Ten of Wands

Ten of Wands from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck

Ten of Wands is a Minor Arcana Tarot card of the Suit of Wands.

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games.^[1]

In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes.^[1][2]

Divination usage

Most often, the Ten of Wands card carries the meaning of overload and burdening situations where too much responsibility has been taken on by the subject. The trick is, can the subject (the supplicant) actually carry the burden, making progress beyond the Nine of Wands (seeing the burden with some small apprehension), to arrive at a balanced conclusion, as does the Page of Wands? Balance is everything and everlasting – a state or place where acceptance is chosen in disregard of panic. "Balance walks the wire, whilst panic is in partnership with the perilous."

Key Meanings

The key meanings of the Ten of Wands:^[3]

• Burdens
• Challenges
• Intense pressure
• Oppression
• Overcommitment

Rider-Waite symbolism

• A person overburdened by his enterprise, is nevertheless active and on the move, but not seeing past his wands (or obligations).
• A city can be observed in the background. He may be headed there, perhaps with the goal of ridding himself of this load.

References

1. Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7156-1014-7.
2. Huson, Paul, (2004) Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage, Vermont: Destiny Books, ISBN 0-89281-190-0 Mystical Origins of the Tarot
3. Trusted Tarot (2010) Ten of Wands