TITLE OF CARD IN RW DECK: Ten of Wands

ALTERNATE NAMES: Oppression

BASIC DESCRIPTION: A man carrying a bundle of ten wands walks away from the viewer, apparently toward a village.
FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME: The wands must be heavy because he is so hunched over.

UPRIGHT MEANINGS: "A card of many significances, and some of the readings cannot be harmonized. I set aside that which connects it with honour and good faith. The chief meaning is oppression simply, but it is also of fortune, gain, any kind of success, and then it is the oppression of these things. It is also a card of false-seeming, disguise, perfidy. The place which the figure is approaching may suffer from the rods that he carries. Success is stultified if the Nine of Swords follows, and if it is a question of a lawsuit, there will be certain loss." (Waite)
Bearing the burden alone. Oppression (yet not without benefit), servitude, hard work/labor, treadmill, bringing work home, overtime, striving to meet a goal, trying to do it all and/or have it all. Overload, taking on too much, shouldering too many burdens, struggling under a heavy load, over-extension of resources, maxxed out, excess in all things. Responsibility, weight of obligations or relationships, trudging through life, taking your "eyes off the prize" and seeing only obstacles, necessary but unpleasant duties, accountability, taking the blame, guilt, depression, stress, strain from overbearing pressures (external or internal), martyr complex, need to delegate to others, need for readjustment of power. Struggle to complete tasks, trial by fire, determination, stubbornness, tenacity, not letting things go, problems soon to be resolved, perseverence will pay off. Possibly using power for selfish ends, greed, working so as to avoid facing something.
ALSO: Feeling old and tired. Birthdays that end in "0." Cleaning up after a party or other group event.

REVERSED MEANINGS: Contrarieties, difficulties, intrigues, and their analogies. (Waite)
Treachery, duplicity, traitor, deceiver, subterfuge, some losses will occur. Separation, emigration, displacement. Selfishness, shifting responsibility to another, passing the buck, slacking. Easing of work load, throwing off burdens, release from tension, unbearable situation has ended, letting go of the past, closure. Moderation and restraint.
ALSO: Physical or emotional collapse.

BIBLICAL: Bringing in the sheaves. "The harvest is great, but the workers are few."--Matthew 9:37

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
For every man shall bear his own burden.--Galatians 6:2-5

Reversed: Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself. And he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.--Psalms 55:22

Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.--Matthew 11:28-30

MYTHOLOGICAL: Sisyphus
HISTORICAL: Slavery, serfdom.

INSECT: ant and rhinoceros beetle, who can carry many times their own weight
TIME/SEASON: late fall
WEATHER: "Hochnebel" just before Christmas. Hochnebel is fog which rises up to the low cloud ceiling, trapping the valley in a grey shroud.

FILM: "Longitude"--John Harrison's 40-year effort to build an accurate chronometer. There are elements of the Ten of Wands in many films (and books); too many to list.
MUSIC: "Banana Boat (Day-O)" by Harry Belefonte. "400 Years" by Bob Marley.
PUBLIC PEOPLE OR EVENTS: Barbarossa, who died because his armor was too heavy.
OCCUPATIONS: laborer (farmer, builder, gardener...), caddy, roadie, squire, weapons dealer

QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES: "We will either find a way or make one."--Hannibal
"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."--St. Francis of Assisi
"If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't move, pick it up. If you can't pick it up, paint it."--Old army saying
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired."--F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The world is full of willing people: some willing to work, the rest willing to let them."--Robert Frost
"By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work 12 hours a day."--Robert Frost
"Could I climb the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, 'Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?'"--Socrates

SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE: Moving day!
THIS CARD/PERSON IN MY LIFE: Mothers of Christmas Past, Present and Future
PERSONAL THOUGHTS: Thinking past the first impulse of "oppression," what other possibilities are here? Do the wands represent the work, or the reward, or even stolen goods? Are they being carried for someone else, or are they one's own? Will their effect be beneficial, or damaging? Are they assets or liabilities? Tools or weapons? Who will they serve?
What are you bringing home to your family? What are you passing on?
Could the burden be redistributed, divided, lessened, shared?

