The LWB book states that each suit relates to a specific kingdom of the mysterious, and dark world depicted in these cards. This specific card relates to the Kingdom of Sorrow. Here are some of my ramblings...
The colour of the sky is that of a war-torn Hell. I feel that perhaps this man has been dragged from a battle or from his home, beaten, and strapped to the dead-tree. It is almost as though he has been left to suffer until his very last breath. I have the feeling that he is still alive, but that he will not live for much longer... blood appears to pour forth from his mouth like a dark, and rich wine.
Are those serpents at his feet? I think that they may well be, but I also like to think of them as the roots of the gnarled tree, clutching at his feet, and almost nailing him to the ground, and destroying all possibility of escape.
His death is inevitable.
He is food for the hungry birds which circle in the distant sky. It appears that they are waiting for him to die, before they approach the tree to feast upon his body.
The Ten of Swords can refer to the end of a specific situation, aspect, or issue. In the RW card, the end also carries hope, depicted in the promise of a new day. In the Secret card, the man is not lain on the ground. Instead he is stood upright and strapped to the dead tree, therefore, he is still, in a way, attached to the Earth.
There is a positive side to the Secret card, albeit expressed in rather a dark manner:
His body dies and returns to the Earth, from which new life begins.