TAROTTen of Wands
Upright
The will and passion to carry on at the end of a long trial.
Fending off the feelings of giving up on an important task.
Carrying a burden or responsibility with a will to complete the task it entails.
Intuition
The card is often seen as the ‘burden’ card and shows a man struggling under the weight of the staves he is carrying.
Some see it as comical that he would stop so near to the end of the journey, but notice that the staves hide his view of how close the goal really is!
Reversed
Struggling to complete a responsibility, task or personal goal
Exhaustion and inability to continue.
Moving forward on a path to potential failure and burnout unless you reassess or communicate.
Moving on a path that is not clear to you because you cannot see beyond immediate responsibilities.
Astrologia
Balancing the need for freedom and independence with practicality and realism. Maturity. A good planner who moves forward with achievable goals and hard work. Can be over cautious and undermine their own skills, leading to slowness.
Ten of Wands
After the attack and defense of the Nine of Wands has been cleared, there is only one hurdle between yourself and the end of the task; yourself.
The Ten of Wands suggests you are taking on a burden. This may be because
- You are taking on too much, or
- You realize success means challenging yourself, or
- The weight feels heavy simply because you have carried it for so long.
None of this matters because you can see the end of the road ahead. The weight you carry is now very temporary.
So, most people will forget their heavy load because the place called success is so close they can see it!
Most people will forget their heavy load when the place called success is so close they can see it!
The Labors of Herakles
Herakles (Latin; Hercules) was a son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Heracles grew to be very strong but was also prone to anger and often on the wrong side of the Goddess Hera due to Herakles being one (of many!) illegitimate son of Hera’s husband, Zeus.
Whether through his temper or a curse by Hera, Herakles fell into a fit of anger and killed his own family. This led to 10 labors Herakles had to fulfil as atonement. This was later increased to 12 as it was decided Herakles had failed in two of the original 10. Hence 10 large staves for the 10 successful trials Herakles had to face on his long quest.
The prize was also significantly greater than simply atonement. Herakles would go on to gain immortality. This fact is important when we realize the labors are not some mythical beast-slaying story; they are allegorical of the trials we each have to face to gain purity from sins and attain immortality in the next life. The labors of Herakles was often cited as such in early Christian thought.
This makes the 10 of Wands card more significant as the figure is not just carrying staves, but struggling with the sins that may prevent him reaching the real goal at the end of the journey; immortality in the afterlife.
As examples we will look at the first three labors and their Christian allegoric meaning:
- The first labor was to slay the Nemean Lion. This represents courage over one’s wild nature (and is repeated in the Major Arcana Strength card).
- The second labor was to slay the Learnaean Hydra. The many-headed Hydra could grow new heads as fast as they were cut off and it represents our material vices. As soon as we beat one vice, we will gain another unless we also change ourselves. Herakles cauterizing the Hydra’s wounds as each head was chopped off, causing no new head to grow. To beat your vices once and for all you have to kill the vice with the passion of a stronger fire and only this prevents new desires taking their place.
- The third labor was to kill the Ceryneian Hind. This was a trap set against Heracles to anger the Goddess of the Wild (Artemis, as seen in the Chariot card). Rather than kill it, Heracles let the hind go as soon as he had completed the task. The Hind represents our ego running wild. You cannot kill your ego as it is your motive strength but you can always tame it.
Description and Symbology
We see a man struggling with a heavy bundle of ten staves. He is carrying them along a winding path. On either side of the path the grass is scorched and dead. Looking further ahead, we see the path ending in a substantial building and greener land beyond it.
The man is struggling with his load but he is within sight of home and the better future that lays beyond it.
The man
The man struggles with ten staves. They are either heavy or numerous and therefore difficult to hold at once. They may also be blocking his view of the path in front of him and hiding how close he is to completion.
The winding path
The man has been carrying the staves along a winding path. On either side of it there is scorched earth denoting a difficult journey.
The end of the path
The end of the path is in sight and we see a grand house with greener grass beyond, suggesting that the end of the struggling man’s journey is in sight. The goal also seems to be worth the struggle!
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
The relationship will be going through a period of trials but these will soon reach completion. Issues may occur if one side of the relationship is taking up most of the burden. Similarly, issues may occur if one person has a burden from another part of their life (such as career) and this may affect the relationship.
In all situations, the burden in question will not complete for a short while, and communication may be key until it does.