FAVORITE REPRESENTATION: Ancestral Path
COMPARISONS TO OTHER DECKS: Though the wands are generally seen as a burden, the way they are borne provides a variety of interpretations. See PERSONAL THOUGHTS above.
COMPARISONS TO OTHER CARDS:

ANCESTRAL PATH TAROT Ten of Staves

Art by Julie Cuccia-Watts, text by Tracey Hoover

"Description: A young mother leaves a terraced papyrus field, shouldering a bundle of ten papyrus reeds. Another bundle, her youngest child, is carried in a pouch. An older son walks ahead of her, carrying a box of grain; another grain container is strapped to his back. The field rises above the Nile, part of a bay in which nestles the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (the only female pharaoh in Egyptian history). This Nubian family is part of the laboring servant/slave class drawn from Egypt's conquered territories, who were set to work every fertile strip of land surrounding the Nile.

(The reign of Ramses II also marked the era of Israelite enslavement. Historians speculate that Hebrew slaves probable labored to build the pharaoh's new royal capital of Per-Ramesse, 'house of Ramses.')"

 

I really love this card! The mother's burdens don't seem so hard for her to take--just part of normal life. She may have to work hard, and her labor may be enforced, but she doesn't look oppressed. At least in Egypt there was something to eat! Remember the story of Joseph? Or the Exodus: "And the sons of Israel kept saying to them: 'If only we had died by Jehovah's hand in the land of Egypt while we were sitting by the pots of meat, while we were eating bread to satisfaction, because you have brought us out into this wilderness to put this whole congrgation to death by famine.'" (Ex. 16:3)

"Meanings: Being overburdened, pressured, and taxed to the limits of one's ability to cope. The card calls for the need to balance everything very carefully, as the tightrope is tautly stretched and may snap at any moment. Responsibilities and obligations can be oppressive and stressful if not balanced with perspective and the release of nonessentials. Distinctions between exploiting and being exploited need to be considered. Issues arise concerning slavery and/or servitude to society, family, or one's job."

The RW & derivatives that I'm used to seem much more stressful, with characters hunched under the weight of their loads. But this Ten of Staves gives me a good feeling--that the work is worth it, that nothing essential is lacking, including the strength to carry on. Servitude is definitely an issue. Who do you serve? What are you working for? Why do you work so hard? The card reminds me of single mothers (who work harder than most)--willing slaves to the needs of their children.

 

HALLOWEEN TAROT Ten of Imps

Art by Kipling West, text by Karin Lee

"Igor, naughty Igor, has nabbed ten old-fashioned imp trick-or-treat containers from ten hapless youths, no doubt in a nasty show of brute strength. Greedy and horrid, he has stolen so many he can't even hold them all in his arms. Though his burden weighs him down (or is that just his hunchback?) he stumbles on.

Ten of Imps symbolizes too much of a good thing, whether you're on a social merry-go-round, working long hours, or eating too much trick-or-treat candy. Let Igor be a warning to you of the dangers of excess and the abuse of power, or simply of the occasional need for wheelbarrows."--Karin Lee

Pretty straightforward--a guy trying to take on more than is good for him. Yet, I wonder if he will give in to his desire and risk losing his whole load to retrieve the one he's dropped, or if he'll leave it for the cat to play with.

Reminds me of harvest time, when I had to eat three bowls of collard greens in one day. My gas-bloated belly was about as big as Igor's hump!

voice	10 toes	vision

This page contains excerpts from my original contributions to an online Tarot discussion. The Comparative Tarot list is made possible by Valerie Sim and Yahoo! groups.
Ten of Wands IMHO page created December 20, 2004.
http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/minors/wands/w10/w10imho.html