At first when I drew this card I groaned in my head.  Even reversed, the 10 of Swords is not the most pleasant card to see first thing in the morning.  Ed Buryn offers the following interpretations for this card:  "Spiritual victory in the face of material defeat.  Feeling mentally or philosophically burned out."  Looking at the image of three figures bound by serpents on the 10 of Science I get the sense of sacrifice or perhaps even retribution for something.  What did these figures do to deserve suspension above a pit of flames.  It reminds me a bit of the how Imhotep clings to the edge of the floor while hovering over a fiery pit full of spirits at the climax of Mummy 2.  But Imhotep ultimately allows himself to fall into the pit; he stops struggling and gives up.  That is not something I am willing to do right now.  Then again perhaps that is why this card is reversed today.

The Hudes 10 of Swords shows a fairly traditional image of a figure being pierced by 10 swords.  However no blood is visible.  Is this person dead or merely getting some acupuncture to align his chi?  Let's face it - sometimes things that look painful and frightening are ultimately healing, most types of dental works come to mind.  

They key to interpreting this card for me today is that it's reversed which I am taking to mean that this describes a situation whose influence is passing away.  I have survived this potential pain and difficulty and managed to move forward.  There is still some hesitation and unsureness about what my decision will be and what step to take next, but the painful part of over.  It's now a matter of making some practical plans, thinking, strategizing and communicating these plans to others.  I've reached a pinnacle and now it's time to see what awaits on the other side.