The relationship is going through a period of trials that may lead to a positive result but there is an imbalance somewhere preventing moving forward to that positive result.
There may be a differing opinion on whether it is worth carrying on, or there may be exhaustion.
Whatever the reason, communication needs to occur to reassess and agree priorities, because the current plan leads to failure.
This card suggests a task or project is nearing completion but it is taking a toll on the person bearing it.
The card suggests that the task is nearing completion and there will be a positive result if this happens, noting that the person in question may not know how close they are to completing.
This card suggests you have taken on responsibilities or a project that you feel are either beyond you or are leaving you with a feeling or being trapped on a path to failure. It may be time to call for help from others or to communicate your doubts, as you may actually be close to success and merely need others to give you a push.
Carrying on by yourself may cause burnout and failure.
You may have an illness or worry from another part of your life that is making you ill and lose sleep. This card tells you the worst has already happened and the only real hurdle left is your will to carry on, and/or worry itself.
The card asks that you maintain confidence in your abilities and continue moving forward as – whether you know it or not - you are close to meeting your goals and/or a cure.
You are being adversely affected by a responsibility or burden and it is affecting your health.
Consider carefully if it is actually your burden and responsibility and whether you should be so worried by it, not least because this is not a physical burden but one of the mind.
The solution also lies in your mind. Either you should rekindle the passion to move forward, ask for help and advice, or realize it is a lost cause before you burn out.
This card suggests you have been on a journey or task for some time and this may have left scars in your sense of self or confidence.
The card notes that you are closer than you think to completing and/or are doing better than you think.
You need a greater sense of achievement in getting so far ahead towards the goal. Perhaps this will steel you for the final steps to completion!
You have been affected by a difficult or long running task and are questioning whether it is worth carrying on.
This is a decision only you can make but the card suggests you may not make it to the end unless you change your plan.
This change of plan will mean reassessing the goal and whether the burden it entails is really yours, whether you need help from others, and whether you need to stop and give up for the sake of your sense of self.
You may be worried about finances or the responsibilities of supporting others. The world may seem to be on your shoulders and expecting you to do everything with limited resources.
This card asks that you carry on for a little longer as you may be closer to a positive end than you think. This will not be a lottery win or windfall but the result of simply having faith in what you are doing and what you have achieved so far.
You have been on a path that has been costly and perhaps has you questioning whether to continue.
This card suggests you will fail on your current plan and it is time to reassess the weight of the risks you are taking,
Yes. Although things may seem like a ‘no’ at the moment, keep going as you are near a positive result!
No, because you will fail using the current plan or path. At the very least stop and reassess.
Reading the Card
The upright card
The upright Ten of Wands represents carrying a large burden, but the important thing to note is that this burden is often necessary and close to completion.
It is also important to note that Wands do not signify material things so this is not a physical burden but one of the mind: responsibility, the will to succeed against all odds, or the passion to finish what you start and reap a great reward.
The card suggests you have been carrying your burden on an arduous journey but that journey will soon end and reap a great reward – if you can stay on track and finish!
The reversal
The reversed Ten of Wands signifies the same as the upright one, except that you may be reconsidering completing the task despite being so close to the end.
Maybe you are exhausted by the task or can’t see the end goal because of the burden you are carrying, or the task has changed you so that you no longer want nor needs to complete it.
Or maybe you were never able to complete the journey on your own and needed help that you refused or ignored at the beginning. Perhaps you are scared by the responsibility or (like most large tasks) approaching the end is the hardest because there are so many lose ends to complete.
Whatever the reason, the Ten of Wands asks you to look at the picture of the struggling man and realize this is not simply a path going forward to its goal. Like most seemingly one-way paths in life it is actually a three way fork:
- You can go forward,
- You can go backward, or
- You can stay where you are.
Whichever you choose, you have to justify it as the best choice for you rather than the easiest. If you pick the easiest the chances are you are simply giving up.
Card Design Process
The card was based around the knowledge that the trials of Herakles are an allegory for the trials of living.
Most myths are not fantasy but about explaining things that were not understood two or three thousand years ago. Our understanding of the world has changed, but the things myth tries to explain about human nature are unchanged.
Final Words
The Ten of Wands is about crossing the final hurdle in a long running task. You will be weighed down by several problems crossing your mind but the problem is not the path nor journey anymore. It is about you and your will and passion to carry on.
