The Ten of Wands
Symbolism
A solitary figure walks hunched over, carrying ten wands. All ten of the wands are here and in the manner he carries them, it seems like a struggle to carry all ten.
The way he is leaning forward shows that his effort is made to hold the wands down, not up. The wands represent the fire element that does not normally want to be grounded, as it is an upward vibration, and this figure is trying to earth them all.
Keywords
Upright: Spiritual mission, dedication, altruistic work, commitment, duty, struggle, challenges.
Reversed: Denying spiritual path, excessive burden, ready to give up, defeatist mentality, ungroundedness, doubting Thomas.
Upright meaning
This Ten shows us holding all the Wands, and carrying them somewhere. This many wands are tough to carry. They represent the passionate energy of our purpose and our dedication to do the work that we came here to do. It is a multifaceted work, involving transformation and developing many gifts. The fiery wands are tricky to ground, so conviction and perseverance are called for here.
When carrying such a load, we need to feel convinced that this is our job. There is an altruistic nature to the wands, but selfless devotion has to be matched with personal needs. The persistence and patience needed for this work can only be found when we feel we are walking our walk, aligned with our hearts.
This card comes up when we need to bring our attention to this feeling of having a mission or purpose. We may know what we want in this world, but this card brings greater clarity about how to live our lives with more integrity. The wands will always bring up sexuality, and here there is an abundance of it. Holding that energy in, not by suppressing our urges, but by directing our sexuality for a higher purpose, is a great tantric practice for this time.
Reversed meaning
By the time we reach the Ten of Wands, we are not new to challenges or difficulties in our journey. But this reversal brings with it an old voice of doubt, a fear of failure, and a questioning of our self-worth. We may remember and bring back memories of failure and tough times, but we are older, more aware, and much more equipped for this hurdle.
The ten Wands have this upward pull. To carry all these wands, we have to be grounded on the earth and genuinely rooted in practicality and common sense. If we aren’t grounded, we can burn out quickly, and find our energy, dispersed all over the place. While this is the fire element, the reversal shouts out for earthing ourselves well in nature and through action.
This shadow ten brings out a little denial of our spiritual path. We may find ourselves afraid of the commitment that this path calls for. We may find our ego resisting taking seriously our creative potential. If we find ourselves talking the talk but avoiding deeper action, we must connect with our fears and doubts. We can honour the ego’s self-preserving nature, but still consciously choose to take our purpose seriously, and avoid procrastination and self-doubt.
There can be a healthy resistance to taking on the spiritual work this card speaks about. We may be realistically caught up with other responsibilities and not able to take on more work. A tendency to overstress ourselves with a duty-filled life, can also be the reason this card is reversed. Taking our mission seriously is part of our work, but not at any cost. Respecting our limits and clearing our path for important work is part of the message.