your house.

In the face of such unpredictability, protect yourself, hope for the best and wait it out. Sometimes, an extreme turn of events serves as a pressure relief valve for all the unexpressed and unresolved energy that had been building up. Trust the process even though things may seem pretty drastic right now.

Ten of Swords

:flower_playing_cards: Tarot Poems by The Gifted and Talented Kasie may be helpful for the rest of the cards in the reading too.

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I think that @MeganB is our tarot expert here, I haven’t gotten to do more than three-card readings so far and it depends on what you were asking as each card was being laid down but it sounds as if you’re out of balance and stabbing yourself in the foot, so to speak. You need to sit down and figure out why you’re feeling this way and what will bring you back into balance.

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I’m a bit confused because what you’ve written here doesn’t match your photo, besides it being the very first card.

Without knowing what question was asked for each specific card and/or row, it’s a bit difficult to give my thoughts on the entire reading, but the 10 of Swords seems to be significant for this one so I want to mention that one first.

In this particular question, it’s important to remember that the suit of swords represents our logical mind, our thought processes, and (in my opinion) our mental health. This card is a clear indicator that you’re putting this all on yourself with the way you’re thinking. It could be a sign that if things don’t change – either your thought process or the relationship – it will end in disaster.

I notice that The Devil appears here, too, showing that this trapping you’re in is one of your own creation. You could easily a escape the vices that are around you, as represented by the very loose chains on the people in the image, but you either don’t see it clearly yet or you’re not ready to let go.

The Seven of Cups could represent the choice that you need to make. You’ve got a lot of options and directions you can go but you may be overwhelmed with them and not know what you want to do, yet.


I’m curious as to why you pulled so many cards? Does each card have a specific question attached to it? Or each row? That might help me understand more of your thought process with this reading.

Also, as I’ve told a few other people before, the first thing I would do in this situation would be to talk to your partner. I’m part of a niche community that has to do with relationships and, often, when we’re confronted with guilt or jealousy in relationships, it points more to our own “bad tapes” or experiences that we’ve had in previous relationships, especially if we aren’t doing anything wrong. In this case, you’re not doing anything wrong because both you and your partner(s) are, I’m assuming, consenting to the open relationship. If you’re having feelings of guilt, just be honest with your partner. It’s most likely a reflection of your past experiences and societal conditioning rather than anything you need to “fix” in your relationship.

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I’m also part of a niche community and echo your advice here.

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I actually didn’t pull any of them, I asked my question and shuffled for about 10 seconds before cards started jumping out at me. I even put some back to see if it was just my shuffling and they consistently popped out again. The top card is the over all outcome or message that I’m suppose to learn from or take away. The bottom and top are just what I saw looking at the deck before shuffling for the final lesson/outcome

Thank you for your advice and I will talk to my partner, I was just hoping to figure out my feelings before approaching them about it!

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Thank you very much for your input and advice on the card meanings!

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I am sorry to hear you are going through a hard time. That lifestyle can be joyful and fun (from past experience) when it works with your temperament, goals and values and it can also be super complicated. Guilt does not have to be part of it but if it is, it is a good time to reflect. I think guilt arises out of when you feel like you are not living according to your values.

These are my intutitive impressions. The 7 of Cups is showing that you have a lot of options and that maybe all of them seem appealing in some way. For example, you may like some quality about a lover, and in another, something else, and you don’t want to give up either because you like or love them in different ways but you feel conflicted about it – I’m just riffing, it could be something else entirely. There’s a lot on your plate and it’s not crystal clear, is what I’m saying. I see your suffering and anxiety (10 of swords). You are worried that you are being selfish (Devil) or unfair (reversed Justice) - to yourself? To your mate? Or are they being so to you? The ten of pentacles reversed indicates problems with close relationships; also a time to re examine your values or how you want to live your life. It could be you feel lonely or unfulfilled (reverse Hermit) which can definitely be a side effect of casual relationships. The reverse Hanged Man is showing that something is not working for you. Maybe you are not happy with how your partner is approaching the relationship. There is some kind of dissatisfaction. The Nine of Swords reversed shows you asking for help or wise counsel, which is why you went to the cards and your coven. The Two of Wands show that you are ready to make any needed changes to improve your life and that you feel in control of taking those steps. The Page of Swords encourages you to be honest.

I think this is a good spread for you. It is showing that you are in control of your destiny and have the power to make your relationship(s) work for you in the way you need them to, but you might need to re-focus on what you want and what you need and reconnect with your personal core values. Sometimes, getting a little distance from everyone and getting a change of scenery can help you get that needed perspective (e.g., spending the afternoon by yourself in a nearby town, window shopping and people watching). I agree with the others about talking with your partner about this. I always found walking with partners helped move “big” conversations along on a productive path rather than sitting, maybe that was just me. Good luck, you got this! :slight_smile:

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